Manchester United had 29 attempts and 13 corners at Craven Cottage, and drew because of a deflection in the 89th minute
Fulham led through a Lisandro Martinez own goal and were into the closing minutes of a first win when Matheus Cunha’s shot clipped a leg and went in.
Sep 21, 2026
Matheus Cunha hit it from outside the box, David Affengruber stuck out a boot, and the ball skipped off it past a wrong-footed Bernd Leno. Eighty-ninth minute. Craven Cottage went quiet. Manchester United had their point.
That is the honest version of how United avoided a second straight league defeat on Sunday evening. Patrick Dorgu squared it, Cunha swung, and a deflection did the rest.
Neville had seen enough by the hour mark
Gary Neville was on Sky Sports co-commentary and did not bother dressing it up. “I’ve watched Man United since the age of five and that’s the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen,” he said of the start of the second half. “Absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen such a lack of effort. What must Carrick be thinking?”
He clarified afterwards what he meant by it. “I was purely referring to the fact that they walked around the pitch. I have never seen Manchester United walk as much as that.”
Inside that spell, United went behind.
An own goal nobody will want to watch back
Calvin Bassey got a shot away in the box on 63 minutes. Senne Lammens did not deal with it cleanly, the ball squirmed loose, and Lisandro Martínez turned it into his own net trying to sort the mess out. Fulham were 1-0 up at home to Manchester United.
They had chances to make it two. Leno made five saves at the other end and Fulham finished with six shots on target from twelve attempts, which is a better conversion of effort into danger than their visitors managed all afternoon.
Twenty-nine attempts, six on target
United had 57 per cent of the ball, thirteen corners to Fulham’s three, and twenty-nine attempts at goal. Six of them were on target. Bruno Fernandes hit a post in the first half, and half-time came and went at 0-0 with a lot of activity and nothing to show for it.
The expected-goals numbers came out at 1.59 to United and 1.57 to Fulham, which tells you how little all that territory was worth. Thirteen corners and one goal, and the goal that mattered came off a Fulham boot.
Twelfth and nineteenth
United sit twelfth with five points from five, one win, two draws, two defeats. Manchester City have won all five and are ten clear of them already. It is September, so nobody at Old Trafford needs to do anything drastic, but Michael Carrick has now gone three matches in all competitions without a win and a former captain spent Sunday evening on national television questioning his players’ effort.
Fulham are nineteenth on two points, still without a win under Álvaro Arbeloa, and they will feel this one more. Leading Manchester United at home with half an hour left and drawing because of a deflection is the kind of afternoon that shows up in April.