Man Utd midfielder thought he had picked up his 20th assist of the season on Sunday
When is an assist not an assist? That is the question many Premier League fans will be asking after Bruno Fernandes thought he might have matched the Premier League single-season assists record during Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
The incident occurred during United’s second goal, when Benjamin Sesko turned Fernandes’ header into the net, but only after Liverpool goalkeeper Freddie Woodman had palmed the ball into the Slovenian’s path.
Sesko’s goal v Liverpool
That deflection proved decisive in determining that Fernandes’ header did not count as an official assist.
Opta, the Premier League’s data supplier, defines an assist as: “The final touch from a team-mate, which leads to the recipient of the ball scoring a goal.”
Crucially, it adds: “If the assist is deflected by an opposition player, it must be deemed as travelling to the goalscorer irrespective of the deflection.”
For Sesko’s goal, Fernandes header reached the United striker, but only after Woodman had palmed it towards him.
That meant that Fernandes remains just one short of the all-time record for Premier League assists in a season of 20, currently jointly held by Thierry Henry (2002/03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20).
If it is any consolation, Fernandes did get an assist in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as Opta’s definition for FPL assists is different from the manner in which Premier League assists are determined.
Passes or crosses into the penalty area that take a touch off a defender or goalkeeper are judged as FPL assists if the goalscorer receives the ball inside the box. The difference in assist criteria explains how Fernandes now has 21 FPL assists this season, even though he remains on 19 for official assist purposes.
Celebrating Sesko’s goal at Old Trafford on Sunday, United team-mate Matheus Cunha was not alone in thinking his captain had reached the magic number.
But, with three games remaining, and with Fernandes continuing to create chances aplenty for his team-mates – he laid on six on Sunday – there is still a good chance that he will match, if not beat, the record.
