Matheus Cunha’s 89th‑minute, deflected strike rescued a point for Manchester United as the visitors held Fulham to a 1-1 draw, easing what had looked like a deepening crisis for Michael Carrick’s side ahead of the international break. The match had taken a dramatic turn earlier when Lisandro Martínez inadvertently scored an own‑goal for United with just 23 minutes remaining, intensifying the pressure on the Red Devils after a disappointing Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton and a loss in the Manchester derby the previous weekend. United’s fortunes were revived by a clever flick from David Affengruber that set up the crucial moment. Despite the drama, the club remains entrenched in the lower half of the Premier League table after five games, sitting 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and appearing far from the level required to compete with the country’s elite this season.
This start matches the club’s joint‑worst Premier League opening, as they have accumulated only five points – a tally previously recorded in the 2014‑15 campaign. Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville described the own‑goal as "a real mess". The sequence began with Fulham centre‑back Calvin Bassey challenging Cunha, whose powerful shot was parried by Fulham keeper Senne Lammens. Martínez then stuck out a boot, diverting the ball back past Lammens for the unlucky United own‑goal.
Lammens’ clumsy attempt to clear the ball epitomised United’s chaotic defensive display throughout the match. Neville also criticised United’s possession before the opening goal, calling the 15‑minute spell "the worst 15 minutes I have ever seen Manchester United play".
The narrative could have shifted dramatically if Bruno Fernandes had found the net rather than clanging his effort against the post from Cunha’s inviting cut‑back in the first half, or if Cunha’s heavily deflected shot had found the back of the net instead of rattling the woodwork. Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno made several full‑stretch saves, keeping his side in the game. In the end, the Fulham keeper could not prevent the leveller. Cunha’s deflected effort slipped past Leno in the dying moments, leaving United’s interim manager Álvaro Arbeloa without his first Premier League victory.
Despite the disappointment, Arbeloa can take some solace from the performance, especially after United’s recent draw at Anfield, which lifted them off the bottom of the table on goal difference. For United, the accumulation of sub‑par displays will set off alarm bells in Manchester.
While a point was salvaged at Craven Cottage, the squad must use the upcoming three‑week international break to overhaul their approach, regain confidence, and align with the ambitions set out at the start of the campaign. Cunha spoke to Sky Sports after the match, expressing his frustration: "It is so frustrating for us. In the beginning, we put the plan in and created some chances. We didn't score and then they scored in one action.
It is hard to explain. After the goal, we played much better and showed a lot of character. It needs to be from the start.
It is only one point but we should never play for one point. They put in more energy than us, we cannot accept this. We need to do our best and improve in every single position. It is only the beginning.
Last season was the same, with noise around, but we finished third." Manager Michael Carrick also addressed the media, saying: "I thought we should've won the game, we created enough to win the game. We had a lot of good play and the goal we did concede, it is one of those goals.
I really liked the reaction and how we finished the game. It would have been easy for it to go in another direction. We nearly won it at the end. We came to get the win; of course we did, but the way we finished the game is the positive we take from it.
Their goalkeeper, the saves he has made, he was player of the match and we hit the post twice. A lot of it was good.
There are things to take from it, for sure." Fulham boss Álvaro Arbeloa, speaking to Sky Sports, admitted his side felt unlucky: "We were so close. So, so close. We were a little bit unlucky again.
We knew it would be difficult against this big team. Also we knew what happened last week.
We have seen what the referees have been doing in all the matches so it was a difficult game. And we were unlucky.
All fouls for them. You can see before they scored, the foul against Maguire, it's a guy who is 100 kilos. Every decision was for them and I knew after the game against Man City that they would not let Manchester United lose here. We deserved a little bit more." Later in his press conference, Arbeloa softened his remarks but maintained that he was "not really happy" with the outcome.
He explained his limited English might have caused misunderstandings and chose to focus on his team's performance rather than the officials: "My English is not so good. Maybe I explain myself so bad and I prefer not to say anything about the referees because you never know.
When you say something that you don't have to say, it's better to stay calm, focus on the performance of my team and focus on the next game. I'm not really happy.
Like I said, I need to be focused and put my energy in all the things that I have to improve. [Maguire] is a very big guy and maybe it wasn't a foul. But it's ok.
Like I said, I prefer to analyse the game - players, systems and it's the best for win. You know when you draw a game like that, maybe you're a little bit frustrated." Key moments of the match included: - 10': A spectacular save by Martínez from just outside the Fulham box, directed toward the top corner, was denied by Leno’s outstretched dive. - 25': Cunha maneuvered around Affengruber and delivered a cut‑back, but Fernandes’ shot struck the far post.
- 28': Lammens saved a close‑range volley from Josh King after a cross from Alex Iwobi. - 31': Gonzalo Garcia missed a volley, Sander Berge’s follow‑up was saved by Lammens, and Oscar Bobb’s effort went wide. - 31': A massive deflection saw Cunha’s shot loop over Leno, hit the far post, and rebound for a corner.
- 32': Lammens made another crucial stop, stretching a leg to block King’s strike. - 63': Own goal – after a sluggish start to the second half, Bassey overpowered Cunha, his shot was parried by Lammens and then bundled back past him by Martínez.
- 67': Leno stretched to deny Bryan Mbeumo’s curling effort. - 74': Leno again at full stretch saved another attempt from Cunha. - 86': United appealed for a penalty after a possible handball by Bassey when Martínez turned the ball against him, but the referee ruled no foul. - 89': Cunha’s deflected strike secured the last‑minute equaliser.
The draw leaves United still searching for their first Premier League win under Carrick, but the performance offers a glimmer of hope. If the team can translate the resilience shown in the final minutes into consistent, proactive play throughout entire matches, they may yet reverse their fortunes during the forthcoming break and return with the momentum needed to challenge for higher positions in the league.