- Man United beat Fulham 1-0 in the opening game of the Premier League season
- Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench and scored the only goal of the game
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all about to begin! Available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Manchester United defeated Fulham in their opening game of the Premier League season on Friday night thanks to a late goal from Joshua Zirkzee.
Both sides had their moments when they launched the new campaign in an uninspiring manner.
Newcomer Zirkzee came off the bench and scored the three points at Old Trafford with a fine goal at the near post.
Mail Sport’s Aadam Patel takes a look at some of the things you may have missed from Old Trafford.
Joshua Zirkzee scored the only goal of the game as Man United beat Fulham 1-0 on Friday
Avram returns
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was nowhere to be seen at Old Trafford, but Avram Glazer was back in the building for the first time since August 2022, when Manchester United lost their first home game of the season to Brighton.
It is only the third time in the past five years that the 63-year-old has appeared at Old Trafford.
The Glazer family are rarely seen in Manchester, with United fans often protesting against the family’s ownership.
But Avram, 63, was in attendance and was regularly seen trading jokes with David Gill, the former Man Utd CEO. Nearby were Sir Dave Brailsford, Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox – all part of the United hierarchy.
Avram Glazer (centre) made a rare appearance at Old Trafford for the opening match
VAR account shows its value
Earlier this week, a new Premier League Match Centre account was launched on X to increase transparency around VAR and refereeing, with the first match-related post made within 17 minutes on Friday.
United went for a penalty in the 13th minute, but Jarred Gillett on VAR duty confirmed referee Robert Jones’ decision that no penalty had been given, ruling that there had been no significant contact between Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi on Amad Diallo. Although that information was not relayed to the fans in the stadium.
Carsley gets straight to work
New England manager Lee Carsley wasted no time and was already in his seat in the Directors’ Box at Old Trafford half an hour before kick-off.
Carsley was spotted chatting with PFA chief executive Maheta Molango and Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes. The PFA and Premier League are both involved in legal proceedings against FIFA over their lack of consultation over the ever-lengthening fixture list.
The 2024-25 club season will not end until the Club World Cup final in the US on July 13.
New England interim manager Lee Carsley was also in attendance at the opening ceremony
Sky mixes things
In what appears to be a new initiative from Sky Sports for the new Premier League season, Jamie Carragher interviewed Marco Silva from the Fulham dressing room before the match.
The current deal for the Premier League broadcasting rights is worth £5bn for the three seasons until the end of this one, but it will be interesting to see how many clubs are prepared to give broadcasters this level of access.
Jamie Carragher interviewed Marco Silva from the Fulham dressing room ahead of the match
Emile’s stylish accents
Emile Smith Rowe impressed on his Fulham debut with a number of fine moves around the pitch.
A great first run led to Mason Mount being shown a yellow card after he pulled him down.
The task now for Smith Rowe, who has played just 34 games in the past two seasons, is to show he can do that week in, week out.
Emile Smith Rowe briefly showed why Fulham fans were so excited to sign him
Another OT opener
For the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, United have started their Premier League campaign with a home game, and that is the last eight seasons in a row.
They are the first club in Premier League history to start the season with a home game for eight consecutive seasons.
