Manchester United defeated Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoonplaceholder image
Manchester United defeated Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon | Manchester United via Getty Images
Man United have received three penalties so far this season, the last one came against Brentford.
Man United are currently one point off the top four in the Premier League after they drew 2-2 against Nottingham Forest in their last game at the City Ground. If they win against Tottenham at the weekend, the Red Devils could climb up to second in the table heading into the international break.
For United to get into the top four, they will need to play their best, of course, but also could do with some luck, as teams that learn how to win also make the most of their chances, and that includes set-pieces. Look at Arsenal so far this season, the Gunners’ set-piece record this year is one of the reasons why they are six points clear at the top of the league.
Penalties are also such a huge part of the game, and United boast having a reliable penalty taker in the form of Bruno Fernandes. It’s also like they aren’t short of choice, as you would also back the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and more to score from 12 yards.
Premier League team penalty table
Man United, Brentford, Brighton - 3 penalties
Arsenal, Crystal Palace - 2 penalties
Leeds, Chelsea, West Ham, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Wolves - 1 penalty
The teams with the best conversion rate on spot kicks is all the teams with one or two penalties, as they all have a 100% conversion rate this season. In terms of the top three teams, it is a bit different.
Man United, Brentford and Brighton have all had three penalties this season. Brentford and Brighton have scored two of their three, which is a solid enough record, but United have scored just one of their three, meaning they’ve missed 66% so far this season, which is the worst in the league.
Should Amorim pick a different penalty taker?
United’s conversion rate from the spot really comes down to Fernandes, so could it be time for Amorim to pick a different taker? Let’s take Bruno’s last penalty as an example, he took it against Brentford, and it was easily saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, due to the fact that Fernandes went for a slower-finessed approach rather than power. Kelleher simply reacted and made the stop.
Bryan Mbeumo has the next-best penalty record in his career in terms of Man United players, as the former Brentford forward has scored 11 of 12 penalties in the Premier League, and he has missed just one. The only reason he probably never took more at Brentford was that they had Ivan Toney for a while.
However, Amorim should probably ease the brakes on deciding with the penalty taker just yet, as we all know that Fernandes is one of the best spot-kick-takers in United history. In fact, the Portuguese midfielder broke the record in 2024 for the most penalty goals for the Red Devils, ahead of Wayne Rooney, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fernandes has scored 38 goals via the spot for the Red Devils, which, compared to Van Nistelrooy, who is second on 28, shows just how impressive he has been. The Red Devils captain will be keen to get another this weekend, when United face Tottenham.
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