The fiThe first signs of spring were met at Old Trafford with a sudden flurry of winter, and the green shoots of Manchester United’s recovery were trampled by a vibrant Fulham.
Erik ten Hag’s side were on a run of six wins and a draw from seven games in 2024, but that came to an end with Fulham’s first Premier League win here in 17 attempts, going back 21 years to 2003. This was also the Londoners’ first away win in the competition since the opening day of the season, after Alex Iwobi fired a dramatic winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Ten Hag said before this game that the injuries to top scorer Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw this week would not weaken United’s attacking threat, but who was he kidding?
A team that had scored seventeen goals in those seven games this year went back to being a team that averaged one goal per game in the previous eighteen games.
The injuries that have blighted United’s season – Lisandro Martinez is another recent casualty who has been sidelined alongside Mason Mount, Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrell Malacia – are jeopardizing their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and nullify the release of Ten. Enter very dangerous waters at the end of the season.
Alex Iwobi scored the winner in the 97th minute to give Fulham a shock 2-1 win at Old Trafford
Harry Maguire thought he had saved a point when he equalized in the 89th minute
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe was less than optimistic when discussing the Dutchman’s future after his £1.3 billion investment was completed this week, and a top-four finish could be the dividing line. Ratcliffe wasn’t there, but Sir Dave Brailsford was, and he must not have been impressed by what he saw. He doesn’t need to be reminded that the next league match is away to Manchester City next weekend.
Ten Hag’s team selection certainly caused a stir. When Marcus Rashford switched to striker to fill in for Hojlund, the United boss turned to teenager Omari Forson instead of £86m Antony to play on the right.
Handing Forson his full debut was a huge show of confidence in a youngster who had played just seven minutes of football in three appearances off the bench this season, including an assist for Kobbie Mainoo’s late winner at Wolves.
But it was also a major insult to Antony on his 24th birthday and a reflection of the fact that the Brazilian winger had not contributed a goal or an assist in 19 league games this season.
“He (Forson) deserves the position,” said Ten Hag. ‘He has been performing very well lately. He has worked very hard over the past six months and has shown his progress.
“When he came on against Wolves and Newport he had some impact. For example, with the goal for Kobbie Mainoo, he had the connection and the right point behind him. That’s what we expect from him. He showed reliability and now he gets his chance, so he has to take his chance.’
United struggled to find their flow in the first half, with Fulham threatening to catch them again and again during the break.
It almost happened in the 14th minute when in-form striker Rodrigo Muniz rose above Raphael Varane and nodded a long ball forward, and suddenly Iwobi was through on goal.
Calvin Bassey had given Marco Silva’s side a surprise lead after 65 minutes before Maguire leveled
Maguire was fortunate to stay on after a clumsy foul on Sasa Lukic, for which he was booked
However, the former Arsenal and Everton winger lacked composure and slid wide of the post before hitting the exact same spot when Andreas Pereira slid a pass into his path four minutes later as United opened up again.
When Fulham broke from a United corner after Sasa Lukic dumped the ball following a weak challenge from Rashford, it led to a corner at the other end and almost a goal. Andre Onana parried when Muniz got there first again, and Lukic would have scored if his first touch hadn’t been so heavy.
United’s first real chance didn’t come until the 27th minute when Fulham failed to convert a free-kick due to Tosin Adarabioyo’s foul on the increasingly lively Garnacho.
The young Argentinian winger exploited the space for a shot that went in, until Antonee Robinson made a great header, with the loose ball eventually falling to Harry Maguire, who converted the ball.
The pace of the match now increased as the two teams traded blows. Diogo Dalot clipped the outside of the post from twenty yards and Muniz did the same at the other end as he turned Victor Lindelof to fire a shot against the upright. Onana tapped away Pereira’s curler after Fulham broke again after Casemiro’s mistake, and Bernd Leno tapped Garnacho’s curler away.
Maguire was fortunate that his challenge on Lukic in the 36th minute was not slightly higher on the Serbian’s shin. It was clumsy rather than malicious, but the yellow card could easily have been red.
Iwobi and Pereira were shown yellow cards as Garnacho continued to torment them, and Harry Wilson became the fourth Fulham player to be warned for a foul on United’s number 17.
Ten Hag waited until eight minutes into the second half to make changes. One was forced after Casemiro collided with Harrison Reed, making way for Scott McTominay. The other was tactical, as Christian Eriksen came on for Forson, who made a quiet debut.
United were on a run of six wins and a draw in 2024, but Fulham gave them food for thought
But it was Fulham who almost broke through in the 57th minute when Dalot muscled Muniz halfway through and Fulham moved back in front on the break. Iwobi gave Robinson the overlap and Lindelof did just enough to stop Pereira from turning in a low cross from close range.
However, the traveling Fulham fans did not have to wait much longer for a goal, after Oana was forced to tilt after a cross from Reed almost drifted in after 64 minutes. Pereira turned over a corner from the right and Calvin Bassey’s first effort went straight to teammate Timothy Castagne. However, the loose ball remained upright for the Nigerian defender and he smashed it into the roof of the net. Things were starting to get honest.
United were roused from their post-break slumber. Rashford came close and Maguire headed wide from Eriksen’s corner. Ten Hag sent Amad Diallo for Kobbie Mainoo and again ignored Antony.
The equalizer came in the 89th minute when Maguire tried to cross from the right and smashed it over. Fernandes recovered the ball and teased Castagne before firing a shot. Leno could only parry and Maguire converted from close range.
The game continued and at that point you would have hoped that United would get the win after referee Michael Oliver added nine minutes of stoppage time.
But in the seventh of those minutes, Fulham took the win. The action started on their own backline when Adarabioyo cleared the pitch. The ball fell to substitute Adam Traore and the powerful winger took off towards goal. The United defense retreated as he advanced the ball to Iwobi, who cut inside Dalot and Diallo to bury his shot from 15 yards.
This time there was no way back for Ten Hag’s team. There will be many more missteps like this and the same should be said about their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
