Own Goal Drama Saves Fulham as Manchester United Draws in Crisis

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Fulham on Sunday afternoon, rescued in the nick of time by a deflected Matheus Cunha shot in the 89th minute. The Red Devils remain 12th in the Premier League with five points from five matches, their only victory coming against Ipswich (5-2) in the second round.

Fulham’s opening goal perfectly encapsulated Manchester United’s current difficulties. In the 63rd minute, Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens poorly parried a Calvin Bassey shot just in front of his line. Lisandro Martinez then attempted to clear towards his own goalkeeper, but Lammens failed to control the ball, which ended up in the net. A double own goal that illustrated the club’s current level of disorganization.

Lammens had already prevented worse on two occasions against the London attackers. Offensively, United was scarcely more inspired: Marcus Rashford multiplied attempts without conviction, and Bryan Mbeumo also failed to weigh sufficiently on the opposing defence. Bruno Fernandes and his teammates seemed resigned for long periods before Cunha, deployed as a centre-forward since the start of the season, unblocked his personal tally with a deflected shot that fooled Bernd Leno in the 89th.

Michael Carrick’s position on the bench is now raising questions. United will resume competition after the international break against Tottenham, currently bottom with two points, in what looks like a clash between two teams in crisis. A negative result against Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs could accelerate decisions at the top of the club hierarchy.