Manchester United won a 1-0 victory over Fulham in Craven Cottage.
Lisandro Martinez’s deviated strike turned out to be decisive in a match where the opportunities were rare.
The first half was far from an attacking show, neither of the two teams having managed to impose its authority on the match.
Fulham started brilliantly, Alex Iwobi causing problems on the left side. The Nigerian winger tested Andre Onana twice but failed to really disturb the United goalkeeper.
The best chance of Fulham of half-time returned to Emile Smith Rowe, who found himself head-on with Onana but failed to reach the target, raising his effortless effort.
United, meanwhile, had trouble entering the match. Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes showed creativity, but visitors have only managed one shot in the first 45 minutes-their lowest total half-time in a first League match since April 2024.
It’s three points on the way for the Reds 🔴👊#MUFC || #Fulmun
–Manchester United (@manutd) January 26, 2025
The second half started in the same tone, the two teams having trouble creating significant opportunities.
Fulham introduced Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré to try to inject energy into their attack, while United has made several changes, including the introduction of Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee. However, clear opportunities remained elusive and the match seemed to be doomed.
The breakthrough finally took place in the 78th minute, and it was a time of luck for visitors. Garnacho’s withdrawal from the left found Toby Collyer, who failed to shoot.
The ball ricoche on Martinez, who struck from outside the surface. His ambitious effort has strongly deviated Sasa Lukic, passing over Bernd Leno and in the most distant corner. Craven Cottage was stunned and United took the advantage.
Fulham launched everything on United in the last moments. Timothy Castagne and Muniz both got closer, munizing a gold opportunity at close range even in the stoppage.
A chaotic sequence saw the corner of Andreas Pereira triggered by Joachim Andersen, only for Collyer to release the line. Fulham asked for a goal, but the reruns confirmed that the ball had not crossed.
United thought it had added a second in the last moments when Mainoo and Amad Diallo combined wonderfully, the latter firing at home. However, Var intervened, excluding the goal for offside, leaving Fulham with weak hope.
Despite Fulham’s late pressure, United held out to win three essential points.
