Manchester United rescued a 1-1 draw at Fulham with Matheus Cunha’s late deflected equaliser, easing some of the pressure on Michael Carrick’s side but doing little to disguise a deeply worrying start to the Premier League season.
United had appeared set to suffer another damaging defeat when Lisandro Martinez turned the ball into his own net in the 63rd minute. Cunha’s shot took a decisive touch off David Affengruber in the 89th minute, however, leaving Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno with no chance.
The result leaves Manchester United in the bottom half after five matches, with only five points. They are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and have matched their joint-worst points tally at this stage of a Premier League campaign, also recorded in 2014-15.
Manchester United punished by another defensive error
Fulham had started the second half quietly, but Calvin Bassey won possession from Cunha before driving a shot towards goal. Senne Lammens could only parry the effort, and Martinez’s attempted clearance diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper.
United had already endured a difficult period, following last weekend’s Manchester derby defeat and the midweek Carabao Cup collapse at home to Brighton. Their performance before Fulham took the lead added to the concern, with Gary Neville describing the visitors’ passive spell in possession as “the worst 15 minutes I have ever see Manchester United play”.
There were chances for United to establish control before the interval. Cunha’s cutback found Bruno Fernandes, whose effort struck the post, while another Cunha attempt was deflected onto the woodwork. Leno was also required to make several full-stretch saves.
Fulham created opportunities of their own, with Lammens denying Josh King from close range and producing another stop to keep out his effort later in the half. Gonzalo Garcia misjudged a volley, Sander Berge was denied by the United goalkeeper and Oscar Bobb dragged a further chance wide.
After falling behind, United improved. Leno kept out a curling attempt from Bryan Mbeumo and then stretched to deny Cunha, before the visitors appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty when the ball struck Bassey after coming off Martinez. The defender’s arms were tucked into his body.
Cunha’s late intervention spared United a third successive defeat and preserved a point for Carrick before the international break. It was a painful conclusion for Fulham and new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who is still waiting for his first Premier League victory, although the draw lifted his side off the bottom on goal difference.
Cunha demands greater effort from United
Cunha said United had not shown enough energy from the outset and warned that their response must begin earlier in matches.
“It is so frustrating for us. In the beginning, we put the plan in and created some chances. We didn’t score and then they scored in one action. It is hard to explain,” he said.
“After the goal, we played much better and had a lot of character. It needs to be from the start. It is only one point but we should never play for one point.
“They put in more energy than us, we cannot accept this. We need to do our best. We need to improve in every single position. It is only the beginning. Last season was the same, with noise around, but we finished third.”
United now have three weeks to address a sequence of performances that has set alarm bells ringing in Manchester. The point at Craven Cottage prevented the situation from worsening, but a significant improvement will be required if they are to recover their early-season ambitions.
