Bruno Fernandes sets assists record, 21

Bruno Fernandes ended Manchester United’s Premier League season by setting a new competition record for assists, delivering his 21st of the campaign in a 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on May 24. The decisive pass came for Patrick Dorgu’s opening goal and moved the United captain clear of Thierry Henry’s 2002-03 total and Kevin De Bruyne’s 2019-20 mark, both of which stood at 20. (premierleague.com) The Premier League confirmed the record after the match, and Reuters reported Fernandes had written his name into league history on the final day. (washingtonpost.com) The result also capped United’s season with a comfortable away win, as Bryan Mbeumo added a second before halftime and Fernandes scored the third after the break. Brighton lost the match at the Amex Stadium, while Fernandes left with both the record and a goal of his own. (premierleague.com) ### How did the record fall? Patrick Dorgu’s 33rd-minute goal was the assist that took Fernandes to 21. The Premier League said Fernandes set up a goal for the 21st time in 2025-26 when United visited Brighton in their final match of the campaign. Reuters and other match reports identified that pass as the record-breaker. (premierleague.com) The previous benchmark had been shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Fernandes had already drawn level on 20 before the final round, then moved ahead outright on Sunday. ### Whose record did Fernandes break? Thierry Henry set 20 assists for Arsenal in the 2002-03 season, and Kevin De Bruyne matched that figure for Manchester City in 2019-20. (skysports.com) The Premier League’s official record note said Fernandes beat both totals with his 21st assist. The significance of that number is straightforward: no player in Premier League history had previously finished a season with more than 20 assists. (premierleague.com) Fernandes now stands alone at the top of that list. ### What else happened in the Brighton match? Brighton 0-3 Manchester United was settled by goals from Dorgu, Mbeumo and Fernandes. Sky Sports said Fernandes both broke the assists record and scored as United eased to victory on the final day. (washingtonpost.com) The Washington Post’s match coverage said the assist for Dorgu snapped Fernandes’ tie with Henry and De Bruyne. That made the opening goal the key moment in the record chase, even though Fernandes later added United’s third himself. (premierleague.com) ### How strong was Fernandes’ season beyond the headline number? (premierleague.com) Opta’s Analyst had already highlighted Fernandes as the league leader in assists before the final day, and said he had created more chances than any other player in the competition, with 98, along with the highest expected-assists total at 8.8. Those numbers help explain how he arrived at the record before the season’s last match. (skysports.com) The record also came in a season in which Fernandes remained United’s central creative player and captain. On the final day, he combined production and output in one match by assisting once and scoring once. ### What is the next concrete step after this record? (washingtonpost.com) The Premier League’s official statistics page and record entry now carry Fernandes as the single-season assists leader for 2025-26. Manchester United’s next scheduled competitive fixtures will come after the summer break, with Fernandes set to return as the club’s captain after finishing the league season with the new mark of 21. (premierleague.com) (skysports.com) (theanalyst.com)