Bruno Fernandes’ performance against Brighton was a tale of two halves.
In the first 45 minutes at Old Trafford his threat was limited, with United disjointed, and Brighton impressive.
As the second half went on, Fernandes began to look more like himself, seeing more possession, and influencing the game.
It was no surprise that he was the one who teed up Marcus Rashford for United’s important equaliser, which steadied the team on the way to a 2-1 comeback win.
Creative gem
The assist was Fernandes’ 14th of the season in all competitions. Only Marcus Rashford with 10 comes close.
11 of Fernandes’ assists have come in the Premier League. This is level with Kevin de Bruyne, and only Harry Kane (13) has more.
Fernandes is again in the top three in the league for key passes per game game (2.9).
He produced four key passes in the win over Brighton, more than the entire away side managed combined (3).
Fernandes is actually going through a lean patch by his standards. This was his first league assist since the win over Newcastle in February.
Against Brighton he touched the ball 86 times in total, more than any player on the opposition team. Paul Pogba (93) and Fred (103) helped supply him with plenty of possession as United took control of the game in an attempt to try and break Brighton down.
He had three shots on target, with one of his late efforts being spilled and almost resulted in a goal.
Fernandes is at his best when he is trying to make something happen, and while it does not always come off, eventually it usually does.
It was his pass out to Paul Pogba which led to United’s winner, showing that even when he does not always make the final killer pass, he can still make an important contribution to a goal.
Another big week lies ahead for Fernandes and United with games against Granada and Tottenham, and his second half performance against Brighton bodes well.
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