On Saturday, Fulham claimed their first win at Old Trafford since 2003 as well as their first against Manchester United in any competition since 2009.
The result ended the Red Devils’ unbeaten start to 2024, which saw them pick up four successive Premier League victories and five in all competitions, including the FA Cup.
Such results had opened up the prospect of closing the gap on the top four which, over Christmas, was all but written off following a dismal string of results.
United were five points away from fourth-placed Aston Villa heading into gameweek 26 and three points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, whose match last weekend was postponed due to the Carabao Cup final. Now, they’re eight points away from the Champions League places.
Their performance across the 90 minutes left a lot to be desired, with portions of the fanbase deeming it one of the side’s most lacklustre, uninspired showings of what’s been a problematic season so far.
Fulham’s match-winner shares game plan
Alex Iwobi became the travelling fans’ hero when he netted the winner in the seventh minute of injury time and post-match, shared the Cottagers’ game plan for their M16 trip.
“It was a tough game, we knew it was going to be a tough game,” he began, via the PL’s MatchDay Extra. “To break that record is a great feeling. We knew we had to be brave, trust in our ability and we’d be able to hurt them.
“We created so many opportunities and it’s about taking them. It was about staying composed. I gave the keeper [Andre Onana] the eyes, I could see where he was when I took my first touch. I slotted it near post and he didn’t see it coming.”
