Fulham 1-1 Manchester United: Wicked deflection helps Red Devils to point

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick took umbrage with a post-game question about his side being “passive” early in the second half and going down 1-0 at Fulham.

"[Not having control] doesn’t mean you’re passive. Football’s a difficult game. We controlled a lot of the first half. We had a spell in the game — it’s the Premier League — where it doesn’t go your way. The goal was arguably come about with a foul on Matheus and two deflections go their way. To expect total dominance the whole game, I don’t think anyone gets that.”

Here are all of Carrick’s thoughts from that interview.

“We were so, so, so close and a little bit unlucky again but we knew it was going to be difficult against this big team. We saw what happened last week and what the referee has been doing.”

“All the fouls for them and you can see before they score, they foul against my guy who is 100 kilos. I knew after the game against Man City they wouldn’t let Manchester United lose here.”

“We were so, so, so close to our first victory that are upset right now.”

“We did a good game. Obviously no easy game for us but we saw again some personality with the ball. We were brave and we had some moments where we had to defend our goal but in general we were good.”

“Difficult match against a big, big team. For me they will be near the top of the league at the end of the season. We need to rest, keep working, and find out first victory.”

“You see our first five games. We have already played Man United, Chelsea, at Anfield, Sunderland away. What games for us from the beginning. We saw the team that we want to be, the character, ambition, and personality. If we play in that way the victories will come.”

Thoughts about the game: “So frustrating for us because I feel like in the beginning we put the ball in and created some chances. We didn’t score, unlucky, and they scored in like one action that’s hard to explain. A lot of luck. Then you come back and this is frustrating because I feel to be honest after we conceding the goal we played much better with a lot of enthusiasm and effort. It’s only one point. We try to never play for one point.”

What went wrong? “It’s hard to explain. I feel like after the first half we played well. It was how we planned to do it in the beginning of the second half. I feel like they put more into it than us and we cannot accept this.”

What has to change with the final ball? “I have to be honest today I don’t feel like it was about the final decision. I hit the post. Bruno hit the post. We had other chances. We need to create more and then it will come to us.”

How can a team take 24 shots to the opponents’ 12 and feel lucky to come away with a point?

Michael Carrick’s men improve to 1-2-2 on the season, while Fulham fall to 0-2-3.

Substitute Patrick Dorgu sends a square ball inside to Matheus Cunha, whose hopeful hit from outside the box takes a huge turn off the outstretched boot of Larsson and skips to the left of a wrong-footed Leno in the 89th minute.

United want a penalty as Bassey’s hand is raised in front of his chest when a ball is rifled toward goal at very close range.

No call is coming to bail the Red Deviils out, and they’ll have two minutes plus stoppage to salvage a point.

Joachim Andersen and Rodrigo Muniz bring veteran experience into the game for King and Garcia.

United remove Mainoo in favoer of Mason Mount.

Marcus Rashford is limping a bit as he exits the game for Joshua Zirkzee.

Fulham also make a change with Larsson coming into the match for Berge.

We’re into the 77th minute with Man United down one.

Was it going wide?

Cunha has Sander Berge all over him and still squeezes off a dangerous shot through traffic.

Leno gets low to his left and pushes it wide.

Oscar Bobb and Alex Iwobi exit in the 71st minute for Cesar Palacios and Kevin.

Iwobi has been quite good but Arbeloa clearly feels a second goal is there for the taking with fresh legs.

Fulham are deservedly ahead and this place is rocking.

Calvin Bassey wins the ball back ahead of Matheus Cunha and has a shot across goal.

Lammens spills the shot, which he should save easily, and the ball hits Lisandro Martinez and goes in as Lammens is trying to hack it clear with his feet. He probably should have gathered that with his hands. It wasn’t a back pass.

Anyway, Fulham are ahead and they deserve it. United can have no complaints.

If this withstands review, which it should at first glance, wow.

Calvin Bassey bulls his way to the ball through a weak Matheus Cunha

He then carries the ball into the 18 and thinks why not.

His hopeful left-footed shot is saved by Lammens onto Martinez, ricocheting back into the United goal.

Fulham are brave on the ball, bright in attack and are starting to take more risks.

That is leaving them a little more open on the counter but they’re going for the win.

