Manchester United rescued a 1-1 draw against Fulham through Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser on Sunday, but the result increased the pressure on manager Michael Carrick after another lacklustre performance.
United desperately needed a victory at Craven Cottage but were forced to settle for a point after falling behind to a bizarre own goal from Lisandro Martinez.
Fulham took the lead in the second half when Martinez inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net after goalkeeper Senne Lammens had saved Calvin Bassey’s shot.
Cunha’s 89th-minute equaliser spared United a third consecutive defeat, but there was little for Carrick and his struggling side to celebrate.
United have now recorded just one win in their last five Premier League matches and trail leaders Manchester City by 10 points.
They have also lost three of their first seven games in all competitions this season, heading into the international break with Carrick under increasing scrutiny.
Carrick has insisted he is not concerned about his future at Old Trafford, but successive defeats by Manchester City and Brighton have intensified the pressure on his tenure.
United were beaten by City in last weekend’s derby and subsequently saw the refereeing body acknowledge that Erling Haaland’s winning goal should have been disallowed.
They then surrendered a 2-0 lead against Brighton in Wednesday’s League Cup third-round tie before eventually crashing out.
The draw against second-bottom Fulham extended a difficult start to the season for United, who had been expected to build on last season’s third-place finish.
United return to action on October 10 with a home fixture against bottom-of-the-table Tottenham, in a match that could provide another test for Carrick as he seeks to steady his side.
Early Fulham pressure
United were fortunate not to fall behind in the opening minutes when Fulham forward Gonzalo Garcia dragged his shot wide from a dangerous position.
The visitors responded when Bruno Fernandes picked out Martinez, whose powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area forced a fine save from Bernd Leno.
United came close again when Cunha cut the ball back to Fernandes, whose fierce strike hit the post.
Fulham continued to threaten, with Josh King forcing a good save from Lammens before the United goalkeeper denied Sander Berge with another smart stop.
Oscar Bobb then missed a golden opportunity to give Fulham the lead, shooting wide when well placed.
United’s defensive problems persisted as Fulham applied sustained pressure towards the end of the first half. Lammens had to make another save from King before rushing off his line to deny Alex Iwobi.
Fulham eventually broke the deadlock after Cunha lost possession deep inside United’s half.
Bassey collected the ball and unleashed a powerful effort that Lammens could only parry. Martinez attempted to clear the rebound but mistimed his intervention, sending the ball into his own net after it deflected off Lammens.
United pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with Leno denying Bryan Mbeumo’s curling effort before saving Cunha’s low drive.
The pressure finally paid off in the 89th minute when Cunha’s long-range effort took a significant deflection off David Affengruber and wrong-footed Leno.
The late goal earned United a point but did little to ease the pressure surrounding Carrick as the club entered the international break.
AFP
