A late deflected winner from Lisandro Martinez meant Manchester United snatched all three points from Fulham on a wet night at Craven Cottage this evening.
The Argentinian centre back’s speculative shot from distance – which looped off the luckless Sasa Lukic and over Bernd Leno before nestling in the top corner of the net – was United’s only shot on target during a match that barely merited the Premier League’s new Sunday evening timeslot. Marco Silva cut a disconsolate figure in the Fulham technical area after Anthony Taylor’s final whistle had condemned the Whites to a depressing defeat; his side had enjoyed the more promising moments on a night devoid of quality, but paid the penalty for being unable to finish a succession of half chances.
The closest they came was in stoppage time when Joachim Andersen rose highest at the near post to glance an Andreas Pereira towards the far corner of the Hammersmith End goal, only to find United substitute Toby Collyer perfectly positioned to head off the goal-line. Taylor gestured that his watch – equipped with the goal-line technology – had failed to buzz and the subsequent TV replays showed that the United academy graduate had intervened in the nick of time. To add to the sense of injustice, goalscorer Martinez had committed a terrible two-footed tackle on Adama Traore just after the hour without sanction from the officials – a cynical challenge that gets worse with every replay you watch.
Silva’s side had begun the sharper of the two sides. Alex Iwobi, hampered by illness in recent weeks, was prominent from the left flank, twice tormenting Noussair Mazaroui before rushing shots from promising positions and firing too close to Andre Onana. Raul Jimenez sent a curler well wide of the target from the left edge of the area before the Mexican veteran connected with a teasing cross from Antonee Robinson only to shot past the near post as he lost his balance. Martinez manoeuvred Emile Smith Rowe off the ball as the Fulham number ten looked likely to pull the trigger.
United offered little in terms of attacking output before Reuben Almorin was able to offer words of advice during the interval. Rasmus Højlund was wrestled out of the contest by an aggressive Andersen, although his replacement in the second period, Joshua Zirkzee – whose first United goal saw off Fulham in the closing stages of the opening night of the campaign at Old Trafford – proved just as peripheral. The visitors’ first real sight of goal came from a set piece twelve minutes in the second half, when Bruno Fernandes rattled the side netting with a daisycutter, after Timothy Castagne had been penalised for tripping Mazaroui just outside the penalty area.
Traore’s pace enlivened proceedings but for all Jimenez’s neat touches, the home side struggled to penetrate United’s three-man central defence. The energy of Rodrigo Muniz changed the home side’s plan of attack with Harry Maguire having to head away from underneath his own crossbar with the Brazilian waiting to head home a Castagne cross with twenty minutes to play. Traore, who replaced the injured Harry Wilson eight minutes into the second half, couldn’t reprise the poise with which he clinically converted the crucial second at Leicester last Saturday when he took aim from eighteen yards – with his fierce drive drifting over Onana’s bar.
It looked like Fulham were revving up for a late burst on the United goal – but the winner came at the other end. Martinez, lucky to still be on the field, sparked delirious scenes amongst the travelling supporters after his 20-yarder struck Lukic and beat Leno having hit the underside of the crossbar. Fulham deployed Andersen as a centre forward in a desperate search for an equaliser and they had chances even after the Danish defender had been denied by Collyer. Muniz might have even scored from the rebound but his volley bounced off the turf and over the crossbar. The substitute skied another effort in stoppage time after Robinson and Castagne had kept the ball alive in the United area.
The visitors looked to have completed their smash and grab raid when Amad Diallo slotted past Leno after a one-two with substitute Kobbie Mainoo, but the goal was chalked off after a lengthy VAR check. That gave Fulham a last shot at salvation but – as ever – it’s the hope that kills you.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, A. Robinson, Andersen, Bassey; Berge, Lukic (Cairney 82); Wilson (Traore 53), Iwobi, Smith Rowe (Pereira 82); Jimenez (Muniz 64). Subs (not used): Benda, Diop, Cuenca, Reed, King.
MANCHESTER UNITED (3-4-2-1): Onana; de Ligt (Yoro 58), Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui (Malacia 81), Dalot, Ugarte (Collyer 76), Fernandes; Diallo, Garnacho (Mainoo 81); Hojlund (Zirkzee 58). Subs (not used): Bayindir, Lindelof, Casemiro, Eriksen.
BOOKED: Ugarte.
GOAL: Martinez (78).
REFEREE: Anthony Taylor (Greater Manchester).
ATTENDANCE: 27,288.
At least Martinez had a crack from distance so I guess he deserved a bit of luck. Whereas our gun shy players prefer to play tippy tappy football and walk the ball into the net.
Apart from Iwobi’s weak efforts in the opening stages, I can’t remember us testing a suspect keeper even once. When all else fails, have a crack but even Tom Cairney, who has scored his fair share of great goals from distance was reluctant to pull the trigger.
Adama Traore is not the answer to our wing problems but, at least, he takes players on and is not reluctant to shoot so, for that, I choose him over certain others any day of the week.
What has happened to Joachim Andersen? He has been far from his best since returning from injury and his distribution, tonight, was dreadful. I know that there is a really good player there, somewhere, so I won’t be too harsh.
But, apart from our inability to create, my main concern is at right back. With all the talk of Emerson Royal being on our radar, I felt sure that it would have irked Castagne and pushed him into showing real attacking impetus against Man Utd but I was wrong. Far too often, he chooses the easy option and passes back or, just as ineffectively, inside.
I can’t stress how bad this is for us when the player in front of him (Wilson) does the same.
I’m not a lover of the January window which, for some weird reason, does not close until February 3rd, and I understand the reluctance to bring in players that don’t actually improve the team BUT we do have an imbalance in the team and, until it is fixed, we are, and will remain, a mid-table team and anybody who thinks otherwise needs their head examined.
We get worse each game for godsake Silva make some changes and give King 90 minutes and change our boring possession football and speed up our attacking game too many back passes instead of forward passes and we need someone to take a shot instead of passing we seem afraid to do this.
I think Silva has run out of ideas and is beginning to become stale with his methods. He seems incapable of making pro-active changes nor brave enough to deviate from his favourite chosen group. The injury Wilson forced his hand on Sunday and he brought on Traore(nothing new there) who dishes out the usual rubbish.
A big question I would ask is why don’t our players shoot more often from outside the box? you never know their goalkeeper might do a Leno and let it in(wishful thinking).
It’s so frustrating watching this season’s team, because we can dominate games but still end up losing, something is wrong somewhere.
Silva has to be more positive and creative and have faith in the younger squad players.