Chapter 839: The Test of Time
On the evening of January 1, 2021, Manchester United hosted Aston Villa in the 17th round of the Premier League, with Bruno back in the starting lineup.
This season, Aston Villa had been performing superbly, finishing 2020 in third place in the league table. Their success largely stemmed from their exceptional defense—after 16 matches, they had conceded just 16 goals, the fewest among all 20 Premier League teams.
In this match, Aston Villa assigned special man-marking on Bruno, yet he remained as active and decisive as ever.
In the 39th minute, Bruno set up João Cancelo with a clever backheel on the right. Cancelo crossed, and Harry Kane rose at the near post to head home—Manchester United 1–0 Aston Villa.
In the 57th minute, Jack Grealish sent a low cross from the left, and Bertrand Traoré calmly finished at the back post to level for Villa.
But only two minutes later, Bruno forced a turning point. He drove into the box, was tripped by Douglas Luiz, and earned a penalty. Taking it himself, Bruno converted confidently to make it 2–1.
And that was the final score: Manchester United 2–1 Aston Villa.
...
Liverpool, meanwhile, faced Southampton away.
Danny Ings scored in the first half with a brilliant chip after a pass from James Ward-Prowse. In the second half, Georginio Wijnaldum's shot struck Jack Stephens' arm in the box, but no penalty was given.
The match ended 0–1—Liverpool's third straight league game without a win, leaving them thirteen points behind Manchester United.
Liverpool had dropped points in eight of seventeen matches this season—a total of eighteen points lost. Last season, they lost only fifteen all year. After 17 rounds last season, Liverpool had 49 points—sixteen more than now.
United, on the other hand, had remained remarkably consistent in recent years. Since Bruno's arrival, their points after 17 games in each season read: 48, 51, 45, 47, and now 46.
Elsewhere at Stamford Bridge, Manchester City beat Chelsea 3–1, overtaking them in the table with two games in hand to climb to seventh.
At the top, Manchester United were pulling away, but between second-place Liverpool and seventh-place City, the difference was just five points.
...
Five days later came the League Cup semi-finals—Manchester United hosting Manchester City.
After a tense first half ended 0–0, United struck quickly in the second half. In the 49th minute, Bruno assisted Marcus Rashford to open the scoring, and in the 56th, Kylian Mbappé set up Harry Kane for a second goal.
City pulled one back in the 88th minute, but United held on for a 2–1 victory and advanced to the final.
A day earlier, Tottenham Hotspur had beaten Brentford 2–0 at home, setting up a Manchester United vs. Tottenham final.
The final was scheduled for April 25, much later than usual—the FA hoped that by pushing the date back, the pandemic might ease and fans could return, boosting matchday revenues.
...
By mid-January, the FA Cup entered the third round, with Premier League clubs joining.
United's draw paired them with Championship side Watford, relegated the previous season.
Mourinho rotated heavily once again.
In the 5th minute, United struck early. Bruno's corner met McTominay's powerful header—it bounced off the post and in. 1–0, a dream start.
In the 43rd minute, Greenwood combined with Mata, who flicked a heel pass into Bruno's run. The captain finished coolly, doubling the lead.
In stoppage time of the second half, a free kick from the edge of the area saw Bruno curl in a stunning third. 3–0, game over—Bruno with a brace.
United had won four straight home matches in all competitions.
According to Opta, Manchester United had faced lower-division opposition in 48 FA Cup games, advancing on 47 occasions. The last time they had been upset was in 2010—when they lost 0–1 at home to Leeds United. Since then, they had won 17 straight such ties.
In the draw for the fourth round, United drew Liverpool—the tie set for January 24.
For both clubs, it was the worst possible news—three "Northwest Derbies" (Community Shield, Premier League, and FA Cup) in less than two weeks.
...
On January 12, the first of those encounters took place at the new Wembley Stadium—the long-delayed Community Shield.
Originally meant to open the season, the pandemic's compressed schedule had postponed it to mid-season.
The match was intense, physical, and scrappy—players went down often, but real chances were scarce. From start to finish, both sides struggled to break through.
As the game wore on into the 80th minute, everyone, even the commentators, resigned themselves to the likelihood of extra time.
Then came the 89th minute.
