Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty en route to another frustrating outing for Manchester United, as the 20-time champions of England left Craven Cottage with a 1-1 draw against Fulham.
The Reds threatened to reinforce a promising display during a frustrating defeat to Arsenal, dictating matters early with a brand of attractive, attacking-based football.
Although Fernandes saw his first-half spot kick hit the upper tiers of a delirious home crowd, United took the lead shortly before the hour mark through a Rodrigo Muniz own goal.
But Emile Smith Rowe levelled proceedings heading into the final quarter after a passage of self-inflicted damage by a disgruntled-looking defence.
If week one offered hope for an entertaining campaign, game week two has reminded a weary fanbase of the glaring issues that exist at the heart of Ruben Amorim’s midfield.
With two fixtures played in a crucial Premier League season, United sit 16th with a solitary point and an own goal to show for 32 efforts from 180 minutes of football.
Manchester United struggle to unconvincing draw against Fulham
London has proven a difficult hunting ground for United in recent years, with only three victories in 24 appearances following today’s result.
“We want to do the same good things that we did last weekend. But we need also to show more urgency,” Amorim stated before kickoff.
In anticipation of the challenge, the former Sporting chief made one change to his starting XI that lost out last weekend, with Amad replacing Diogo Dalot at wing-back in a notably technical side.
Expectedly, the attacking duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha continued their sparkling form from the off, disregarding a partisan crowd with a considerable swagger alongside the impressive Mason Mount.
Cunha earned comparisons to Eric Cantona following his arrival in Manchester, and came close with a brace of efforts within the opening exchanges, striking the post after two minutes.
He later earned comparisons to Dennis Bergkamp with a piece of technical control not dissimilar to the Dutch legend. Unfortunately, Bernd Leno was on hand to deny a magical moment.
Altay Bayindir retained his place in goals, with Andre Onana restored to the bench. The Turkish international was called to action after ten minutes to deny Alex Iwobi from distance following a dangerous corner routine.
A collection of worrying set pieces became a familiar trend for the remainder of the half.
The opening 30 minutes were a tale of two quarters, with the Reds dominating the first and somehow failing to find the net, while the Cottagers expectedly found their feet for the second.
However, following some naive set-piece defending from Calvin Bassey and his manhandling of Mount in the area, VAR sent Chris Kavanagh to the monitor at the beginning of the third, resulting in a deserved penalty kick.
Uncharacteristically, Fernandes skied his effort high over the bar alongside a chorus of jeers.
The remainder of the half was somewhat scrappy as the home side continued to press for set-piece opportunities, earning five throughout the opening half.
Iwobi offered endless running and ball-carrying through the heart of the midfield, emphasising the growing need for an assured presence in this midfield duo.
Neither manager opted to make any changes for the restart as an out-of-sorts Bruno remonstrated his frustrations to the referee.
Fulham continued with the game plan and earned their first corner of the second half after five minutes. Amorim responded by introducing Benjamin Sesko and Dalot in place of a weary-looking Casemiro and Amad.
Yoro has earned widespread plaudits for his growth in the backline and highlighted his importance on either end of the field for this new-look Amorim side.
The young Frenchman expertly denied Joshua King with an extraordinary last-ditch defensive effort before climbing highest to head an Mbeumo corner off Muniz to give his side the lead.
But a scrappy affair continued to unfold, and Fulham restored parity 15 minutes later through Smith Rowe following a passage of calamitous defending that started with Dalot losing possession outside the area.
While Amorim’s game plan continued to unravel against a relentless wave of attacking intent, the United faithful urged their men forward with cries of ‘attack’, heading into the final 10 minutes.
Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven entered proceedings in the dying moments, with the former guiding a headed effort inches wide of the post within seconds of his arrival.
But it was not to be for United once more in London, and despite the most promising of opening quarters, there are more questions than answers for a Portuguese tactician who will now face the full wrath of mainstream media.
Focus must immediately shift to an EFL Cup trip to Grimsby Town on Wednesday ahead of the must-win Saturday arrival of newly-promoted Burnley in M16.
How do you feel following another outing without a win for Manchester United? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels.
Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images via depositphotos.com
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