Fulham manager Mark Hughes believes Fulham’s failure to make any impact at Manchester United bore all the hallmarks of a team scarred by previous disasters at Old Trafford.
Despite making a bright start, the Cottagers were powerless to respond once United had seized the initiative through first-half strikes from Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia.
The 2-0 scoreline condemned them to an incredible 18th defeat from their last 19 trips to face the Red Devils.
They have not scored a goal since they suffered a 5-1 mauling almost five years ago, and even that was thanks to Rio Ferdinand turning the ball into his own net.
And it appears psychological problems linger.
“Our record at Old Trafford is poor to say the least,” said Hughes.
“At times this season we have gone to places where the scars of previous visits have come back to haunt us. That was the case again.”
The result dropped Fulham back into the bottom half of the table, still not quite safe from relegation even though a single victory should be enough for them to survive.
After a decent run, in which his side have picked up seven points from their previous four games, Hughes denied the allegation that his players had downed tools.
