Manchester United earned a third successive Premier League win, breaking Fulham hearts with a 3-2 victory inside a jubilant Old Trafford.
With so much of the pre-game conversation focused on matters occurring outside the ground, Casemiro and his teammates were aiming to reclaim their place inside the top four.
The 33-year-old opened the scoring with a trademark header midway through the opening half before turning provider for Matheus Cunha early in the second.
Fulham reduced the deficit late in the game when Raul Jimenez converted from the penalty spot, before Kevin silenced the Theatre of Dreams with a stunning equaliser inside the first of nine additional minutes.
However, it was Benjamin Sesko who had the final laugh with the defining goal three minutes later, emphasising the growing sense of belief within this once-fractured squad.
United climb to fourth in the table, five points behind Aston Villa, who suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Brentford.
Say what you will about the turmoil in and around the football club, but Michael Carrick continues to turn doubters into believers in the North West.
Nine from nine from Michael Carrick’s Manchester United
With the endorphins of Cunha’s Emirates winner still coursing through the veins, a raucous Old Trafford greeted the players before kickoff.
Though that was not the only fuel for pre-game adrenaline, with a large anti-ownership sentiment felt throughout the ground after a vocal showing during the 1958s planned protest.
Nonetheless, it was business as usual for Carrick and his team, with ambitions of a third consecutive win while again leapfrogging Liverpool and Chelsea into the Champions League positions.
Victories for both Arne Slot and Liam Rosenior created a first sense of partition in the league table on Saturday, with the prospect of a further three points in Manchester only solidifying this divide.
Given the necessity to stamp their authority while making a statement against a side outside the perennial big six, United began brightly, with Amad coming close through a rasping effort during the opening exchanges.
To their credit, Fulham appeared unfazed and ensured Senne Lammes was on his toes to deny a now-weekly six-yard melee following a deep delivery to the far post.
Jorge Cuenca was twice left sweating inside 20 minutes following reckless-looking challenges in the area, forcing John Brooks to award a penalty for his second defensive action.
But a VAR intervention altered the decision to a free kick outside the penalty area, and the travelling contingent were quick to ridicule a frustrated Manchester audience.
Nevertheless, a delicate Bruno Fernandes delivery was headed home by the ever-threatening Casemiro from the resulting dead ball, as the Brazilian notched his fifth goal of a final Premier League campaign with ease.
It turned out to be the defining moment of a largely routine 45 minutes.
United retained their early confidence and transitional swagger throughout, while Fulham enjoyed a marginal possession advantage without real threat in the final third.
| First-half statistics via sofascore.com | Manchester United | Fulham |
| Possession | 48% | 52% |
| Total shots | 5 | 7 |
| Big chances | 1 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 2 | 2 |
| Passes | 230 | 240 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.60 | 0.55 |
Carrick refrained from turning to his substitute bench at the break and was nearly celebrating within minutes of the restart.
Diogo Dalot, often the focus of social ridicule, poured through the heart of the midfield before offloading a sumptuous ball to Bryan Mbeumo, whose effort met the chest of an onrushing Bernd Leno.
But pressure was building, and Cunha doubled the lead within minutes through a thunderous effort inside the area following an inch-perfect pass from his compatriot Casemiro.
Cuenca endured a traumatic opening period before his second-half strike delayed proceedings further, with VAR again playing a pivotal role in disallowing his goal minutes after the hour mark.
The Spaniard latched onto a deflected effort before guiding past Lammens inside the six-yard box and wheeling away in celebrations at the thought of reducing the deficit.
However, although early indications suggested the defender was marginally offside, video footage later revealed that Samuel Chukwueze was penalised for his part in the buildup.
Sesko was given 15 minutes to impress from the bench and struck the woodwork with his first touch, heading an Amad delivery onto the post before guiding his follow-up over the bar.
Fulham refused to sit back and earned an opportunity to halve the lead from the penalty spot after Harry Maguire brought Jimenez to ground inside the final 10 minutes.
The Mexican forward calmly dispatched the resulting spotkick into the top corner, setting the tone for a nervous ending in Manchester ahead of nine additional minutes.
Marco Silva instructed his men to pour forward for a share of the spoils, and they thought they done just that when Brazilian forward Kevin unleashed an unstoppable effort past Lammens from outside the area.
Still, the attacking belief in Carrington is building, and a never-say-die mentality is growing every week.
Fernandes, again the architect of so much good, powered down the right flank, delivering an inch-perfect pass to Sesko, before the Slovenian turned and finished emphatically.
Old Trafford exploded with the celebratory sounds of old as substitutes embraced their teammates on the touchline – Carrick was unable to hide his smile as he embraced his coaching team.
For the third successive outing, this group has underlined its commitment to the badge and reaffirmed its intentions to reclaim Champions League football.
It wasn’t the definition of perfection in Manchester, but with Spurs to supply the next test inside Old Trafford, who knows how far this team can climb under the watch of Carrick and his staff?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our socials – Photo by operations@newsimages.co.uk via depositphotos.com.
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