Manchester United have climbed to twelfth place in the Premier League following a 1-0 win against Fulham in London, a day before their chief turns 40.
A Lisandro Martinez goal provided a much-needed adrenaline shot for a weary travelling contingent as Ruben Amorim’s men maintained their dominating record against Marco Silva’s side.
Despite the endless troubles of a bewilderingly dismal campaign, three points follow the mid-week victory over Rangers ahead of Thursday’s trip to Bucharest.
Say what you will about this side, but momentum is a powerful beast, and the Old Trafford faithful are beginning to see green shoots within their underwhelming group.
Another hard-fought victory for an underperforming Manchester United side
Amorim named a strong starting XI spearheaded by the attacking trio of Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund.
With continuous speculation regarding the long-term future of the Argentine attacker, a fourth start from five outings was a reassuring sight for much of the fanbase.
The young forward line began promisingly against the backdrop of partisan London support, pressing the Fulham back line and forcing an aggressive stance.
But, as has been the case throughout the season, the early tempo began to slow, and Fulham settled with ease.
Andre Onana returned in goals, having endured the inevitable backlash of a forgettable outing against Brighton. He produced the game’s first save after six minutes, comfortably denying an Alex Iwobi effort from distance.
Much of United’s problems have circulated a lack of goals, and despite a harmless start to proceedings, the Reds failed to test Bernd Leno inside the opening quarter.
But Amorim is determined to replicate his electric Sporting ethos with this Manchester outfit, and his side manufactured their first sublime passage of interplay through Garnacho and Noussair Mazraoui with 20 minutes played.
It was an extract deserving of a goal, but the final ball into the area lacked the cutting quality to present a finishing opportunity for the onrushing Diogo Dalot.
That said, it returned a congratulatory response from the travelling contingent and gave Silva’s side something else to consider.
Promising performances against Liverpool and Arsenal were nullified by underwhelming showings against Southampton and Brighton. With 30 minutes played, another lethargic outing resulted in a lively cry of attacking encouragement from those in attendance.
It’s possible to attribute an underwhelming opening to that midweek outing against Rangers, but regardless, Amorim cut the figure of a visibly frustrated man on the touchline. The remaining quarter retained much of the qualities of the half, with little to nothing in terms of inspiration for either side.
As the teams departed the field for the break, it was yet another day that Manchester United had failed to find the net in the opening half. Furthermore, they didn’t hit the target once.
Despite his frustrations, the former Sporting supremo retained the same XI for the restart.
The visitors enjoyed increased tempo and possession throughout the opening exchanges, but Hojlund’s inability to act as a focal point dampened any progression. Inevitably, this resulted in the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee after 58 minutes, with Leny Yoro also entering the game in place of Matthijs de Ligt.
United were the better side with an hour played and finally found their feet in the tie.
In contrast, Fulham struggled to regain the confidence and flow of their first-half swagger and relied on their defensive structure to repel their guests.
But despite the best efforts of Bruno Fernandes from a dangerous set piece, the Reds had failed to hit the target after 70 minutes of play. Expanding on this, neither side had even managed a touch in either attacking penalty area.
Considering the combined defensive record, I’d called for goals in my match preview. Thankfully, I’m not a betting man!
Manuel Ugarte earned the first yellow card after 73 minutes after a challenge on Adama Traore – his eighth of the season in all competitions.
Worryingly, he came off the worst from the sequence and was replaced by Toby Collyer for the final quarter.
Thankfully, on a day when this side required a bit of luck, Lisandro Martinez broke the deadlock from distance two minutes later.
The onrushing Argentine collected the ball and unleashed an effort from 30 yards, clipping Sasa Lukic en route to beating Leno with United’s first effort on goal. For the lover of glorious statistics, that was his third goal contribution in five appearances (two goals and one assist).
Amorim responded by introducing Kobbie Mainoo and Tyrell Malacia to bolster his group for a London onslaught.
Collyer came to the rescue with a minute of regulation time remaining, miraculously heading off the line from a corner kick with Onana beaten.
Six minutes of injury time was met with encouragement by the home support as their side powered forward for a leveller.
But United were not to be undone as a collective unit sat deep and fought to regain their three points. As the Cottagers pressed, United were ready on the counter and struck a second through Diallo.
But what is a Premier League game without an interjection from the video officials? Despite the tightest of lines, VAR declared the Ivorian marginally offside.
Thankfully, It would not affect the outcome, as United earned their first London win since 2023.
Craven Cottage has been a happy hunting ground for the Reds, now unbeaten in nine consecutive fixtures with eight straight wins.
Attention turns to Thursday and an arduous trip for a Europa League meeting with FCSB at Arena Nationala.
Ruben Amorim will sleep safe in the knowledge he turns 40 with three Premier League points as a welcome cushion.
How do you feel following this Manchester United performance against a tough Fulham side? Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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