Bruno Fernandes put on a spectacular display as Manchester United climbed up to sixth place in the Premier League table, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 at the Molineux Stadium.
Fernandes made his first appearance for the Red Devils barely 24 hours after signing for the club from Sporting CP in January 2020, facing a tenacious Wolves side.
Fast forward to 2025, and Wolves resemble a weakened shadow of that squad, languishing in 20th place in the Premier League, still without a win this season and losing 13 games, with their latest loss coming against United.
Ruben Amorim’s side cruised to a 4–1 win at the Molineux, with Fernandes orchestrating nearly every moment of quality in the performance.
The Portuguese midfielder opened the scoring thanks to a catastrophic defensive lapse from Andre, which freed Matheus Cunha to advance.
Instead of shooting himself, Cunha opted to thread the ball to Fernandes, who, despite slipping, spun away from his marker and tucked the ball into the net with composure.
Fernandes then provided the perfect delivery for Mason Mount’s goal, restoring United’s advantage to 3–1 after Bryan Mbeumo had pulled one back.
He later converted a spot-kick to seal a 4–1 victory, marking United’s most dominant result of the campaign to date.
Flawless performance
Despite only being credited with a single assist, Fernandes’ influence was immense — he created five chances, which was the most by any player on the pitch.
At full-time, the 31-year-old completed 55 of his passes and 12 into the final third, which were the most of any outfield player on the pitch. He was also key to keeping United’s game free-flowing and was at the thick of things, making a sky-high 85 touches as United kept 64% of the possession.
As spectacular as he is in the final third, Fernandes’ games, as evidenced since joining the club, aren’t only based on the attacking side of the game. He has proven to be a workaholic and usually relentless in his press.
The Portuguese was yet again at his relentless best, winning five duels at full time, while his two goals and assist on Monday night meant he now has 10 goal contributions in 15 Premier League games this season.
Ruben Amorim will hope his captain remains at his rampaging best in their next run of fixtures against Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United, and Ruben Amorim will hope his captain remains at his rampaging best, especially in the absence of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who will leave for the African Cup of Nations.
