Report on Bruno Fernandes’ stoppage-time goal to give Manchester United a 1-0 win over Fulham. The pressure eased on Erik ten Hag after his team recovered from successive 3-0 defeats; Scott McTominay saw an early goal controversially disallowed; Manchester United is sixth and Fulham is fourteenth
Manchester United secured a vital win to ease the pressure on Erik ten Hag, with Bruno Fernandes scoring in stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win over Fulham.
After successive 3-0 defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle, the manager has been increasingly asked questions, and eyebrows were raised before kick-off when Marcus Rashford was left out of the squad.
Manchester United explained that the striker – who was criticized by Ten Hag on Friday for going out to celebrate his birthday following the defeat against City – was injured.
Instead of Rashford, it was McTominay who found the back of the net for what he thought was his fourth goal in as many Premier League matches – only for officials to decide that Harry Maguire had been slightly offside in the build-up after a lengthy review.
Manchester United rarely troubled Fulham’s goal again – until Joao Palinha’s stumbling clearance found Fernandes on the edge of the area, the captain curling the ball inside the near post and providing a much-needed boost to his beleaguered manager.
How Fernandes stepped up when it mattered for Manchester United
Sky Sports’ Michael Bridge and Joe Schraded give their verdict on Manchester United’s dramatic 1-0 win over Fulham, including how Bruno Fernandes stepped up when he was counted out and why Erik ten Hag still has issues to solve.
After eight defeats in their first 15 games this season, the temperature at Ten Hag Stadium has risen to such a level that Manchester United felt the need this week to deny reports that they were considering a successor to the Dutchman.
The uproar over Rashford’s off-field antics – and his apparent failure of a pre-match fitness test – did not help the manager, but McTominay appeared to have given his side the perfect start when he converted Alejandro Garnacho’s low pass from a free-kick.
Clinton Morrison, Paul Merson and Danny Mills disagree over whether Marcus Rashford should walk out on his birthday after Manchester United lost to Manchester City.
However, his celebrations were interrupted by a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. Both Garnacho and McTominay were present but referee John Brooks was eventually called to the screen to determine whether Maguire – who was slightly offside – was interfering in play when he tried and failed to reach the original free-kick.
Brooks quickly decided to disallow the goal due to “self-offside”. However, whether that constituted a clear and obvious foul – and whether Maguire even affected Fulham’s defenders – is a matter of debate.
This was the only controversial incident from a disappointing first half that saw only one shot on target from either side.
It seemed that Fulham belatedly sensed an opportunity against its beleaguered host and came close to opening the scoring twice within moments.
Andre Onana initially blocked Harry Wilson’s volley with an unorthodox but ultimately effective effort, before then blocking Balinha’s powerful shot from close range.
Rasmus Hoglund was removed after another frustrating outing – receiving just one pass into the opposition penalty area – and Manchester United appeared to be heading into a third game without a win or a goal.
“An important moment for Erik ten Hag” | Fernandes scores a late winner for Manchester United
But Fernandes – who faced calls from Roy Keane last week to remove the captaincy – stepped up in the last moments, taking advantage of a mistake by his Portuguese teammate Balhegna and clearing away some of the storm clouds that had accumulated over him and his coach. .
Ten Hag: I know the players who support me
Ten Hag admitted his side had to be more creative in the final third but was happy with the “spirit” his team showed.
“It was a strong performance,” the Manchester United manager said. “I’m happy, especially with the spirit the team has.
“I’m happy with the way we pressed. Fulham play very good football from the back but we never let them play out from the back.
“Obviously we have to create more chances inside the box, but the combination on the ball was a step forward.”
Asked whether Fernandes’ late win – and the jubilant celebrations that followed – showed the players still backed him, Ten Hag said: “I knew that and we saw that again.
“It’s a good dressing room and they fight for each other. They know what the standards are. At Manchester United, they have to win every game. That’s the attitude you need when you play for this club.”
Silva: We have lost control of emotions
Marco Silva blamed Manchester United’s win on a loss of “emotional control” by his players, adding that he felt Fulham deserved the three points.
“It’s very difficult for us to accept,” he said. “We cannot be punished the way we were punished.
“The way we conceded the goal was a matter of emotional control. In 10 seconds, we made three or four different mistakes. It’s difficult to understand.
“The second half showed that we were in control and gave almost nothing to Manchester United. We tried to win and we deserved it.”
Opta Stats: Another late showing for Manchester United
- Manchester United have scored two 90th-minute winners in the Premier League this season (also Scott McTominay vs Brentford), the same number they scored in the previous two seasons combined.
- Fulham have not achieved a win in 18 matches against Manchester United in all competitions (draw 3, l15) since beating them 3-0 in December 2009 in a Premier League match.
- Manchester United have won three consecutive away games in the Premier League for the first time since 10 consecutive matches between June and December in 2020.
- Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 122 goals in 200 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions (67 goals, 55 assists), 33 more than any other player for the club since his debut in February 2020 (Marcus Rashford, 89).
“A little relief – but I don’t think this is a time to celebrate.”
Analysis by Gary Neville from Sky Sports:
Gary Neville spoke about his reaction after Manchester United’s win away to Fulham in the English Premier League.
“They were never going to go from being as bad as they were to being amazing in terms of performance, but obviously the win was absolutely necessary – I’ve never seen a coaching staff feel so comfortable at the end of a club’s football match.” A long time.
“Erik ten Hag and all his coaches were going to all the players, and they knew how much pressure was building. And it was true because the performances were terrible, and that was a big moment for them.”
“But look, a little bit of a break, but I don’t think this is a time to celebrate, but it’s definitely something that will give them a few days off!”
“Sure I will [turn the noise and negativity down]But I don’t think anyone will be fooled into thinking everything has been fixed, because the performance today was very poor and, to be fair, the team has a lot of injuries, but you can’t believe a billion pounds was spent on it. It’s unbelievable when you see the players who are on the field.
He added: “But they won the game, and Fulham are clearly struggling to score goals and that was a game between two teams that did not look very comfortable going forward, but Manchester United scored a late goal.”
“I said earlier in the week that Bruno Fernandes, as much as can be said about him, has world-class ability and a bit of magic at the end and that’s what Manchester United have, few players who can produce in moments, no repetitive patterns of play. Or the style we see emerging.
“We see these moments sometimes that mean they can win football matches and every game they have won this season has been like that, by one goal.
“They’ve been very lucky in games, but they have a habit of crossing the line against these weaker teams.
“It’s the teams that have anything about them where they struggle…”
What then?
Fulham Next up is a trip to high flying Aston Villa November 12 – Kick-off at 2pm. And then they live Sky Sports we Monday Night Football At home for Wolves November 27 – Kick-off at 8pm.
Manchester United Facing a decisive journey to Copenhagen In the Champions League on Wednesday night – start at 8pm. Then they host relegation Luton Saturday – start at 3pm.
