Stat, Viz, Quiz is the Opta Analyst football newsletter. This week’s edition looks at Como, Bruno Fernandes, and winning runs.
Michael Carrick has been in charge of Manchester United for scarcely three weeks, but after three consecutive wins, the good times are back at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes has been at the heart of that resurgence. After setting up two of United’s goals against Fulham on Sunday, he now has 12 assists in the Premier League this season. In this week’s SVQ, we’ll look at whether he can go on to break the single-season Premier League assist record.
One of the players whose record he will be trying to beat is Cesc Fàbregas. The former Arsenal midfielder registered 18 assists in the 2014-15 season, but the mercurial midfielder is busy these days as the manager of Como. He’s doing a fine job there, too, but his side broke a whole host of unwanted records against Atalanta on Sunday night.
Our Ask Opta question this week is – bear with us – haircut-related. No, no, don’t go. It’s worth it, we promise.
We’ve also got a five-question quiz, because otherwise the end of our newsletter’s name, Stat, Viz, Quiz, would be false advertising.
But first, we head to Lombardy.
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STAT – Como-n, Finish It!
Cesc Fàbregas has made the transition from player to manager look almost as seamless as he did receiving the ball on the half-turn between the lines during his playing days.
A core member of the coaching staff that oversaw Como’s promotion to Serie A in 2023-24, Fàbregas was named permanent head coach in July 2024. After a respectable mid-table finish in 2024-25, Como have kicked on this season, sitting sixth in Serie A and reaching the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Their most recent league match, however, was anything but smooth sailing.
As the shot map below shows, after visitors Atalanta were reduced to 10 men early on, Como dominated. Over 90 minutes, they racked up a whopping 5.05 expected goals.
The score? Yes, you guessed it. 0-0.
Como 0-0 Atalanta xG shot map - Serie A
That total of 5.05 xG came from 28 shots, an incredible 12 of which were defined as ‘big chances’. You know the ones; the “he’s got to score that” variety. Como missed all 12, the most big chances any Serie A side has ever missed in a single match without winning. In fact, it’s the most big chances missed in a game without a side winning across the entire Opta database for Europe’s top five leagues.
One of those chances was a 98th-minute penalty from Nico Paz, which the Argentine struck tamely at goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. Paz has now missed all three of the penalties he has taken in Serie A.
In Opta’s entire Serie A xG database (since 2010-11), Como’s 5.05 xG vs Atalanta is the second-highest xG total ever recorded by a team who failed to win a match.
The highest? Atalanta themselves, who registered 5.59 xG against Empoli in April 2019. Astonishingly, La Dea drew 0-0 despite having 47 shots at goal. Perhaps the frustration of that day was channelled into their performance on Sunday. They know all too well what it feels like.
There must have been moments when Fàbregas wished he could sub himself on. As it was, he had to settle for a point and, perhaps, wonder if he should change his penalty taker…
VIZ – Bruno’s Assist Aim
With Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold no longer in the Premier League, Bruno Fernandes has stood out as the most creative figure in England’s top flight this season.
Manchester United’s captain has had some stick in the past, but he continuously steps up to be his team’s most influential player year after year, and 2025-26 has been no different.
Fernandes recorded another two assists in United’s dramatic 3-2 home win over Fulham on Sunday, setting up Casemiro’s opener before also laying on Benjamin Sesko’s late winner.
That made it 12 Premier League assists for Portuguese midfielder, just eight behind the record for most in a single season in the competition of 20, held jointly by Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20).
Race for most PL assists in a season - Bruno Fernandes
Can he break the record? He has up to 14 more games to find the nine he would need to do so.
It should be noted that Fernandes is two behind where De Bruyne was after Matchday 24 of the 2019-20 season (14 assists), while Mohamed Salah had 13 at the same point only last season. The Egyptian added just five more, though and fell short of the record.
United’s playmaker is well ahead of Henry, who only had seven assists at this point in 2002-03. However, the Arsenal legend really packed them in at the end of the season, including eight assists in his final five games.
Fernandes has at least five more assists than any other player in the Premier League this season. In fact, apart from Rayan Cherki (7) and Jack Grealish (6), he has more than twice as many as any other player.
