Cunha's deflected equaliser rescues United at Fulham but masks a glaring striker void

Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike earned Manchester United a draw at Craven Cottage on Saturday, preventing a third consecutive defeat, but the circumstances surrounding the goal laid bare a structural problem that has been building since the summer.

Cunha managed just three shots across the 90 minutes, all from outside the penalty area, accumulating a combined xG of only 0.05. Without a fortunate deflection, the Brazilian would have gone goalless. It was a performance that reflected his discomfort rather than any lack of effort — Cunha is not a centre-forward, and United are asking him to be one.

The numbers elsewhere told a similarly uncomfortable story. United fired 29 shots in total — 17 in the first half alone — yet Opta recorded just 1.06 xG from those first-half efforts, while Fulham, with nine shots, generated a superior 1.49 xG. United’s second-half xG improved slightly as the game tightened, but a combined 0.54 in that period remains a poor return for a side chasing the game.

The root cause is the absence of Benjamin Sesko. The striker did not travel to London after reporting pain in his shin, subsequently withdrawing from international duty with Slovenia. With Sesko unavailable, manager Michael Carrick turned to Cunha as the focal point of the attack — a role the forward rarely occupied last season, when he was most effective operating from the left.

Joshua Zirkzee has not been trusted to lead the line. Bryan Mbeumo, who did play as a centre-forward in pre-season, has been deployed on the right, while Amad remains sidelined. The options are thin, and they are thin by design.

What makes the situation harder to defend is that this is not the product of an injury crisis. One player — Sesko — is missing, and United have no adequate cover for him. The transfer window closed without the club adding a natural striker to the squad, a decision that is now being felt with every game Sesko sits out.

Heading into the international break, the draw at Fulham will be filed as a point salvaged. But the manner in which it was salvaged — a deflected effort from a miscast forward — offers little reassurance that the underlying problem has been addressed.