Fulham are spared the ignominy of entering the international break in last place with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Our old friend Own Goal made its way onto the scoreline following some clumsy defending by Lisandro Martinez following a bolstering effort from Calvin Bassey, but a tricky closing thirty minutes that saw us take our best attackers off and switch to a back five left Fulham under heaps of pressure, realised when a shot flashed at goal by Matheus Cunha took a deflection off David Affengruber’s foot and curled into the net. Though it’s tempting to draw ire at the team losing a late lead, the sterling efforts of Bernd Leno kept us afloat throughout the game, and Arbeloa’s wait for a first win will take longer should we fail to address the creeping defensive shortcomings in the team.
First Half
Both sides started this game in uncomfortably low positions, with Arbeloa’s side left at the foot of the table following Coventry’s first league victory and Michael Carrick already feeling the heat after early results failed to capture the imagination. Perhaps with knowledge of the danger a poor result before the international break might pose, there was no initial rush to action. Much of the early game took a slower feel, the two teams enjoying spells of possession without really splitting the defences in front of them. An early Fulham move saw Bassey feed Robinson, sneaking past Dalot, who moved the ball down to Garcia, producing a shot that skittled along the ground and wide. For the visitors, Tielemans took a moment of space to whip a ball into the post, where Affengruber leapt well to block Fernandes’ header, and the resulting corner produced a couple of volleys for Martinez, the better of which needed a sprawling dive from Leno to save.
These attacks, amidst a flow of gentle play, started to whet the appetite of the two outfits. The green of the Cottage looked ripe for goals, and the confidence of King was high - with Rashford’s less-than-stellar backtracking, he attacked along United’s left channel, forcing Shaw and Martinez to cede set-pieces as they stopped him. On the left, a cool run from Charles saw him withstand a Tielemans challenge and feed Iwobi, who curled a ball around Dalot and the defence into the box - Garcia reached it first, but his left foot produced a wayward touch that flew away from the target.
Of course, our defending needed to be sharp as well. United’s pace was worrisome, and seeing their forwards move forward made us slink back to our box, leaving space further back for players to use the ball pragmatically. Robinson had a close call when he fumbled a challenge on Mbuemo, letting the winger steal into the box and lift a ball for Rashford - we were fortunate not to concede a penalty, or that Rashford smacked his header off-target. Robinson’s wobbles helped them forge creative license on the right; a Dalot effort cutting onto his left fizzed narrowly wide of the post, and shortly afterwards Mbuemo slipped Cunha into the box behind the charging left-back, the Brazilian taking the ball around a slipping Affengruber and cutting it back for Fernandes, whose shot spun onto the post before being cleared by the ever-alert Bassey.
Hitting the woodwork seemed to spur Fulham into a bit of life, and we had a flurry of chances in response. Our centre-backs were composed on the ball and continually found Fulham men in the right places - a Bassey pass to Iwobi, enjoying himself on the left, let him cross the ball over the defence to the aforementioned vulnerable United-left, where a well-timed King run let him control a bouncing ball for a first-time shot; Lammens was solid with his stop. The Nigeria international glided forward again, Robinson overlapping to lift the ball to Garcia - another hideous miskick denied the keeper being called into action until Berge’s follow-up effort was stopped, and a similar connection along the Fulham left gave Bobb the ball in front a dawdling Maguire, but again the shot was steered wide.
United came forward, the adrenaline of watching Fulham kick into gear kicking in, and Rashford’s work on the ball drew players away from Cunha, who blasted a shot at goal - it looped up off Berge and required another acrobatic dive from Leno to push away from goal. But the corner, well-defended by a Castagne header before Shaw and Mainoo had impulsive long-shots blocked, produced a Fulham counter - Bobb leading the charge as we entered United’s half, moving it wide to the ever-creative Iwobi, who shifted play to the undetected King again, wriggling away from Shaw in the box with a great touch before drilling the ball along the ground towards the far-post. Lammens used his feet well to push the ball from danger.
It was end-to-end football - more bustle from Fernandes, eager to make the headlines, saw another blocked shot ricochet to Rashford, who played a delayed pass to Tielemans running into the box, watching on as the Belgian sliced a tame effort into Leno. He would rue his own wasted opportunity moments later - Dalot stepped up the ante with a move around Charles, surging forward and moving the ball centrally to Fernandes. Ever-alert, a single touch moved the ball leftwards to Rashford, free of Castagne and in range of goal, but his attempt to curl the ball around Leno travelled straight into the keeper’s arms again. Indeed, wastefulness was the theme of the hour as the half ended - Lammens was again on-point to smother Iwobi’s run into the box, his run through the backline architected by smart work from Garcia, and Rashford spurned yet another opportunity as a combination from Fernandes and Cunha unlocked Robinson to cross the ball to him, only to sail over the bar again.
Second Half
No goals and no changes to start the second half, only a yellow card for Josh King, earnt for making the most of an arm from Maguire at the end of the first, marked as a concrete alteration to the state of play. Much in the opening 45, the prettiness of the possession was betrayed by a lack of ruthless bite, all the pieces content to warm up the gears in the evening sun. Castagne joined King in the book for hauling Rashford down as he attempted to burst into an open Fulham half on the counter - the right-back was perhaps in fear of the forward’s pace, as a few minutes later a breakaway saw United reach the box, only the softness of the pass to Mbuemo letting Robinson read the play well and cut out the attack.
