In the English Premier League, Manchester United secured a 1-0 victory over Fulham, all thanks to the efforts of newcomer Joshua Zirkzee in the 87th minute. As the season started at Old Trafford, United’s struggle to gain an upper hand over Fulham was evident. Despite the absence of an anticipated thrilling gameplay, the win was still a great start for United.
Opportunities to score slipped away for United, especially noticeable considering they lacked a forward in the starting lineup. Joshua Zirkzee, a recently introduced player, quickly became the crowd’s favourite when he successfully netted a goal using an assist from Alejandro Garnacho, sealing the defeat for the visitors.
Out of all the fresh signings under Erik ten Hag, only Noussair Mazraoui, playing as a right-back, started the game. Diogo Dalot replaced Luke Shaw, who was unfit, on the left-back position. Newcomers Matthijs de Ligt and Zirkzee watched from the sidelines initially, before being introduced to the spectators along with the ruled-out Leny Yoro to lift their spirits. Fulham’s most expensive player, Emile Smith Rowe, got the opportunity to showcase his skills in a key role behind Rodrigo Muniz.
The refurbished tunnel at Old Trafford signalled the beginning of a new phase for United to the spectators. However, Ten Hag’s primary concern was to establish a clear team character beyond upgrades to physical infrastructure. This was significant due to the team’s frequent lack of an apparent strategy and sense of coherence in the past.
Avram Glazer and Lee Carsley, the acting England manager, were present in the directors’ box, curious to see whether United could recover from their worst Premier League performance. Despite the team’s last victory in the FA Cup, followed by two consecutive wins, the three-month hiatus seemed to disrupt their flow.
Early in the game, Amad Diallo, picked over Alejandro Garnacho for the right wing, showed promise, but was denied a foul, causing disappointment. Meanwhile, Fulham’s Kenny Tete advanced the length of the field and shot towards the net, forcing André Onana into a stunning save.
Smith Rowe enjoyed a flexible role during his first outing, given the liberty to move freely to gather the ball and disturb the formation between the rows. Adama Traoré posed a danger on the right with his quick footwork against Dalot, causing anxiety for United, particularly during the counter-attacks initiated by Fulham.
The atmosphere at Old Trafford was fraught with unease, unsurprising given the nine home losses last season. Fulham, however, made attempts to alleviate such pressure with their unfortunately sloppy ball handling at the rear, culminating in a direct handover by Bernd Leno to Casemiro only 25 yards from the goalpost. Following a failed attempt by Bruno Fernandes, stopped brilliantly by Leno, more of the same was to follow.
Despite an ambiance of regenerated hope, United struggled with rhythm but maintained control of the ball and succeeded in maintaining pressure on Fulham. A moment of simultaneous tragedy and comedy was added by Harry Maguire when he elected to fall in the box with Smith Rowe nearby. The centre-back voiced his objections to being booked, but it appears unlikely he’ll secure a spot at Rada anytime soon.
Marcus Rashford was a marginal player for a large portion of the initial half but eventually demonstrated his potential on the left, breaking free from Tete to enter the box, assisting Mount’s sweeping shot, though Leno was quick to mitigate risks. This injected energy onto the field and roused the spectators.
United began to find their groove as Kobbie Mainoo narrowly missed a chance from 20 yards out. Sensing the shift in momentum, Ten Hag sought to fortify his frontline, introducing Garnacho and Zirkzee at the 60-minute mark to pressurise a defence that had been persevering for quite some time.
Invoking a crowd favourite and newcomer was meant to boost morale for both spectators and team but nearly resulted in disaster when United failed to clear a cross. The ball soared high and Rodrigo Muniz opted for an overhead kick, which forced Onana to tip it over post deflection, complicating his goalkeeping duties.
Casemiro’s fatigue was increasing, making United progressively more vulnerable to counterattacks. Fulham was brought into advanced position by Traoré, then Tom Cairney, a substitute, established Andreas Pereira for a goal, but Lisandro Martinez deflected it out for a corner, maintaining the equilibrium. As the match progressed, United’s readiness was questioned by Ten Hag, perceiving a decrease in their stamina during the concluding moments. In an attempt to amend this, De Ligt was given the opportunity, with Jonny Evans re-engaged in the defensive line reconstruction, assisting in accomplishing a shutout. However, it was Zirzkee who caused widespread jubilation. – Guardian