Manchester United had very little to cheer about on Monday night.
Poor result
The Red Devils had the chance to put a ten-point distance between themselves and sixth-placed Chelsea in the Champions League fight, but faltered against their arch-rivals Leeds United.
Michael Carrick’s side looked ring-rusty and fell behind after just four minutes, then went two goals down just before the half-hour mark.
Their misery was compounded further when Lisandro Martinez was sent off in controversial fashion after a VAR check for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
One positive
United did have one positive from the night, though, and that was the continuing fruitful partnership between Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes swung in a deep cross and Casemiro arrived at the back post, powering in a header past Karl Darlow to give United hope in the match in front of the Stretford End.
It was Fernandes’ 17th assist of the season as he chases the Premier League record of 20, with six matches of the season remaining.
The 34-year-old Brazilian also notched his eighth goal of the season, meaning only Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo have scored more than him with nine strikes.
Even more impressively, the goal United scored on Monday was the sixth that Casemiro has buried from a Bruno Fernandes assist.
To highlight how special this combination is, it is twice as many as the next goal-assist combination in the entire league, according to Statman Dave.
Bruno Fernandes has assisted 6 Casemiro goals in the Premier League this season. That’s twice the competition’s next most common assister-scorer combination.
Deadly duo. 🫂 pic.twitter.com/BJVaMI1XZT
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 13, 2026
In Europe, only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Luis Diaz’s seven assist-goal combinations are beating United’s stars.
With Casemiro leaving the team at the end of the season, United will have a huge headache trying to replace the Brazilian star’s deadliness in the box.
United have been linked with many impressive midfielders this summer, but none carry anything like the aerial presence or goal threat their current number 18 does.
Casemiro goal and Bruno Fernandes assist link up
| Opponent | Date | Goal type |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest | 1/11/25 | Corner |
| Bournemouth | 15/12/25 | Corner |
| Fulham | 1/2/26 | Free kick |
| Newcastle | 4/3/26 | Free kick |
| Aston Villa | 15/3/26 | Corner |
| Leeds | 13/4/26 | Open play |
Source: transfermarkt.com
Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
1 comment
That is a strange headline with little acknowledgment of the opposition and their performance achieving a deserved victory on a ground for the first time in 45 years.