MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Bruno Fernandes close to scoring. premier league Manchester United set a new record for assists as they strengthened their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Tottenham avoided extra time Unnecessary club records They ended the run with a late equalizer and drew 1-1 with Liverpool.
Fernandes assisted United’s two goals against Villa, taking his tally to 16 this season. The Premier League record for goals in a single season is 20 goals, with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne both reaching that mark.
Fernandes, who currently has 100 assists for United, is eight games away from setting a new record in English football’s top division.
More importantly for United, it was their seventh win in nine games under head coach Michael Carrick. United are in third place, three points behind fourth-placed Villa.
Liverpool are a further two points behind in fifth place after squandering a win against Spurs with Richarlison’s 90th-minute goal that stunned the Anfield crowd. Tottenham looked set to extend its worst record in all competitions to seven games after falling behind Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick in the first half.
The draw leaves Tottenham just one point out of the relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Fulham and moved out of the bottom three on goal difference.
Crystal Palace and Leeds also drew 0-0.
Fernandes inspires United
Fernandes’ two assists set a new club record for United in a single Premier League season, surpassing David Beckham’s 15 in 1999-2000.
“This is a big achievement for me, but the main achievement will be to finish in the top half at the end of the season,” he said.
United are on track to return to the Champions League after two seasons out of Europe’s top club football competition.
The top four teams are guaranteed to qualify, with England’s team likely to take fifth place based on their performance in Europe this season.
United scored in the 53rd minute when Casemiro headed home from a Fernandes corner. Villa equalized through Ross Barkley’s goal, but Fernandes scored again when Matheus Cunha side-footed past Emiliano Martínez.
Benjamin Sesco came off the bench to score his eighth goal in 10 games, effectively clinching the victory.
With this win, United narrowed the gap over second-placed Manchester City to seven points.
relegation battle
West Ham and Man City draw Saturday’s result dropped Forest into the bottom three.
However, they picked up one point on goal difference in their home game against Fulham and quickly moved out of the relegation zone.
Leeds moved further away from the drop zone with a goalless draw with Palace.
Leeds are 15th in the table with 32 points, three points clear of the bottom three.
Had Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted a penalty in the first half, it might have been an even better day for Daniel Farke’s side. However, Gabriel Gutmundsson was sent off before half-time, and even after being reduced to 10 men, they still held on to one point.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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