Bruno Fernandes had not scored a goal all season prior to Erik ten Hag’s exit but it is now four goals in four appearances since. In 250 games for Manchester United, the Portuguese has registered 83 goals and 72 assists. They are special numbers.
He was not flawless against Leicester. He rarely is. It is part of what is so impressive. There had been a poor cross and a botched pass back to the thrower just before his opener. Fernandes still had the self-belief to crack one in from outside the box.
He was involved in the second and claimed an assist for the third, creating seven chances in total – two more than any other player over the Premier League weekend. He has created as many in two games under Ruud van Nistelrooy than nine under Ten Hag.
A bit more freedom has helped, roaming around from that No 10 position on Sunday rather than being restricted to the right as he had been at times earlier this season. But that hints at the looming challenge for Ruben Amorim – how best to deploy the captain.
The incoming United boss favours a 3-4-3 formation and Fernandes’ best route into that system comes as an inside forward but it is not ideal, particularly with competition from the wingers for those roles. Would it limit his impact if he was operating from the flank?
The evidence of this season suggests so but Van Nistelrooy was in no mood to tackle the question when the issue came up in the press conference. “I cannot comment on that,” he said of the new man’s system. Not his problem. It is one for Amorim to solve.
Lone wolf Cunha still starring
In what had been billed as a must-win game for Gary O’Neil, Matheus Cunha set up the first goal and scored a brilliant second to secure a 2-0 win for Wolves over Southampton at Molineux. It was a first win of the season for O’Neil’s side. Cunha was the difference.
His manager used the press conference to remind the Brazilian of the need to improve off the ball but that seemed churlish given his contribution on it. There is no right foot in the Premier League that has scored more goals this season – and Cunha creates too.
Despite Wolves’ form, only Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Bryan Mbeumo have scored more from open play, while only Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer have created more big chances for others. He has laid on nine such opportunities this season.
Most were missed, Pablo Sarabia squandering two one-on-one chances against Crystal Palace before seizing upon his through-ball early in the game against Southampton. Cunha ranks third for completed through-balls, by the way, 11th for completed dribbles.
Only Salah has made more most from fast breaks and Cunha looks more than capable of keeping Wolves up if they could just tighten up at the back. O’Neil may want more from his star player but letting him play with this freedom looks likely to reap rewards.
Speaking to Cunha in the summer, hinted as much, suggesting this was his nature. “I do not want to go to the pitch and be a robot, I want to enjoy it.” There has been little for Wolves to enjoy so far, but the performances of Cunha have been a notable exception.
Robinson’s overlapping runs
Antonee Robinson is nominally a left-back but his attacking importance to Fulham cannot be overstated. After providing the assist for the winning goal against Brentford, he followed up with another fine performance in a 2-0 defeat of Crystal Palace.
He will take credit for his role in the clean sheet, making twice as many interceptions as any other Fulham player. Robinson ranks among the top 10 Premier League players this season for both tackles and interceptions, a testament to his combative approach.
But it is his willingness to drive forward that sets him apart, no doubt attracting interest from the clubs right at the top end of the game. The United States international had 16 final-third entries against Palace, by far the most of any player on the pitch.
Whether it is Alex Iwobi or more recently Reiss Nelson, Fulham boss Marco Silva encourages his left-sided forward to drift inside, using Robinson to provide the width. Overlapping runs are a feature of his game, as revealed by the Genius IQ data.
That tracking data shows that Robinson has made 53 overlapping runs this season, which is the second most of any Premier League player, placing him just behind Milos Kerkez. No defender, Kerkez included, has made more high-speed runs than he has.
The result of these all-action displays is that no defender has more assists than the 27-year-old Robinson either. The force is with the man who calls himself Jedi, still flying a little under the radar in this fine Fulham side – but for how much longer?
Previously in The Debrief
GW1: Salah’s sprints, Saka’s one-on-ones, Mount’s pressing
GW2: Calvert-Lewin’s runs, Odegaard’s pressing, Pereira’s corners
GW3: De Bruyne’s position, Gravenberch’s runs, Dawson’s return
GW4: Nuno’s masterclass, Duran’s strike rate, Nketiah’s shooting
GW5: Diaz’s finishing, Traore’s end product, Archer’s issues
GW6: McNeil’s role, Kulusevski’s creativity, Gravenberch’s carrying
GW7: Saka’s creativity, Kovacic’s shooting, Mitoma’s return to form
GW8: Rashford’s form, Buonanotte’s tackling, Gvardiol’s passing
GW9: Palmer’s positioning, Iwobi’s passing, Savinho’s box entries
GW10: Semenyo’s dribbles, Salah’s box-skills, Caicedo’s tackling