Manchester United’s purple patch has come to an end. Ultimately, the four-game winning streak they were on must be branded as just that.
It looked like Erik ten Hag’s men had turned a corner but despite winning each of the last four Premier League games, they were hardly wildly convincing victories.
The win at Luton Town last weekend could easily have been the game that ended United’s winning run but instead, the comedown came at Old Trafford.
Calvin Bassey’s second-half opener was deserved for Fulham, with the London side outperforming the Reds for almost the entirety of the game.
United did, however, manage to equalise through Harry Maguire before Fulham scored the winner in stoppage time when the hosts were desperately searching for a winner. Speaking after the game, the manager delivered his post-match verdict.
“It was a throw-in [for Fulham] in the corner, we had them under pressure and we have one player in the wrong position,” he said according to the BBC.
“As a team we should manage that and make sure everyone is in the right position. We let them escape and it is avoidable.
“The team showed big character to fight back, we deserved the equaliser and went for the win – we showed big personality and character. It was that mistake. Before that we went for the win and we should have taken our opportunities.
“We struggled with their influence and their impact on our left side. But we reacted well and how to deal with it, how to step up from the back and once we had that we got more from the game and took control to create the chances.”
United will be without Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund for three months and three weeks respectively, putting added pressure on Ten Hag’s weak squad depth to get the side through the final stretch of the season.
United are now also sweating on the fitness of Casemiro, who was withdrawn from the game with what looked to be a serious injury in the second half.
Lisandro Martinez will also miss the bulk of the remaining games and there is no update on the returns of Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial.
We “struggled” with…..Fulham. Wow. Just wow.
ETH always knows what went wrong, what ‘should’ have happened, but can’t seem to put anything in place to prevent these constant errors. True, there’s big names out injured, but that should mean a focussed, determined Team. Far too often they trot out looking like they’re expecting to lose.