Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was back to his best as he inspired the team to a 2-1 victory against Chelsea.
United cruise past Chelsea
United came out flying, putting Chelsea’s goal under pressure from the very first whistle. United were immediately rewarded for their explosive start as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was given his marching orders for taking out Bryan Mbeumo, who was running through on goal.
Fernandes broke the deadlock at the quarter-hour mark, showing some brilliant movement to finish a headed delivery from Patrick Dorgu.
Casemiro headed United 2-0 up eight minutes before the interval, only to be dismissed moments later for a second yellow, reducing both sides to 10 men.
It looked like the Red Devils were headed for a comfortable victory, but Trevoh Chalobah pulled one back for the Blues late on.
However, Ruben Amorim’s men managed to hold on for all three points.
United had plenty of standout performers, yet Fernandes was on another level.
Fernandes stuns against Chelsea
The United captain nearly grabbed his second when he won possession from a Chelsea player, shrugged off three defenders, and unleashed a powerful shot, only for Jorgensen to make the save.
During the time he was on the pitch before being replaced by Kobbie Mainoo, Fernandes won 100% of his tackles.
He touched the ball 57 times and registered an impressive eight defensive contributions.
The Portuguese playmaker delivered six crosses and made as many ball recoveries. Five of his passes were put into the final third, highlighting his influence on United’s attacking play.
Fernandes of course fired two shots.
Bruno Fernandes’ game by numbers vs. Chelsea:
100% tackles won
57 total touches
8 defensive contributions
6 crosses
6 ball recoveries
5 passes into the final third
3 shots
2 shots on target
1 goalJoined the 100 club. 👏 pic.twitter.com/9j7TtHFzxO
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 20, 2025
Notably, his strike against Chelsea marked his 100th goal for United since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.
United are back in action next Saturday when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
