KEY POINTS

  • Bruno Fernandes scored a brace in Man Utd's 6-2 win Thursday
  • He has netted a total of 26 goals so far this season
  • Fernandes has also assisted 16 goals

Bruno Fernandes joined Mo Salah and Harry Kane in an elite club of Premier League players after Manchester United’s 6-2 win over Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.

Fernandes netted a brace in Manchester United’s Europa League semi-final first leg and took his tally of goals in the 2020-21 campaign to 26, across all competitions. Among the Premier League players this season, only Tottenham's Kane and Liverpool’s Salah have scored more goals than Fernandes, according to Opta Joe.

(Opta Joe tweeted this after Fernandes' first goal)

With 31 goals in 44 competitive games, Kane leads the goals chart, while he has also provided 16 assists. Salah has netted 29 goals and four assists in as many as 46 matches for Liverpool in 2020-21. Fernandes, who scored the opening goal of Manchester United’s Europa clash with Roma at Old Trafford, has been involved in the club’s 42 goals this season -- 26 goals and 16 assists.

Bruno Fernandes will be hoping to inspire another win for Premier League leaders Manchester United against Sheffield United on Wednesday
Bruno Fernandes moved from Sporting to Manchester United last season. POOL / Martin Rickett

On being asked about the 26 goals he has scored this season, Fernandes said he wants to surpass his tally at Sporting Lisbon – 32.

"I scored 32 at Sporting so I expect to pass that mark! My target every time is to do better and better and my target now, as everyone knows, is to win trophies. For myself [my target] is to improve every season. I think if I score 32 goals in one season, I can do better. I know it’s a big number but why not!? If you dream about and fight for it, you can do it. I will keep improving on that and trying to do better and better and keep trying to give more assists. My best season with assists was 20, I don’t know how many I have this season, but I have to reach that level again," Fernandes, who moved from Sporting to Old Trafford in January 2020, told Man Utd’s media.

Meanwhile, Manchester United also became the first team since Real Madrid to score six goals in a continental semi-final. The Santiago Bernabeu side had achieved the same feat during their run to the European Cup victory in 1964.

With a 6-2 lead, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will travel to Italy next week for the second leg with the hope of qualifying for his first final as in charge of the Red Devils.

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