Manchester United relieved some of the pressure they have been under recently as captain Bruno Fernandes scored in the 90th minute for a 1-0 victory against Fulham in the early Premier League game on Saturday.
The game was heading towards a lackluster draw when Fernandes took advantage of a loose ball on the edge of the area and fired a low shot inside the post.
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United’s poor start to the season, with successive 3-0 home defeats, had increased the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, and the victory at Craven Cottage somewhat alleviated that pressure.
However, despite the win, there are still doubts about United’s direction under ten Hag, as they once again displayed a shapeless performance.
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United’s third consecutive narrow away win in the league moved them up to sixth place with 18 points from 11 games, ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Fulham, who were unlucky to be denied by great saves from André Onana in the second half, are currently in 14th place with 12 points.
Fernandes has faced criticism in recent weeks, with former Manchester United title winners Gary Neville and Roy Keane suggesting that he should be stripped of the captaincy due to some petulant performances.
However, he responded with a vital goal when his team needed it most, taking advantage of Fulham’s failure to clear the ball with a skillful control and shot past Bernd Leno.
“Everyone knows the situation is not the best, we lost the last two games and it wasn’t the performances we wanted to give or the results, but today it was a different game,” said the Portugal international.
“We had to offer something different, and we delivered. It boosts confidence, but we have to realize that we can still do more and that we need to get results every time we play.”
Fulham have now lost their last four games against United, including three times last season.
“It’s really difficult for us to take, it’s the same old story,” said manager Marco Silva.
“Overall, we were the better team. But we lost control of our emotions and made three mistakes in 10 seconds, and we were punished for that.”
The only notable event in the uneventful first half was Scott McTominay’s disallowed goal for United after seven minutes.
Alejandro Garnacho played a ball across the area from Christian Eriksen’s free kick, and McTominay arrived to put the ball into the net. However, after a lengthy VAR check, referee John Brooks ruled it out because Harry Maguire, who was initially offside, had interfered with play.
That was the extent of United’s attacking threat, with Fernandes’ tame effort easily saved by Bernd Leno.
Willian was Fulham’s brightest player, with an early shot blocked and some dangerous crosses into the area, while goalkeeper Onana made a save from Harry Wilson.
The game didn’t improve much in the early stages of the second half, but it suddenly became more exciting when Onana made two superb saves in a frantic minute.
First, he parried away a powerful swerving shot from Wilson, and then he reacted well to keep out João Palhinha’s effort. Rodrigo Muniz then missed a chance with a header as United’s defense struggled.
A goalless draw would have done little to lift the gloom around United, but Fernandes at least gave the visiting fans something to cheer about with his timely intervention.
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