Fair play to Alvaro Arbeloa’s side. They aren’t fazed by United’s big names.

Bobb, King, Garcia and Iwobi are buzzing around and pressing high in attack.

United have barely had the ball in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

These 45 minutes were more satisfying than a lot of nil-nil halves.

Fulham produced more danger than Man United, but the Red Devils arrived anxious to shoot the ball and have accounted for 16 of the game’s 25 attempts.

They’ve also more than doubled Fulham’s touches in the opposition box (23-10).

Sesko is a big absence but Shea Lacey could get a chance to affect this game and we may get a first glimpse at Carlos Baleba with the Red Devils.

Fulham don’t have a lot to change at this point but Emile Smith Rowe and Kevin both could give the Cottagers a different dimension.

It has been a brilliant first half in terms of entertainment and goalmouth action, but somehow it is 0-0 at the break.

Well, it’s mostly because Senne Lammens has been superb in goal for United and made a couple of brilliant saves.

Fulham have been impressive on the ball and in creating chances, with Alex Iwobi having so much of the ball and creating chaos. Josh King has gone close and looked sharp, while Gonzalo Garcia has snatched at a couple of good chances.

At the other end United have hit the post twice through Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha but it has been more sluggish on the ball and in the final third from United.

Fulham are creating so many chances and Senne Lammens is doing his best to keep it 0-0.

United’s Belgian goalkeeper has made three good saves in quick succession and he’s going to have to stay sharp to keep his first clean sheet of the season.

Lammens is a quiet character but had a brilliant debut campaign at United and recently I sat down to chat with him about his mentality, his career so far and how he stays so calm.

Hint: look out for two very important numbers on his gloves.

Fulham have found danger as they want to get into the open field not unlike their rivals.

King gets the ball on the right with a cushioned first touch. He cuts past Luke Shaw and forces Senne Lammens into a leg save that barely moves the ball wide of the far post.

0-0, 32'.

Matheus Cunha forces a mistake from the Fulham defense and he did really well to stay on his feet and pick out Bruno Fernandes.

His low shot beats Leno but hits the post. Fernandes should probably score but that was a tough chance from that angle.

Fulham are causing their own problems by being a little slow on the ball at the back. That is allowing United to press high and win it back in dangerous positions.

The home fans aren’t nervous here, but they’re maybe a bit apprehensive.

Matheus Cunha bulls his way around the right side, keeping his balance to cut back for Bruno Fernandes.

The captain is able to win a shot but it dinks the post and the Red Devils can’t sort the rebound.

0-0, 26'

Shea Charles arrived at Fulham from Southampton this summer for $40 million and it seems like that could be a bit of a bargain.

Charles, 22, is running the show in midfield and just linked up with four different Fulham players, starting in his own penalty box, and helped Fulham move the length of the field as Alex Iwobi crossed for Garcia but he couldn’t quite stretch to finish.

The Manchester City academy product is a silky, comfortable player on the ball and just showed how strong he is in the tackle and with his positioning in midfield. He can do it all.

What a bright future he has and Charles, alongside Bobb, King, Garcia and Palacios, are Fulham’s future.

He’s so quick and decisive, and the long speed is there, too.

Fulham took lumps last season because Marco Silva kept playing the talented youngster.

This year he looks like all those lessons will pay off for another manager.

Strolling around Craven Cottage before the game I noticed several Antonee Robinson jerseys among the Fulham faithful.

The left back has been here for over six years now and is so consistent and remains one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Cottagers.

He’s already created a great chance for Gonzalo Garcia at one end and is dealing with the threat of Bryan Mbeumo quite well early on at the other.

Robinson has been named in Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT squad for their upcoming friendlies in September and October.

Youri Tielemans chips a pass over the top of the Fulham defense to Bruno Fernandes, whose header goes off a defender to win a corner for Man United.

They can’t strike quickly off the set piece but keep the ball long enough to set up a ripped, in-bending shot by Lisandro Martinez.

Bernd Leno tips it over for another corner. Taken shot, it leads to an Mbeumo header over the goal.

0-0, 11'.

Antonee Robinson gets way up the pitch and has the ball on the left of the Man United 18.

He cuts the ball inside to Gonzalo Garcia, and the ex-Real Madrid forward lashes wide of the near post.