Bruno, exhausted but unyielding, received a pass from Gündoğan on the right and laid it back to Cancelo.
Cancelo whipped a cross into the penalty area; Harry Kane held off his marker and nudged the ball back.
Suddenly, Bruno darted into the box, slicing inside from the right. Receiving Kane's return pass, he sidestepped a defender with a sharp cut and blasted a left-footed shot into the net.
"Bruno skips past two defenders… and shoots!"
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"At the death! Bruno again! United's savior!"
"1–0!"
Ecstatic, Bruno sprinted from the pitch, arms raised—scoring a last-minute winner against their fiercest rival. United's players piled around him in jubilation.
That single strike meant victory, another trophy, and a continuation of United's momentum after two weeks of flawless results—five straight wins in all competitions since the Leicester draw.
Bruno, laughing and breathless, accepted applause from teammates and fans as the cameras zoomed in.
...
Because of the Community Shield, United's 18th-round league match at Fulham was postponed by a week.
Five days later came the second derby—Anfield.
In the rescheduled 19th-round "Northwest Derby," both sides fought hard but settled for a goalless 0–0 draw.
After the weekend's results, United remained top: with one game in hand, 15 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss—47 points.
Leicester City followed with 35 points from 18 games. Manchester City, after a 4–0 win over Crystal Palace, climbed to third with 34 points and two games in hand.
Liverpool, also on 34 points, slipped to fourth on goal difference.
United's fiercest title rival was now their city neighbor. City trailed by 13 points but had a match in hand—likely cutting it to 10.
...
On January 20, United faced Fulham in that rescheduled 18th-round match.
Fatigue from back-to-back matches showed, but Bruno's spark remained.
Just two minutes after the restart, Mbappé forced a corner on the right. Bruno delivered, and Virgil van Dijk powered home a header.
Six minutes later, Cancelo combined with Mbappé down the flank before crossing low for Bruno to tap in—2–0.
In total control, United dominated the rest of the game.
In the 65th minute, Bruno drifted left to collect a pass from Rashford, cut inside, and curled a right-footed stunner into the far corner—3–0.
It was his 182nd Premier League goal, tying him with Sergio Agüero for fourth all-time, just five behind former United legend Andy Cole (187). At Bruno's rate, he was on pace to surpass Cole and move into third by February.
Wayne Rooney's 208 seemed unreachable for now.
Two minutes later, Cancelo's cross from another Bruno pass led to Kane's header for 4–0. Four minutes later, N'Golo Kanté smashed in from range—5–0, emphatic victory.
...
The news of Bruno climbing to fourth on the Premier League's all-time scoring chart spread worldwide.
Yet the day's biggest story belonged to another Portuguese icon.
During United's triumph, Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Juventus's 2–0 Supercoppa Italiana win over Napoli—his 760th career goal, surpassing Josef Bican as the top scorer in football history (officially recorded).
At nearly 36, Ronaldo's record stood at 760 goals in 1,040 official matches—an astonishing 0.73 per game.
His tally by club and country:
Sporting CP – 31 matches, 5 goals (0.16 average)
Manchester United – 292 matches, 118 goals (0.40 average)
Real Madrid – 438 matches, 450 goals (1.03 average), still Los Blancos' all-time top scorer
Juventus – 109 matches, 85 goals (0.78 average)
Portugal national team – 170 matches, 102 goals (0.60 average), their all-time leader
...
Those 760 goals had brought Ronaldo 32 trophies—4 with Portugal and 28 with his clubs.
Internationally, he had won the 2016 EURO, the 2017 Confederations Cup, the 2018 World Cup, and the 2019 UEFA Nations League.
At club level, he earned one Portuguese Super Cup with Sporting, ten trophies with Manchester United (including three Premier League titles, one Champions League, two League Cups, two FA Community Shields, one FA Cup, and one Club World Cup), thirteen with Real Madrid (two La Liga, three Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, two Copa del Rey, one UEFA Super Cup, and two Spanish Super Cups), and four more with Juventus (two Serie A titles and two Italian Super Cups).
Manchester United's official website paid tribute:
"Yes, you read that right. Our former No.7 has now scored more goals than any player in football history, breaking a record that stood unchallenged for 66 years."
(END CHAPTER)
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