Bruno Fernandes breaks Man Utd record after already eclipsing Cristiano Ronaldo
Bruno Fernandes wrote himself into the Manchester United history books on Saturday after giving his side the lead against Everton.
United led the Toffees 2-0 at half-time of their Premier League match at Old Trafford thanks to two penalties for fouls on Alejandro Garnacho. Fernandes scored the first after Garnacho was brought down by a clumsy challenge from James Tarkowski inside the penalty area.
The United skipper kept his cool, placing his spot-kick low and just out of Jordan Pickford ’s reach. His first Premier League goal since the 1-0 win over Fulham on November 4 put United 1-0 up, but also saw him surpass Ruud van Nistelrooy as the club’s leading scorer from the penalty spot.
His goal was his 29th in all competitions from 12 yards, moving him past the Dutch poacher Van Nistelrooy and further ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted 24 during his two spells at the club. Van Nistelrooy has 12 at Old Trafford, one more than Fernandes on 11, meaning he still has something to aim for.
Interestingly, Fernandes passed up the opportunity to move onto 12 at Old Trafford by allowing Marcus Rashford to take United’s second of the afternoon after Garnacho was felled by Ben Godfrey. Rashford sent Pickford the wrong way, whipping his effort into the corner after a stuttered run-up, but Fernandes’ status as the penalty specialist is undeniable.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Fernandes has scored 17 penalties in the Premier League since joining United in February 2020 – more than any other player in the division. Saturday’s goal was his 48th in the competition altogether for the club, putting him level with Dimitar Berbatov, Robin van Persie and Dwight Yorke.
Meanwhile, Garnacho’s driving runs into the box saw him become the first United player to win two penalties in a Premier League game. He could have affected another, too, but the referee waved away claims against Vitaliy Mykolenko for handball from Garnacho’s cut-back.
Bruno Fernandes has scored 29 penalties for Manchester United (Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)Unsurprisingly, the change of penalty takers meant it was the first time that United have had two different penalty scorers in the first half of a Premier League game. Although United scored both of their penalties, their former striker Wayne Rooney was baffled as to why they had two different takers.
Speaking about Rashford at half-time on TNT Sports, he said: “I think for me, I would’ve liked to have seen him stamp his authority down, tell Bruno Fernandes that he wants that first penalty. I know he takes the second one but I want to see him take that responsibility.
“As a goalscorer, you want every opportunity you can get your hands on to score goals. He did well, he’s a great penalty taker and Marcus should be saying to him he wants it. I know he’s the captain and you probably want to have that one penalty taker you can rely on but I just want to see Marcus score goals, maybe I’m a bit biassed!”
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
