Matheus Cunha struck late to rescue Manchester United
from another damaging defeat as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at
Craven Cottage.
United were desperate for a victory following
consecutive defeats to Manchester City and Brighton, but Michael Carrick’s side
once again struggled and had to settle for a point.
The visitors fell behind in the second half through a
bizarre own goal from Lisandro Martinez after Fulham defender Calvin Bassey’s
effort was saved by United goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Cunha eventually levelled in the 89th minute, with his
long-range effort taking a decisive deflection off David Affengruber.
The result means United have managed just one Premier
League victory in their opening five matches and now sit 10 points behind
leaders Manchester City.
United Under Growing Pressure
The draw extended a difficult spell for Carrick, who
is facing increasing scrutiny after United suffered three defeats in their
first seven matches across all competitions.
The Red Devils entered the game after successive
losses to Manchester City and Brighton, while they also surrendered a two-goal
advantage against Brighton in the League Cup before losing on penalties.
Despite the mounting pressure, Carrick has maintained
that he is not concerned about his position at Old Trafford.
United had been expected to challenge near the top of
the table after finishing third last season, but their early-season form has
raised questions about whether they can maintain those ambitions.
They will now have the international break to regroup
before returning to action against Tottenham on October 10.
Fulham Threaten Early
Fulham almost opened the scoring in the early stages
when Gonzalo Garcia dragged a shot wide after finding space in a dangerous
position.
United responded when Bruno Fernandes found Martinez
on the edge of the box, with the defender forcing a fine save from Bernd Leno.
Fernandes came even closer shortly afterwards when his
powerful effort struck the post after Cunha had laid the ball into his path.
However, Fulham continued to cause problems for a
United defence that looked vulnerable throughout the first half.
Josh King forced Lammens into a good save with a
half-volley, before the United goalkeeper produced another impressive stop to
deny Sander Berge.
Oscar Bobb then missed a major opportunity to put
Fulham ahead, shooting wide when presented with a promising chance.
Bizarre Own Goal Gives Fulham the Lead
Fulham finished the first half strongly, with Lammens
again called upon to keep out King before rushing off his line to deny Alex
Iwobi.
United's defensive problems eventually caught up with
them after the break.
Cunha lost possession inside his own half, allowing
Fulham to launch another attack. Bassey unleashed a powerful shot which Lammens
managed to parry away.
Martinez attempted to clear the loose ball but miscued
his intervention, sending it back towards his own goal. The ball deflected off
the recovering Lammens before crossing the line to give Fulham the lead.
United desperately searched for a response, with Leno
making an important save to deny Bryan Mbeumo before keeping out Cunha's low
effort.
Cunha Saves United Again
With defeat looming, United finally found their
equaliser in the 89th minute.
Cunha took aim from distance and his effort took a
significant deflection off Affengruber, wrong-footing Leno and finding the back
of the net.
The late goal spared United from a third consecutive
defeat but did little to ease the pressure surrounding Carrick.
United now head into the international break with just
one league win from five matches, while their next fixture against Tottenham
presents another opportunity to arrest their poor run of form.
Comments:
Leave a Reply