Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham on Sunday evening courtesy of Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike.
Fulham narrowly shaded a lackluster first half but struggled to get the home faithful off their seats often. Those on the outside were subjected to their side’s lethargy in the third third as United failed to even test Bernd Leno before the interval.
The second half was slow-paced, but Martinez produced the defining moment for the Red Devils in the 78th minute as his deflected effort earned Ruben Amorim breathing space and lifted United to 12th in the Premier League League.
How the game unfolded
Neither team came out of the blocks at Craven Cottage, but that was it Fulham which forged the most promising openings during the early stages. Alex Iwobi twice called on Andre Onana in routine saves and Emile Smith Rowe was denied by Martinez’s final block united he surrendered possession in his half.
The traveling supporters voiced their frustrations at a lack of inspiration to attack the half-hour mark as Fulham’s defense smothered the likes of Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho with little trouble. Rasmus Hojlund managed just 17 touches in the first half, fewer than Onana, while United didn’t have their first attempt on goal until the 42nd minute.
Bruno Fernandes provided the United States’ first moment of invention after the restart as his free-kick slid under the Fulham wall and into the side-netting, with Amorim soon turning to his bench for wits . Joshua Zirkzee came into the box just before the hour mark hoping to produce another match-winner against the Cottagers who has scored a debut strike on the reverse.
The Dutchman certainly didn’t make an immediate impact for the United States, as they continued to make hard work of their trip to the capital. Adama Traore almost made it worse with 15 minutes to go as a substitute, but the Fulham substitute produced an encouraging opener over the crossbar.
It felt as if a moment of genius or stroke of luck decided a drab issue and it proved United’s savior in the 78th minute. Martinez’s long-range effort took a huge deflection off Fulham midfielder Sasa Lukic , before making it beyond Leno’s reach and to the top.
Fulham looked unlikely to produce an equaliser, but had the odd chance in the dying embers. Toby Collyer cleared Joachim Andersen’s header off the line before Rodrigo Muniz fired over the bar from close range. The Brazilian will have been frustrated for not having done better.
Amad thought he had wrapped up the win in stoppage time as he nestled into the bottom corner, but United had to settle for a one-goal win after VAR ruled out the striker’s strike for a margin off game
Check out Fulham vs Man Utd player ratings here.
Well, it wasn’t pretty, but United won’t care. The Red Devils were largely uninspiring as they picked up an important win over a lifeless Fulham side, with luck on their side as they picked up their second Premier League win of the New Year.
After their recent struggles, victory on Sunday will feel euphoric despite United still lacking cohesion and consistency, particularly in the final third. Amorim couldn’t produce a master plan that unlocked Fulham, but he will at least be proud of his side’s defensive efforts and ability to grind out the kind of result they haven’t produced for much of the season.
It’s a win that plays on the cracks rather than turning the corner, but it’s a vital three-pointer.
Having started the U.S.’s last two games on the bench, Amorim showed a vote of confidence in west London. Joining the starting XI to battle against both fit centre-halves, the Denmark International was hoping to end his ten-game drought.
However, the goals were not forthcoming for Hojlund, who produced a remarkably underwhelming display. He failed to create a single chance or take aim, managing just six accurate passes in his 58 minutes on the pitch.
United went direct at times and Hojlund was often the man on the receiving end of long vertical passes, but the striker gave possession away too easily. He lost nine of his 11 tackles as the ball often bounced off his brights and fell back to Fulham.
If this was an audition for a starting position in the future, you will not receive a callback.
Eyebrows may have been raised when Collyer was brought on to replace the injured Manuel Ugarte ahead of Kobbie Mainoo, who had to wait until later in the game to get on the pitch. The youngster has enjoyed an encouraging season but still lacks the experience and technical quality of his academic graduate.
However, while Collyer didn’t have too much to do as United pulled out the win, he made an absolutely pivotal contribution. With the clock ticking down and Fulham pressing towards a level, the 21-year-old was in the right place at the right time as he cleared Andersen’s effort off the line from a corner.
Collyer produced a clutch moment on a night of little drama, and was quickly rallied by team-mates after a stunning tackle. The match-winner was rightly praised for his match-winner after the whistle as he saved his side from a late display.
