How United reached 50 PL goals first in 2020/21
Bruno Fernandes’s volley against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday may not have been enough to secure three Premier League points, but it did bring up a notable landmark for Manchester United.
The Portuguese playmaker’s left-footed strike meant Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men became the first Premier League side in 2020/21 to rack up 50 goals, in what was our 24th match.
It’s the quickest we’ve reached that tally of strikes since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, with the title-winning vintage bringing up that amount in 20 games on the way to lifting the trophy.
We know it’s been a hectic campaign, with one game quickly following another, so refresh your memory by watching our video of all the goals below, and scroll down for a more in-depth breakdown of how the half-century was scored...
Watch our first 50 Premier League goals in 2020/21
The Reds are the first side to score a half-century in the top flight this season and you can see every strike here…
LEAGUE LEADERS
The Reds may currently sit second in the top flight, but we lead the goals chart – mainly thanks to that stunning 9-0 victory over Southampton at the beginning of February. United are four goals ahead of league pacesetters Manchester City, while Liverpool (45), Leicester (42) and Leeds (40) have also regularly found joy in front of goal.
We haven’t been Premier League top scorers at the end of a season since we were last crowned champions – could that change in this most unusual of terms?
A TEAM ACHIEVEMENT
Fernandes leads the way in United’s individual goalscoring charts, with the former Sporting Lisbon man contributing 14 goals to the overall Premier League tally, with six of those coming from the spot.
Marcus Rashford, with eight, and Edinson Cavani, on six, are next up, but a further nine Reds have also found the net in the top flight so far: Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay (both four), Paul Pogba (three), Daniel James, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka (two each), Mason Greenwood, Victor Lindelof and Donny van de Beek (all on one).
We’ve also benefited from two own goals, by Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Southampton’s Jan Bednarek.
OLD TRAFFORD VS OTHER VENUES
The Reds' 50 Premier League goals so far are evenly split between home and away games! The victories over Leeds and Southampton at Old Trafford have helped us join Manchester City as the division’s most prolific club at their own stadium, with 25 goals. Our superb away form has seen us find the net in all but two matches, and we’re one clear of Leeds when it comes to efforts on the road.
GOAL TIMES
The Reds have become accustomed to fighting back from one-goal – or even two-goal – deficits this season, and that reflects in the stats, which show we score more often (29 times) in the second half than we do prior to the interval (21). Ten of our strikes have come in the final 10 minutes of games, including memorable last-gasp winners from Fernandes at Brighton, Cavani at Southampton and Rashford against Wolves at Old Trafford.
ACTION AREAS
Of our half-century, 43 efforts have come from within the confines of the penalty area, with six scored inside the six-yard-box. United have struck seven times from outside the box – only Leeds and Leicester (eight each) have managed more.