To paraphrase a former Manchester United manager, Michael Carrick knew that the storm would come. Everything went a little too perfectly for him in the second half of last season. There would be ill winds at some point. Which was what Carrick could feel before this visit to Fulham. What were his emotions after this?
Relief was surely the main thing. Because after the derby defeat by Manchester City last Sunday and the midweek Carabao Cup exit against Brighton – both at Old Trafford – Carrick was starring at an unwanted hat-trick. All this on the back of other wobbles since the opening weekend when United lost at Hull.
It was a darkly comic own goal by Lisandro Martínez that raised Fulham’s hopes of a first Premier League win under Alvaro Arbeloa. United have almost always won in this corner of south-west London in recent seasons. A crash against the team that started at the foot of the table was unthinkable.
Carrick and his team averted disaster when they caught a huge break with time almost up. There was little on for Matheus Cunha on the edge of the area, to the left of centre, and so he took on the shot for the near corner. The Fulham goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, looked to have it covered. Cue an almighty deflection off David Affengruber to send the ball spinning into the opposite corner.
United escaped. It was true that Fulham invited pressure after Martinez’s horror moment, sinking back. They came to lack an out-ball. But it did not look as though United could find the required moment of penetration. Carrick’s players were low on confidence; their moves were frequently predictable. They could not get in behind in the second-half, their only efforts coming from outside the area. Thankfully for Carrick, Cunha got one to work.
There was plenty to like about Fulham, who remain a work in progress under Arbeloa. He appears to have concluded that he needs greater security in central midfield – hence Sander Berge and Shea Charles, with Alex Iwobi out to the left wing. There were round pegs in round holes for Fulham, which was not completely the case for United, albeit they were able to welcome back Luke Shaw on the left side of their defence.
With no Benjamin Sesko because of injury (again), Carrick was without his only pure No 9. His solution, once again, was to use Cunha as a false nine and ask Bruno Fernandes to play close to him. It was a box midfield, with Youri Tielemans and Kabbie Mainoo further back. Arbeloa got his wingers, Oscar Bobb and Iwobi, to come inside to good effect at times. The battle for control of the middle of the pitch pulsed, with Josh King a major part of the picture.
The Fulham No 10, who was “close” to an England call-up on Friday according to Thomas Tuchel, threatened when he drifted towards the right during a first half in which Fulham were the more urgent and creative team. King worked Senne Lammens in the 32nd minute after buying a yard of space from Shaw and it was not the only time that United felt their hearts skip.
Fulham had to be annoyed that they did not score before the interval. Twice, Gonzalo García fluffed his finish when well placed; on the second occasion, Berge extended Lammens on the second phase of the move. There was also the moment when Bobb spun into a seam of space on the edge of the area only to drag wide. King wanted a free-kick on the edge of the area in the 45th minute after running into Harry Maguire but he was looking for the contact and was correctly booked for diving.
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United hit the woodwork twice in the first half and had other flickers. They got into some good positions only to run into walls in the final third. Their passing was a little too intricate at times. Cunha did well to wriggle clear of Affengruber on the right and pull back for Fernandes who flicked against the far post. Cunha almost got lucky with a deflection on a shot from distance, the ball looping high and dropping down against the outside of the upright. Martínez forced Bernd Leno into a decent save early on. Marcus Rashford lifted a good chance high.
United tried to step higher after the restart; to bring a brisker tempo. They were laboured and the own goal was a gut punch for them. It started when Cunha failed to hold up the ball in a deep midfield position. He was out-muscled by Calvin Bassey, who simply wanted it more. The Fulham captain pushed on to the edge of the area and when he unloaded, United’s problems were about to deepen.
Lammens’s parry was unconvincing and Martínez, facing towards his goal, was horribly ponderous. He could not set his feet properly and merely jabbed the ball towards his own goal. Whereupon Lammens, perhaps wondering whether it was a back pass, tried to clear with his feet and failed. It was a colossal mess.
United could feel the red panic lights flashing. They fought to stabilise. Fulham conceded three goals in both of their opening home league fixtures under Arbeloa. They were more robust here. They sat back and compressed the spaces. Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha forced Leno into fine saves with curlers from distance but United lacked sophistication. It appeared to be heading in only one direction for them, especially when Kevin, on as a Fulham substitute, almost beat Lammens for 2-0. Cunha was the saviour. The fault-lines remain deep.
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