When Bruno Fernandes headed the ball across goal and saw Benjamin Sesko make it 2-0 to Manchester United in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool, he might have thought that he had equalled the Premier League‘s single-season assist record.
In fact, anyone paying attention to their Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team would have seen the Portuguese midfielder awarded the assist points.
So why is it that, in the official record books, Fernandes remains on 19 assists, one behind the high water mark set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne?
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What happened against Liverpool? Why wasn’t Fernandes awarded the assist?
Michael Carrick’s side made a blistering start against Liverpool on Sunday, going ahead through Matheus Cunha‘s sixth-minute strike.
It was not long before Sesko had the chance to make it two, racing onto Fernandes’ cross but seeing his effort kept out by Freddie Woodman.
Moments later, however, Cunha collected the ball and laid it back for Luke Shaw, who sent a cross to the back post where Fernandes outjumped Andrew Robertson.
The midfielder’s header ended up being touched into the net by Sesko, but not before Liverpool goalkeeper Freddie Woodman got a hand to the ball and knocked it onto the Slovenian striker.
It is for that reason that Fernandes’ contribution did not count as an official assist.
Opta, the Premier League’s official statistics partner, define an assist as: “The final touch from a teammate, which leads to the recipient of the ball scoring a goal.
“If the assist is deflected by an opposition player, it must be deemed as travelling to the goal-scorer irrespective of the deflection.”
Opta’s decision-makers, therefore, decided that Fernandes’ header was not necessarily travelling to Sesko without the touch from Woodman.
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What is a Fantasy Goal Assist?
Goal – SESKO
Assist – B.FERNANDESMan Utd 2-0 Liverpool (14 mins) #FPL #MUNLIV
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 3, 2026
Fernandes’ frustration comes down to the different definition Opta uses when providing the statistics for the game.
Opta defines eight types of “assist” where FPL points will be awarded even if the contribution is not counted as an assist in the Premier League’s record books, including what they define as a “Pass Lost” assist.
“A Pass Lost Fantasy Assist is awarded when a pass/cross reaches the goalscorer, following a single defensive touch that is not a pass,” the definition reads.
“If the pass is received outside the area, to be a Pass Lost Fantasy Assist it must be the intended target receiving the ball. However if the ball is received inside the penalty area by any attacking player, intention to reach a specified target is not required.”
It is also possible that Opta considered Fernandes’ header to be a shot, in which case their “Attempt saved” definition, which applies to “A shot saved by the goalkeeper where the next action is a goal,” would apply.
Will Fernandes equal — or break — the Premier League’s single-season assist record?
Despite Fernandes being unable to add to his official assist tally against Liverpool, it is still likely he will at least equal the record this season.
United have three games remaining — trips to Sunderland and Brighton either side of a home match against Nottingham Forest.
Fernandes is currently going at a rate of about 0.59 assists per game, meaning that, bar an injury, it would be a surprise to see him fail to pick up any more (he already assisted Casemiro in the reverse fixture of that Old Trafford match against Forest).
The midfielder is also benefiting from the Premier League’s increased emphasis on set pieces this season.
More than half of his assists have come from free-kicks or corners, while only two of Henry’s and three of De Bruyne’s came from set pieces.
It would certainly not be a surprise to see the likes of Casemiro or Harry Maguire get the vital touch which sees Fernandes equal or even break the record.
