Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was at his sparkling best during the 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.
After a frustrating first half at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes led by example and produced a second-half masterclass to beat Champions League contenders Aston Villa.
Fernandes produced two assists to overtake David Beckham’s record for the most assists in one season as a United player. At 16 for the season, Fernandes is just four away from matching the Premier League record.
A deep dive into his performance against Villa shows that Fernandes is an anomaly in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes in action for Manchester United vs Aston Villa.
Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images
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Bruno Fernandes is dictating matches unlike any other Premier League star
As per SofaScore, Fernandes took 71 touches of the ball against Villa. Only Harry Maguire (72) touched the ball more for United.
With those 71 touches, Fernandes produced six key passes and created two big chances. If Benjamin Sesko tucked away his chance in the second half, he could have left Old Trafford with a hat-trick of assists.
In the current state of the Premier League, it is centre-backs who are dictating matches with the majority of touches. Premier League stats show that seven of the top 10 players with the most touches this season are defenders.
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But United and Fernandes are breaking that mould. Fernandes is the only United player with over 2,000 touches of the ball this season. Almost every play starts or finishes with the Portuguese playmaker, which emphasises his importance to this side.
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Man United are still reliant on Bruno Fernandes for creativity
Every other outfield United player who started against Villa only managed a combined seven key passes – just one more than Fernandes’ six.
United are still very reliant on the 31-year-old to break down defences, and it is clear that his teammates look to him in possession.
READ MORE: He’s not only captain: Why Noussair Mazraoui believes Bruno Fernandes is Man Utd’s most ‘special player’
As Gary Neville pointed out on Sky Sports commentary, Fernandes is never scared to play the most difficult pass and he is always looking to force an attack.
A sleepy first-half performance had fans concerned against Villa, but once again it was Fernandes who provided the spark needed to pick up a priceless three points in the Premier League.
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