Bruno Fernandes assists PL 2025-26 after 24 games
It isn’t just the quality of finishing of his teammates. As mentioned, Fernandes is the most creative player in the league.
In the Premier League this season, he has created 68 chances, at least 24 more than any other player. He’s created 45 chances from open play, at least six more than any other player, and has created 16 big chances – a chance from which a goal would reasonably be expected to be scored – at least two more than any other player.
Getting Manchester United back in the Champions League will be the main aim of everyone at Old Trafford, but Red Devils fans can also keep one eye on Fernandes’ personal attempt to make history.
QUIZ – Big Wins, Ruthless Raúl, and Tammy’s Return
1. Arsenal scored 4+ goals in a Premier League away game against Leeds United for a fifth time on Saturday, the joint most a side has scored 4+ goals away to a specific opponent in the competition’s history. Name either of the other teams to have scored 4+ goals away to a specific opponent in the Premier League five times.
2. West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seven Premier League assists since the start of last season. Name any of the three defenders in the competition to have recorded more in that time.
3. Raúl Jiménez has scored all 12 of his penalties in the Premier League – the most by any player with a 100% scoring record from the spot in the competition’s history. Who did he overtake with his successful pen against Manchester United on Sunday?
4. Tammy Abraham played his first match for Aston Villa on Sunday after re-signing for the club, coming six years and 250 days after his last appearance for the club in the Championship play-off final in May 2019. Who was that game at Wembley against?
5. Which player became only the second from Portugal to reach 50 assists in the Premier League at the weekend, after Bruno Fernandes?
Scroll to the bottom for the answers
Ask Opta
Our question this week is one of our all-time favourites. It comes from Simon Hooton, who asks: “With United Strand getting to day 478 without cutting his hair waiting for Man Utd to win five matches in a row, how many days hair growth would fans of other Premier League clubs have if they were doing the same challenge and waiting for five wins on the bounce?”
Do you have a stat-based question you’d like Opta to answer in a future edition of SVQ? Email us at editors@theanalyst.com or message us on X @OptaAnalyst with #AskOpta and we’ll pick the best one.
Answer:
You’ve really got to admire the creativity of this one. It’s a belter.
First, some bad news for United Strand. His hair should be even longer. Manchester United are currently on a run of 715 days without winning five consecutive matches in all competitions – the seventh-longest ongoing streak among current Premier League sides.
If you’re looking for the longest locks of all, spare a thought for Brentford supporters. The Bees last won five games in a row in August 2020, when they were still in the Championship. That was 2,029 days ago. An extraordinary head of hair awaits anyone committed enough to see that challenge through.
At the other end of the spectrum, fans of Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds United would all be enjoying fairly regular trims. Each of those sides have won at least five games in a row this season, with Chelsea’s victory over West Ham marking their fifth straight win in all competitions.
Premier League Clubs - All Competitions - Shortest Time Since 5 Wins in a Row
Premier League Clubs - All Competitions - Longest Time Since 5 Wins in a Row
Quiz Answers
1. Arsenal scored 4+ goals in a Premier League away game against Leeds United for a fifth time on Saturday, the joint most a side has scored 4+ goals away to a specific opponent in the competition’s history. Name either of the other teams to have scored 4+ goals away to a specific opponent in the Premier League five times.
Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United at Bolton Wanderers
2. West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seven Premier League assists since the start of last season. Name any of the three defenders in the competition to have recorded more in that time.
Antonee Robinson (10), Lucas Digne (8) and Pedro Porro (8)
3. Raúl Jiménez has scored all 12 of his penalties in the Premier League – the most by any player with a 100% scoring record from the spot in the competition’s history. Who did he overtake with his successful pen against Manchester United on Sunday?
Yaya Touré (11/11)
4. Tammy Abraham played his first match for Aston Villa on Sunday after re-signing for the club, coming six years and 250 days after his last appearance for the club in the Championship play-off final in May 2019. Who was that game at Wembley against?
Derby County
5. Which player became only the second from Portugal to reach 50 assists in the Premier League at the weekend, after Bruno Fernandes?
Bernardo Silva
Before You Go…
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