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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has surpassed club icon David Beckham in an eye-catching chart, following his impressive performance over the weekend against Crystal Palace.
Fernandes masterclass
Fernandes put in a heroic shift to guide United to a stunning 2-1 comeback victory over Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Palace took a shock lead inside five minutes through Maxence Lacroix, threatening to spoil the feel-good factor at United since Michael Carrick was named interim head coach.
However, United steadily grew into the game and the momentum shifted dramatically when Matheus Cunha won his side a penalty after getting on the end of a daft pass from Fernandes. Lacroix was also given his marching orders for bringing Cunha down inside the danger area.
Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty and he made no mistake, sending Dean Henderson the wrong way. The Portuguese playmaker was at it moments later, this time delivering an excellent ball to Benjamin Sesko, whose thumping header made it 2-1.
The result lifted United to third place in the Premier League table with 51 points. The Red Devils are currently 13 points adrift of table leaders Arsenal and eight below Manchester City in second.
Yet again, Fernandes was the heartbeat of the team, pulling the strings to drag his side from the jaws of defeat, as he has done so many times since his arrival from Sporting CP in 2020.
His goal and assist against Oliver Glasner’s men also means that he has overtaken Beckham in a milestone club ranking.
Fernandes overtakes Beckham
According to statisticians Opta, Fernandes has scored and assisted in 18 different Premier League matches for United.
He edges past Beckham, who managed the feat 17 times.
At present, Fernandes only trails Wayne Rooney (35) and Ryan Giggs (22).
18 – Bruno Fernandes has scored and assisted in 18 different Premier League matches for @ManUtd, overtaking David Beckham’s total for the club (17), and now only trailing Wayne Rooney (35) and Ryan Giggs (22). Talisman. pic.twitter.com/RVNejQKum6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 1, 2026
Fernandes is the first United player to provide 13+ assists in a Premier League season since Antonio Valencia in the 2011/12 campaign.
Bruno Fernandes is the first Manchester United to provide 13+ assists in a Premier League season since Antonio Valencia in 2011/12.
Only David Beckham and Nani have provided more in a single PL campaign for the Red Devils. 🅰️ pic.twitter.com/hIwPdCCJUh
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 1, 2026
Bruno Fernandes needs just three assists in the final 10 Premier League games to break David Beckham’s Manchester United single-season assist record. pic.twitter.com/6n14anK951
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) March 1, 2026
Fernandes is in elite company and if his stay at the club continues, there is every reason to believe he will be looking to catch up to Rooney and Giggs.
Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
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