Cunha’s 89th-Minute Goal Earns Manchester United Draw at Fulham
Manchester United salvaged a 1-1 draw at Fulham through Matheus Cunha’s deflected 89th-minute strike, avoiding a third defeat in a bruising week but remaining 12th before the international break.
Quick facts
- Fulham led in the 63rd minute after Lisandro Martinez was credited with an own goal.
- Cunha’s late shot deflected past Bernd Leno to earn United a point.
- United have five points from five Premier League matches, equalling their poorest start to a campaign since 2014-15.
- Fulham stay 19th on two points, above Tottenham only on goal difference.
Michael Carrick’s side arrived at Craven Cottage under pressure after the Manchester derby loss and a League Cup collapse against Brighton, when they let a two-goal advantage disappear. They started brightly, but Leno repeatedly denied them.
Lisandro Martinez drove a fierce effort towards the top corner from outside the area, only for the Fulham goalkeeper to tip it away. Soon afterwards, Cunha beat David Affengruber and pulled the ball back for Bruno Fernandes, whose finish struck the far post.
United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, filling in between the posts, also had a demanding first half. He stopped Josh King’s volley from Alex Iwobi’s cross, then blocked another King effort with his leg.
Lammens reacted again after Gonzalo Garcia’s mishit volley fell for Sander Berge, while Oscar Bobb sent a presentable Fulham opening wide.
The breakthrough came during a scrappy spell 18 minutes after the restart. Calvin Bassey muscled Cunha off the ball and hit a low shot which Lammens parried, but the rebound struck the retreating Martinez and rolled over the line.
United pushed hard for an answer and Leno preserved Fulham’s lead with two major interventions. He stretched to keep out Bryan Mbeumo’s curling attempt before quickly getting down to repel another low Cunha strike.
There was a late United penalty appeal when Martinez sent the ball against Bassey at close range. The referee and officials took no action, judging that Bassey had his arms tucked into a natural position.
Cunha finally broke through with a minute of normal time left. Collecting possession on the edge of the box, he struck through the ball and saw it take a sizeable touch off a Fulham defender, leaving Leno wrong-footed as it found the corner.
The point halts the immediate slide for United, but their five-point return from the opening five league fixtures matches the mark set in 2014-15. Fulham remain second from bottom, still searching for a first league win and with only two points on the board.