The half might well have started at the 60 minute mark for all the excitement in the game, but it was Arbeloa’s men that decided to seize the initiative and put the pressure onto the visitors. A loose header from Martinez let Berge capitalise on the languid movement of United’s midfielders, storming forward and moving the ball left to Iwobi, who registered the first shot of the half with a low effort deflected wide for a corner. With United camped in their own half, Iwobi moved deeper, playing a diagonal ball to the effervescent King, his dangerous run into the box producing a central pass that Maguire needed to deal with. But so many bodies in one space is dangerous to play your way out of, and a couple of risky passes from Fernandes and Mainoo proved fatal. Enter Calvin Bassey, a wall of muscle, to brush Cunha off the ball with ease. He strode forward menacingly, reaching the edge of the box before drilling a low shot at goal. Lammens’ save was less assured than previous efforts, the ball deflecting awkwardly off his legs, and the dopey footwork of Martinez saw the ball bounce off him and into the net.
An own goal to open the scoring was a treat for Fulham, who whilst better than United hadn’t played particularly scintillating football to suggest a peerless position. Indeed, our opponents wasted no time in search of a response, flying down the wings to try and crack open our defence. Charles was attuned to the situation to stop Rashford and Shaw’s combination finding a man in the box, and from the corner a short routine from Fernandes and Rashford let Mbuemo whip a shot towards the far post, Leno diving superbly to get a hand to it and steer it wide. The second and third corners it produced weren’t as dangerous, nor were the multiple crosses flung into the box by a seemingly omnipresent Bruno Fernandes, but the danger was clear and present for Arbeloa’s men.
Frustratingly, as many managers seem to do, Alvaro’s choice was to withdraw Iwobi, arguably our most dangerous creator on the ball so far. He and Bobb departed for Palacios and Kevin, intended to offer more energy around the pitch and pace on the counter - it only seemed to weaken what little grip we had on the game further, perhaps encapsulated by Rashford putting Kevin into the sidelines and moving into a dangerous spot within minutes of the Brazilian arriving. Indeed, it wasn’t long until Cunha was taking his own effort from the left, moving away from Berge and curling a shot towards the far corner, Leno again needed to push the ball out with a low dive.
In probably the last real opportunity Fulham had, some delightful passes from King and Palacios let Kevin accelerate and work himself down an exposed United left, cutting onto his own left foot and blasting a shot at goal that Lammens needed to push away. With United’s responding counter culminating in a weak Mbuemo effort through a sea of players, and Larsson arriving for Berge moments earlier, it might have been the time for Fulham to consolidate, holding the ball to keep United from building momentum. Instead, our other key performer, Josh King, departed with Garcia for Andersen and Muniz, moving us into a back-five and firmly planting the ball in United’s court. With Rashford withdrawn for Zirkzee, Mount introduced for Mainoo and Shaw swapped for Dorgu, our opponents suddenly had a wealth of players in our box for the pace of Dorgu and Fernandes all-seeing eye to try and find, without much opposition.
You can see the thought process, at least - with Affengruber and Bassey meeting each cross with a strong head, and Charles sweeping up many of the loose balls, it looked as though we might stay afloat to keep United beaten until the final whistle. Shots directly at goal had dried up, the space in the box limited, and as the game ticked towards the 90-minute mark the nerviest moment was from a corner, Leno flapping at a Fernandes cross and Maguire thumping the ball into Bassey’s arm. VAR didn’t gift United an equaliser, and Robinson’s relentless speed on the counter won Fulham time on the ball and a free kick from Cunha, a chance to try and eat away time in the game.
But Palacios’ kick was dire, giving United possession back in an instant, and with the ball swiftly moved back into our territory, the pressure told. Martinez sprayed a pass to Dorgu, who had the speed to find Cunha teeming for the ball. He made an angle against Kevin and fired a shot goalwards, too quick to be stopped by our wall of defenders, and Affengruber’s attempted block was a fraction too late, diverting the path of the ball further from Leno’s initial dive and into the corner of the net. Suddenly the character of the game changed - it was 1-1, and we were clinging onto a point. Dorgu had given Castagne kittens late into the game, and his crosses produced blocked shots and a flurry of late corners, the last of which almost won the game for the visitors. With everyone forward, a short routine was headed away timidly, Martinez collecting the ball on the edge of the box… he took a touch to create the shooting angle and struck at goal, only denied by the game-saving senses of Shea Charles, running across to block the resulting shot. It was enough for a point, and the drama ebbed to give both sides something from the game.
Leno leads the way
We’ve criticised Bernd Leno a lot in recent months, and not without reason, but the keeper certainly did enough to justify his starting place today. Outstanding reflexes and solid hands kept us in this game, denying numerous frightening attempts from around the box today, and he offered another reminder of why we’ve had so many consecutive seasons in the Premier League without serious concern. He has better centre-backs in front of him with Bassey and Affengruber, and it took misfortune from the latter’s deflection to take a clean sheet away from him today. On that topic, the pair were resolute for much of the match, limiting the chances United were able to create in the actual box and responsible for multiple progressive passes when on the ball. Bassey, of course, created the goal itself!
