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To paraphrase a former Manchester United manager, Michael Carrick knew that the storm would come. Everything went a little too perfectly for him in the second half of last season. There would be ill winds at some point. Which was what Carrick could feel before this visit to Fulham. What were his emotions afterwards?
Relief was surely the main thing. Because after the derby defeat by Manchester City last Sunday and the midweek Carabao Cup exit against Brighton – both at Old Trafford – Carrick was starring at an unwanted hat-trick. All this on the back of other wobbles since the opening weekend when United lost at Hull. It is all extremely angsty and edgy.
It was a darkly comic own goal by Lisandro Martínez that raised Fulham’s hopes of a first Premier League win under Álvaro Arbeloa; an episode in which the United goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, emerged with zero credit. Put it down as a colossal mess. United have almost always won in this corner of south‑west London in recent seasons. A crash against the team that started the day at the foot of the table was unthinkable.
Carrick and his side averted disaster when they caught a huge break with time almost up. There was little on for Matheus Cunha on the edge of the area, to the left of centre, and so he took on the shot for the near corner. The Fulham goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, looked to have it covered. Cue an almighty deflection off David Affengruber that sent the ball spinning into the opposite corner. United escaped.
It was true that Fulham invited pressure after the own goal. They sank back and came to lack an out‑ball. But it did not look as though United would find the required moment. Carrick’s players were too slow. Their moves were predictable. They could not get in behind in the second half, their only efforts coming from outside the area. Thankfully for Carrick, Cunha got one to work.
There was plenty to like about Fulham, who remain a work in progress under Arbeloa. He appears to have concluded that he needs greater security in central midfield – hence Sander Berge and Shea Charles, with Alex Iwobi moved out to the left wing. There were round pegs in round holes for Fulham, which was not completely the case for United, albeit they were able to welcome back Luke Shaw on the left side of their defence.
With no Benjamin Sesko because of a recurrence of his shin issue, Carrick was without his only pure No 9. His solution, once again, was to use Cunha as a false 9 and ask Bruno Fernandes to play close to him. It was a box midfield, with Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo further back.
Arbeloa got his wingers, Oscar Bobb and Iwobi, to come inside to good effect. The battle for control of the middle of the pitch pulsed, with Josh King a major part of it.
The No 10 threatened during a first half in which Fulham were the more urgent and creative team. King worked Lammens in the 32nd minute after buying a yard of space from Shaw and it was not the only time that United felt their hearts skip.
Fulham had to be annoyed that they did not score before the interval. Twice, Gonzalo García fluffed his finish when well placed; on the second occasion, Berge extended Lammens on the second phase of the move. There was also the moment when Bobb spun into a seam of space only to drag wide. King wanted a free‑kick on the edge of the area in the 45th minute after running into Harry Maguire but he was looking for the contact and was booked correctly for diving.
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United hit the woodwork twice in the first half and had other flickers. They got into some good positions only to lack composure. Cunha did well to wriggle clear of Affengruber on the right and pull back for Fernandes, who flicked against the far post. Cunha also saw his first deflected shot of the day loop high and drop down against the outside of the upright. Martínez forced Leno into a decent save early on. Marcus Rashford lifted a good chance high.
United lost their way after the restart. They lacked energy and could get nothing going. It was as if they hit a wall, and then came the gut punch of the own goal. It started when Cunha failed to hold up the ball in a deep midfield position. He was outmuscled by Calvin Bassey, who simply wanted it more. The Fulham captain pushed on to the edge of the area and when he unloaded, United’s problems were about to deepen.
Lammens’s parry was unconvincing and Martínez was ponderous. He could not set his feet properly and merely jabbed the ball towards his own goal – whereupon Lammens, perhaps wondering whether it was a back pass, tried to clear with his feet and got it all wrong.
United could feel the red panic lights flashing. They fought to stabilise and the plus point for Carrick was that his players kept going. Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha forced Leno into fine saves with curlers from distance. The key point was that they were from distance. Fulham looked poised to keep United at bay; they also went close to a second goal when Kevin, on as a substitute, forced Lammens into a save. Enter Cunha. He was the United saviour. The fault-lines for his team remain pronounced.
