Cunha's deflected late strike rescues Manchester United from defeat at Craven Cottage

Matheus Cunha’s deflected late strike rescued Manchester United from a damaging defeat at Craven Cottage on Saturday, earning a 1-1 draw against Fulham that flattered a side still visibly struggling to construct coherent attacking football under Michael Carrick.

Lisandro Martinez had handed Fulham the lead with a calamitous own goal, reacting instinctively to an Alex Iwobi shot and helping the ball back towards goal, leaving goalkeeper Senne Lammens wrong-footed and unable to recover. It was the kind of hapless moment that has come to define United’s difficult start to the season.

Cunha’s equaliser arrived late and with a generous helping of fortune — a wicked deflection diverting his effort beyond Lammens — but it was enough to prevent what would have been a first Premier League win for Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham. The hosts at least climb off the foot of the table, leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the bottom position heading into a three-week international break.

For Carrick, the point may offer a brief psychological reprieve, but it does little to mask the structural problems that have been evident throughout United’s campaign. The team rarely constructs attacks that do not originate from set-piece situations, and the lack of fluency in open play was again on full display at Craven Cottage.

Carrick had adjusted his approach at half-time, recognising that Fulham’s aggressive, overcommitting style left space to exploit on the counter. The logic was sound — until Martinez’s own goal undermined it entirely. The manager may argue that moments like that simply happen in football, but the frequency with which misfortune has compounded United’s problems this season points to something deeper than bad luck.

The contrast with last season is stark. Twelve months ago, United carried a positive momentum and seemed to have the calendar itself on their side. Now, with the team looking tense and the performances unconvincing, Cunha’s deflection may delay the harder conversations rather than answer them.