Carrick booed as United salvage late draw at Fulham to stay winless in five

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick endured a difficult afternoon at Craven Cottage on Sunday as his side stumbled to a 1-1 Premier League draw with Fulham, leaving them with just five points from their opening five matches of the season.

Fulham broke the deadlock just after the hour mark when Lisandro Martinez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, threatening to hand United a third consecutive defeat. The Reds were spared when Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike deceived goalkeeper Bernd Leno to nestle into the bottom corner and earn a share of the spoils against Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.

The point did little to ease the tension between Carrick and the travelling support. The United manager was booed when he chose to substitute Kobbie Mainoo while his side were still chasing an equaliser — a decision that drew audible displeasure from the away end. The squad had also been jeered off the pitch in midweek following a collapse against Brighton.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Carrick acknowledged supporter frustration while urging patience. “It’s still a big season ahead, to be fair. It’s a long season, you’re going to have spells through a season. That’s part of the journey,” he said. “Of course, I’m not playing it down — we wanted more points from it. I understand the frustration, because we wanted to be better.”

Carrick was keen to stress that morale inside the camp remains intact despite the poor run of form. “Deflation is certainly not what we have within the club and within the group,” he added. “The players didn’t have that on the pitch today and that’s what will carry us through the season, without doubt.”

United’s early-season record is compounded by an exit from the Carabao Cup, though the club did open their Champions League campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah FK. They now face a three-week break before returning to Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur.