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There was much to celebrate at the conclusion of Manchester United's last home fixture of the 2025–26 season.
Third place had been clinched with a 3–2 win over Nottingham Forest, handballs were now permitted, Casemiro had been given a fond farewell and Michael Carrick would be remaining at the club. Among the most notable highlights was Bruno Fernandes equaling the single-season Premier League assist record by setting up his 20th top-flight goal of the campaign.
Since the league's formation in 1992, only the iconic pair of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne had previously reached that remarkable total. Officially, that is.
De Bruyne, however, would contend that he should have registered at least 21 assists, if not 22, during the 2019–20 season, only to be denied by the division's strict statisticians.
The 'Assist' De Bruyne Was Denied
A KDB 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒸𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓈 💫
📆 #OnThisDay 2019
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/VTWNx4gHmJ
In the final match of that Project Restart period, De Bruyne played in Raheem Sterling to score Manchester City's third goal in a commanding 5–0 victory over Norwich City. Praised as the standout performer during his post-match media duties, it was highlighted to the Belgian that he had matched Henry's record, which had stood unchallenged since 2003.
Nodding thoughtfully during the interview, De Bruyne told City's official media channel: "In my mind, I'm on 22 [assists]. I've been robbed twice by the league—especially away at Arsenal. But, in the end, you accept what they decide."
In a later interview, De Bruyne remained preoccupied by that disallowed assist in a 3–0 win at the Emirates. After breaking the deadlock, City's creative hub drove to the byline and squared the ball for Raheem Sterling to double the lead. De Bruyne went on to complete the first-half demolition and was widely credited with a two-goal, one-assist display. Even the Premier League's official X account stated that De Bruyne had taken his tally to 10 assists at that point.
However, a subsequent review of the footage revealed that De Bruyne's cross had deflected off Arsenal centre-back Calum Chambers before reaching Sterling. Opta, the Premier League's official statistics provider, retroactively ruled that it did not meet the criteria for an assist and removed it from his tally.
Interestingly, Opta's own definition of an assist does allow some room for opposition involvement: "If the assist is deflected by an opposition player," the definition states, "it must be deemed as traveling to the goalscorer irrespective of the deflection." De Bruyne's cross does not visibly alter course after lightly grazing Chambers's studs, yet it was still not credited as an assist.
This perceived slight was inadvertently highlighted by the Premier League when they released a video marking De Bruyne's 100 assists in the competition. The montage opened with a clip of this disputed effort against Arsenal.
Fernandes Reveals Interesting Reaction to Record-Tying Assist
Gr𝟴teful, Hon𝟮𝟬red, Proud. 𝗪𝗘 did it! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/MoB9r3UAAv
Fernandes himself has been denied a crucial assist due to a deflection. The United captain had the opportunity to register his 20th of the season against Liverpool earlier this month, and many believed he had done so when he headed the ball across goal for Benjamin Šeško to bundle it over the line. However, a touch from goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, which did alter the ball's trajectory, meant it was removed from the record books.
Once he finally reached the milestone against Forest, Fernandes was more focused on how his teammates rushed to celebrate with him alongside goalscorer Bryan Mbeumo.
"I wouldn't say relieved, but very happy, very proud," he reflected after the match. "Obviously, everyone knows it was something that, when you start getting close to that, you start thinking a lot. A good thing is that it doesn't change the way I play because I'm there to serve my teammates, try to make them score goals.
"I'm very grateful to see their reaction more than mine because I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal. I didn't want to make it about myself because at the end of the day scoring the goal is the biggest thing in football. And all credit to Bryan because if he doesn't put it in the back of the net, my record will not be there. So these records only come if your teammates do the things right as you do."
Another of Fernandes's teammates, Casemiro, revealed that United's final-day match against Brighton & Hove Albion would partly be focused on helping the skipper claim that 21st assist. "I think now after the Champions League game we'll work a little bit more harder for him," the Brazilian said with a smile.
"He can break this record. I feel like he deserves so much. He helps everyone. I think he's a beautiful captain for the club. He passed through hard moments, and he deserves to have these beautiful moments also. What a player, what a guy."