Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Fulham: Cunha to the Rescue After ‘Worst’ Blip in 46 Years

Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike snatched a 1–1 draw for a desperate Manchester United at Craven Cottage on Sunday, after Lisandro Martínez’s own goal had put Fulham in the ascendancy.

The Red Devils will thus enter the international break with something to cling to, having suffered back-to-back defeats and exited the Carabao Cup midweek.

Michael Carrick will undoubtedly breathe a big sigh of relief, but Sunday’s showing against one of the Premier League’s early strugglers will only raise more alarm bells. United were involved in a watchable first half that somehow didn’t return a goal, but the dip in intensity after the restart was rather staggering.

Former Manchester United stalwart Gary Neville was particularly scathing on commentary, going as far as saying that the 15 minutes after halftime were the “worst” he’d ever seen his club play since he started watching the Red Devils as a 5-year-old in 1980.

Cunha’s late strike is unlikely to mean such criticism will drift into the abyss, but it could’ve been worse for the Red Devils.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Reintegration had initially led to a resurgence for Marcus Rashford at Manchester United, but the England international has lost momentum before the bumper international break.

Exuberance and threat had compensated for an absence of goal contributions at the start of the season, but Rashford had nowhere to hide at Craven Cottage. His lack of intensity and conviction in front of goal served as a microcosm of Man Utd’s performance in west London, with Rashford squandering an array of promising openings.

The Red Devils were sporadically fluent, outmaneuvering Fulham with some tidy, slick passing sequences when the speed of their play increased. Such moves often concluded with Rashford, and there was once a time when the 28-year-old would’ve relished the responsibility, likely finishing with aplomb.

But this iteration of the Englishman looks somewhat forlorn, shrinking when it matters most. Moreover, while Rashford has glimmered in spells across the first five weeks of the season, it seems as if his current presence is hindering United’s attacking harmony.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Fulham (4-2-3-1)

Kobbie Mainoo was assured in midfield. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—8.4: His work on the Fulham goal wasn’t great, but Lammens was superb in the first half.

RB: Diogo Dalot—7.3: A steady performance from Dalot, who rarely excels but is serviceable on the right side of Carrick’s defense.

CB: Harry Maguire—7.4: Man Utd pivoted to a familiar plot after falling behind, with Maguire needed as an attacking outlet. The defender produced a couple of crucial interventions when Fulham tried to break at 1–0.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—6.3: A box of chocolates performance. You didn’t quite know what you were going to get from Martínez, who tested Bernd Leno with a fierce drive early on and was, of course, the unfortunate protagonist in Fulham’s opening goal sequence.

LB: Luke Shaw—6.6: Shaw certainly aids United’s left-sided dynamics in possession, but the fullback wasn’t all that effective when he surged forward. Fulham also had success targeting him at the back post from crosses.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—7.2: One man who didn’t let his standards slip or intensity wane during Man Utd’s second-half dip was Mainoo, and Carrick’s decision to take the midfielder off for the final quarter of the match was certainly curious.

CM: Youri Tielemans—7.5: He was beaten a little too easily by the impressive Alex Iwobi at times, but Tielemans didn’t shirk his build-up responsibilities and was a useful connector further up the pitch.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—7.5: Mbeumo’s best work for the Red Devils has come as a center forward, so you wonder why Carrick is persisting with him out wide.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.8: Fernandes will wonder how he didn’t get on the scoresheet, kissing the post with a first-time effort in the opening period. The Portuguese was more effective as a box-crasher than a playmaker.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.8: Withdrawn holding his groin, having wasted a glut of first-half opportunities. Rashford was a net negative at Craven Cottage.

ST: Matheus Cunha—8.1: It hadn’t been working with Cunha operating as Man Utd’s leading man. The Brazilian rotated effectively at times, but much of his work felt superfluous. Atoned for his role in Fulham’s goal by equalizing late on.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (77’ for Rashford)—6.1: Helped United in transition once or twice, but not much else.

SUB: Mason Mount (80’ for Mainoo)—6.1: A late introduction meant Mount had minimal time to make a difference.

SUB: Patrick Dorgu (85’ for Shaw)—N/A

Subs not used: Karl Darlow (GK), Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, Shea Lacey.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Senne Lammens — Lammens starred in the first half. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Paul Scholes hinted after the Manchester Derby that the Red Devils will ultimately need to upgrade at the goalkeeper position if they’re to return to the promised land. The “jury’s still out” on Senne Lammens, he said. The Belgian doesn’t rank among the elites, but he ranks low down on United’s list of current issues. There was no clean sheet for Lammens here, and the goal sequence was rather bizarre, but United’s goalkeeper starred in the shot-fest of a first half, producing five saves and preventing 1.39 goals.
Man Utd sorely missed Benjamin Šeško. Not merely because Matheus Cunha suffered in west London before his deflected equalizer, but due to the Red Devils lacking an alternative solution after falling behind. Šeško has so often come up trumps off the bench, and Carrick could only pivot to the hapless Joshua Zirkzee here.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Rescue Act

There were 26 shots in the first half—the most without a goal since Opta’s records began in 2003–04.
The dynamic shifted in the second half, with both managers seeking to assert more control. The teams combined for 0.7 xG after the restart, having produced 2.47 in the opening period.
It was a hit-and-hope for Cunha at the death, with his equalizing effort notching just 0.02 xG. A wicked deflection forced his effort past Leno.

Statistic	Fulham	Man Utd
Possession	43%	57%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.57	1.59
Total Shots	12	29
Shots on Target	6	6
Big Chances	3	2
Pass Accuracy	88%	90%
Fouls Committed	9	5
Corners	3	13

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