However, the defending around it was faulty, and once again an early advantage against Man United was squandered. You wonder whether it is a mentality issue, the inability to see out a leading position against this team, and when you look at the changes Arbeloa made it definitely contributes to the problem. Bringing Andersen, a player in a run of seriously poor form, into the action just to block shots and make clearances for 10-ish minutes, doesn’t inspire the confidence you need if you want slender results, let alone against a team with United’s record over us. Equally, there were nervy outings from several figures around the pitch - Robinson made far too many mistakes against a not-even-that-good-today Mbuemo and Castagne frequently had no idea who was operating along his flank. Whilst I like the Berge-Charles partnership and think the latter in particular looks a mainstay for this team, there were far too many efforts in which United players had the opportunity to eye up Leno, and in the portrait of the whole game it isn’t too surprising the goal eventually came.
In attack, it’s also a multi-faceted situation. Iwobi is relishing life on the left, with more freedom to drift around the attack and budding chemistry with his teammates, and created a wealth of opportunities for Fulham this afternoon. His versatility and composure on the ball should never be overrated, and is something more around the team could do with learning from. King also continues to shine, frequently the man taking the game up a gear with his attacking runs, and though a yellow card stains his outing his work-rate continues to build the pressure that leads to Fulham goals. The team worked hard across the game, and the work-rate seems to have improved following a sundry end to the previous season.
On the contrary, I thought Bobb was a little quieter than we might have liked on a left wing that really didn’t have the best protection. Garcia needed to do far more than what he produced with his spat of risible touches in the box - you need to be sharper than what he showed in this match, and one has to imagine he’ll work on his clinicality over the international break. The substitutes didn’t really get a chance to do much in attack, and it feels a little cruel to focus on them given this fact, though it would be nice to see them do more with the ball when they get it - Kevin, Palacios and Muniz have talent, but when applied with the abandon they did today it can’t be the game-managing shift we need entering the critical stages of the game. Draws aren’t turned into wins without it.
How is life at Old Trafford? From how Carrick is being written about, the axe isn’t far from his neck, and with 5 points from 5 games and an early cup exit there is some grounds for criticism about his team. Whilst Leno was responsible for keeping us ahead for much of the game, it’s also true that United have multiple talented shot-takers that wouldn’t be averse to testing the keeper from distance anyway - it isn’t exactly much of a plan to rely on it for goals, and the actual work in the box left a lot to be desired.
I like Rashford, but he wasn’t at his best today, unable to connect his pace to a lethal blow throughout the match and failing to capitalise on Castagne’s loose positioning. Mbuemo was similar, though had a worse-performing Robinson to go up against which masked the deficiencies in his outing. Cunha couldn’t take a strike in the box, but had a lot more success when operating in the wider areas, and similarly Bruno the deeper free-roaming creator was a better man than Bruno the chance-taker. Does it signal a lack of confidence in front of goal, an ability to consistently generate the danger needed to unpiece a defence and find the winning strike? Watching Mainoo and Tielemans, two talented midfielders, trundle around the park waiting for the action to happen suggests a lethargy is dogging the club in the opening weeks of the season.
Dorgu certainly helped liven things up when he arrived, and chasing the game against a retreating Fulham was always going to get the team playing better football, but it will hardly improve the mood of the Red Devils if their best efforts go into scraping late equalisers against 19th placed (!) Fulham. They have many of the right parts in the team, and I thought Lammens is a touch unfortunate Leno’s heroics will distract from his own fantastic efforts in goal, but the squad need to shake off the pre-season cobwebs and wake up to the energy of the league right now. Every team will have errors like Martinez’s cost them over a season - if you lack the dynamism, composure and energy to recover from it, the results won’t be much more effusive than this one.
Nevertheless, it is Fulham dropping points as much as Manchester United, and 19th is a rather ugly place to sit going into an international break. Our upcoming fixtures are both blessing and curse - three games against three newly-promoted sides might be a slew of points to “correct” our ranking from the early steps of the season, or a cold reality check for a Fulham side still yet to find a win in the domestic campaign. As ever, I choose optimism, and believe the club can build on the positives from across the first weeks of the campaign, but it will take a lot of work from Arbeloa and the team to find the right steps to do so. Perhaps the break is the perfect opportunity to do this.
We'll be fine. Clear signs of genuinely positive progress over the past few games. The Grub and Bassey are immense
Baz: I so want Arbeloa to succeed. I just wish he was learning on the job somewhere else. We have gone from reckless attack to packing our defence early. Got away with it at Liverpool, didn’t today. Palacios on instead of Sess? Silly. Muniz on? Fine. To invite United onto us with a back five? Naive. Two points from 15 is ghastly. Anything less than seven points from the next three games against the promoted sides and the Arbeloa experiment should be over. The Khans should be sounding out Eddie Howe or Thomas Frank now.