Bruno Fernandes scored and assisted for Manchester United in their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United claimed another three Premier League points on Sunday afternoon, as goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Šeško earned a 2–1 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick made a single alteration to his starting XI, with Šeško coming in for Amad in attack, as United looked to climb to third in the table with a home win.
It was the visitors who began the brighter of the two sides, however, and Palace took the lead within minutes when Maxence Lacroix powered home from a corner. United’s problems worsened midway through the first half as Luke Shaw was forced off through injury, prompting Noussair Mazraoui to slot in at left-back.
Although United improved as the half progressed, they were unable to find an equaliser before the break. After the interval, though, they emerged with far greater intensity. Matheus Cunha drew a foul from Lacroix, resulting in a red card for the defender and a penalty for United, which Fernandes calmly converted to restore parity.
With momentum firmly on their side, United pushed on for a winner. Fernandes then produced a superb pass to pick out Šeško, who finished confidently to seal the comeback. The Slovenian’s latest strike continues his outstanding run of form in 2026 and lifts United up to third in the Premier League standings.
Fernandes reveals what Henderson said to him after penalty
After a lengthy VAR check for the penalty, Fernandes stepped up against his former teammate, Dean Henderson, and slotted the ball into the bottom right.
Henderson had saved a penalty last weekend against Wolves, where he dived down to the same side which Fernandes aimed for. This time, however, he went to the other side.
Both players were spotted in conversation after full-time on the Old Trafford pitch. Henderson departed the club for Palace in the summer of 2023.
“I worked with him, I was with him when he had the spell at Forest,” said Fernandes when asked about talking with Henderson.
“He even told me at the end that he wanted to go to the same side as he did last week and save it. Lucky for me, he went to the other side.”
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Can Fernandes break the assist record?
After a poor display last week, it was not surprising to see Fernandes drag United to victory in this game. He was cool from the spot and also grabbed yet another assist.
He is now on 13 assists in the Premier League so far this season and the hunt for the assist record – which currently stands at 20 from Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry – remains a possibility.
Meanwhile, the victory against Palace means that United climb to third-place and it feels like they are almost certain to return to the Champions League next season.
Carrick will be hoping that the feeling continues going forward and United keep getting wins. Even when the performances aren’t perfect, the Reds are beginning to grind out results and that’s a good habit to get into.
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