0-0, 5'.

Man United in all blue going right to left, while Fulham are in their traditional white tops with black shots and white socks.

The Fulham starting lineup is out, with the team unsurprisingly unchanged from the draw at Liverpool last weekend.

Alvaro Arbeloa has found the right balance with this team and it will be intriguing to see if they can press high and set the tempo from the start.

Fulham starting lineup

Leno; Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Bobb, King, Iwobi; Garcia

Harry Maguire’s back in the middle of the park with Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw returns to left back.

No real surprises here, though a bummer to see Benjamin Sesko is not available for the bench.

Carlos Baleba does make it amongst the subs and could make his Man Utd debut in the Premier League.

Starting XI
Lammens
Shaw
Martinez
Maguire
Dalot
Mainoo
Tielemans
Rashford
Fernandes
Mbeumo
Cunha

Subs: Darlow, Dorgu, Mazraoui, Yoro, Santos, Baleba, Mount, Lacey, Zirkzee

Stunning day here in west London.

The sun is shining, so much so that I’ve just had to slap on the sun screen!

You can smell the freshly cut grass you are so close to the pitch wherever you’re sat here at the Cottage.

Fluffy clouds are overhead with the blue sky dazzling. It is majestic. Add in being down by the River Thames, the green trees and lovely ornate brick buildings in the streets all around and this is something else.

Perfect day for a game. And this is a big one for both clubs. They are both desperate for a win heading into the international break.

Fulham and Manchester United meet at Craven Cottage and here’s how you can watch the action live on TV and stream it online.

How to watch Fulham vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 11:30am ET Sunday (September 20)
Venue: Craven Cottage — West London
TV Channel: NBC
Stream link: Watch online via NBC.com & Peacock

Well, to say this fixture is one-sided is a bit of an understatement.

Over the years Manchester United have won 59 of their 86 games against Fulham, losing just 16 times.

Most recently United have lost just once to Fulham in the league in their last 21 meetings in the competition.

United last lost at Craven Cottage in February 2009 and are unbeaten in their last 10 visits there, winning eight of those games and drawing twice.

Fulham vs Manchester United head-to-head record

Fulham wins: 16
Manchester United wins: 59
Draws: 21

This feels like a draw, which neither team will like.

Man United are in a tough place right now and are low on confidence and will look to keep it tight.

Fulham know that if they hang in the game they can make the most of United going for the win in the second half as gaps will open up.

But Arbeloa’s side have been brave so far and will likely force the issue early and press high. United could struggle to cope with that and whoever gets the first goal will be so important to the flow of this game.

Fulham 1-1 Manchester United.

Alvaro Arbeloa hasn’t tasted victory in his opening four games as a Premier League manager, but Fulham have played better than their points tally suggests so far this season.

They drew 0-0 at Liverpool last weekend to prove they can be solid and with bright young forwards Oscar Bobb, Josh King, Cesar Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia buzzing around, they can spring a shock against United. Would a Fulham win actually be much of a shock?

There is still a very solid and experienced defensive core in place at Fulham and Arbeloa, in his first year as a Premier League coach, is asking them to press high and be brave.

If Fulham can score early today the home fans at Craven Cottage will get right behind them and that will do wonders for the confidence of this young attack.

Arbeloa and Fulham should be judged in January and even though results haven’t been good so far, performances suggest they are more than good enough to stay clear of the relegation scrap this season.

Michael Carrick’s Manchester United have struggled badly at the start of the new season. He needs a win today at Fulham to calm everything down.

United have lost at Hull, drawn at Everton and last weekend they lost at home to Man City despite being up a player for the vast majority of that game.

The embarrassment of then being 2-0 up at home against Brighton in the League Cup in midweek only to lose 3-2 piled the pressure on.

United have looked sluggish in midfield, made big mistakes at the back and have been lackluster and predictable in attack despite their incredible talent at the top end of the pitch. Not a great combination.

Still, a win at Fulham would settle down some of the noise ahead of the long international break.

Carrick shouldn’t really be under pressure given the great job he did last season as United finish third and are back in the Champions League. But we all know how this works.

A defeat at Fulham and the alarm bells will go from blinking in the background to blaring loudly. That is the last thing Carrick will want with a three-week break coming up.