Bruno Fernandes gets 18th assist vs Chelsea: Can he break the ‘cursed’ Premier League assist record?

Last Updated on 20 April 2026

In the Premier League making or breaking any record is worth a lot of praise. Many have become all-time greats simply chasing records set by others.

Then, there are some Premier League records that are perceived as unbreakable. From Arsene Wenger’s unbeaten Arsenal side that won the league to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side that only conceded 15 goals over a campaign.

But Bruno Fernandes is chasing a different kind of Premier League record, altogether. One that might not be ‘unbreakable’ but it definitely is ‘cursed’. Question is, can the Manchester United skipper get over the line with five games remaining?

Bruno Fernandes moves to 18 assists with game-winning contribution in win over Chelsea

For an eyesore that only produced two total shots on target, Manchester United’s win over Chelsea on Saturday marked a major milestone.

As Matheus Cunha scored the only goal of the game, only minutes before half-time, it was Bruno Fernandes who made it 18 assists for the season. Fernandes has been in terrific form for United, this season, scoring eight times in addition to his eighteen assists.

While United strengthen their position for a top five spot to secure Champions League qualification, Bruno is fighting to break a curse. It’s given the Manchester United fans something to get excited over in what has been an incredibly poor season in terms of cup runs.

But since Michael Carrick came in as interim manager, United have moved up to third and sit 10 points clear of sixth spot.

Is Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists truly cursed?

For what it’s worth, many other top-class players have reached this number in a single campaign, Bruno is not alone.

Only last season, Mohamed Salah got 18. 21 years earlier, Frank Lampard also assisted 18 goals in the 2004/05 season. And 11 years earlier, Cesc Fabregas did the same for Chelsea in their title-winning campaign.

The problem is, only three players in history have ever gone past that number in a single campaign. Mesut Ozil, Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry. The French legend set the record for most assists in a single campaign, coming up with 20 in the 2002/03 season.

And, then came the most absurd collapse in pursuit of greatness from Ozil in the 2015/16 season. He already had 16 in his first 18 games of the season, but unfortunately, he ended the season with only 19. Even Kevin de Bruyne could only match Titi’s record in 2020, as per BBC.

So, with five games still left, and Bruno running the show for United, the question is very simple. Can he get three more to go past Henry’s record that is still standing after 23 years? Or will we see another choke?