Manchester United’s winning run came to an end against Fulham on Saturday. Alex Iwobi found the back of the net in stoppage time just minutes after Harry Maguire’s equaliser. It came as a blow but one Erik ten Hag’s side warranted based on performance.
It never looked like United got out of the traps at Old Trafford this afternoon. Ten Hag was missing key personnel, which has been the case for much of the season, hence why a lot of the performances have been bog standard.
The match was goalless at half-time, although both teams hit the woodwork.
Fulham opened the scoring after 65 minutes thanks to a powerful Calvin Bassey shot that left Andre Onana with no chance. They had chances to extend their lead and Maguire made it 1-1, but there was still time for Iwobi to deliver his late winner.
United’s Hojlund-less plan doesn’t look pretty
United are without too many key players right now, but the absence of Rasmus Hojlund was evident against Fulham.
With no presence in the final third to hold the ball up, United struggled throughout the game to make any clear cut chances. And we didn’t have a focal point up front ready to take advanced of goalscoring opportunities because Marcus Rashford was invisible (again).
This is a problem that Ten Hag needs to address prior to our midweek FA Cup fifth round tie against Nottingham Forest.
Casemiro miles off the pace
There was a point this season, with Casemiro out injured, that many fans felt we were missing the Brazilian. I’m not saying that wasn’t the case but his performances have been below par and today was another example of that. United left too many gaps for Fulham to exploit and it looks like Casemiro is miles off the pace.
Poor performances catch up with Reds
United have been on an impressive run lately – winning their last five Premier League matches before today’s 2-1 defeat – but our performances haven’t been great. Take last week’s 2-1 win over Luton Town as an example. Ten Hag’s side got the perfect start but began to fade after a promising first 15 minutes.
Fulham deserved to take three points from Old Trafford and our next league meeting is away at Man City. Lose next weekend and we will be slipping back away from the top four race.
It was a performance that should concern Ten Hag. The unbeaten run of 2024 is over.
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