In the 16th round of the Premier League, Manchester United visited Craven Farm against Fulham. Eriksen scored first in the first half, but Daniel James equalised against his old owner, and Alejandro Garnacho scored the winning goal with his speed in the final minute of the game, and the Red Devils took three points from 2-1 and finished fifth in the Premier League before the World Cup, three points behind the top four with one game less.
United's starting line-up is as follows: David De Gea in goal, Malasia, Lindelöf, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw in defence, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Eriksen in midfield, and Erlanga, Martial and Marcus Rashford in the attack.
Manchester United right-back Diogu Darlow has accumulated five yellow card suspensions and Dutch left-back Malasia has taken his place, which Ten Hag said was planned early in the morning. "I'm happy to have Tyrel [Malaysia] play at right-back, which has been done many times in training. Tyrell has been doing well when he plays this position. I think tactics are okay, we have to be careful with William hitting behind him. He's good on the outside and Tyrell can handle it."
"We also practiced Elanga's movement, which was a tactical need today. To find space behind defenders, we have to find space and pass the ball, which requires movement. Erlanga, Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno [Fernandes] can do it, of course, because there are not many people up front, but I think it's also a strong equip and we're very happy that Martial is available, so hopefully he can continue to be fit. Everyone wants to win before the World Cup and that's really important. Last week's results were unacceptable and we need to react."
In the opening 5 minute, Fulham started with a shot on goal, Willian crossed from the left and Vinicius's shot was blocked by De Gea's foot. Manchester United had Marcus Rashford pass the ball to Martial to complete the shot, which was also saved by the goalkeeper.
In the 14th minute, Manchester United countered to break the deadlock, Casemiro midfielder tackled Thomas Kelney, Eriksen instigated a counterattack, Martial dribbled the ball to the left in front of the box, B Fei's pass hit the defender's foot to change the line, Eriksen inserted a tackle to score the first goal since joining, Manchester United 1-0 away lead.
The match was B-Fei's 100th Premier League game with Manchester United, with a pass hitting a defender who deflected the line, costing him an assist.
Fulham's attack after conceding a goal was fierce, and in the 28th minute, Harry Wilson cut inside and curled a left-footed ball that was saved by De Gea. Manchester United quickly returned to the picture, Martial combined with B Fei and shot on goal, the ball passed the goalkeeper but was cleared by the defender.
Luke Shaw's cross from the left threatens and Anthony Martial's header flies in front of goal. Just before half-time, Erickson followed up with a left-footed shot from inside the B fee penalty area, but unfortunately deflected off the left side of the goal and United failed to extend their lead, leading Fulham 1-0 at half-time.
United created a good chance by counter-attacking, and after Elanga's one-handed ball was saved by the goalkeeper, Marcus Rashford's shot was blocked by the defender. Fulham forced De Gea to make successive saves, he first saved Vinicius's powerful shot, Martinez cleared the line; The tactical corner kick was opened, and Fulham captain Tim Reem headed it over, which was saved by the "duck father" god.
Ten Hag replaced Erlanga with Scott McTomine, hoping to enhance the offensive and defensive balance to maintain the advantage. However, it backfired, and Fulham's substitute Red Devils old Daniel James equalised. Billian counter-attacked, Kelney's cross from the left went through the crotch of Lindelöf, James' low shot from the middle hit De Gea's feet and still into the net, Fulham 1-1 Manchester United.
Fulham then continued to storm, and De Gea saved Palinha's upside-down golden hook to keep his opponent from overtaking the score.
Manchester United replaced Anthony Martial with Garner, and the "new Cristiano Ronaldo" immediately created a threat, falling to the ground when breaking through in the box, and the slow mirror showed that opposing defender Bobby Reid had a hook foot, but referee Paul Tierney ignored it.
Luke Shaw's cross from the left created another shot, but unfortunately Scott McTomine put the ball high. In the second minute of stoppage time, Manchester United finished the showdown! Garnacho dribbled the ball on the left and played a two-on-one combination with Erikson, who ate Reid raw with his speed before scoring with a low left-footed shot from a tight angle.
It was Garnacho's first Premier League goal, and at the age of 18 years and 135 days, he became the youngest United player to complete stoppage time after Makeda (17 years, 226 days) in 2009.
Garnacho stripped to celebrate the yellow, his shot was the last touch of the game, and the referee immediately blew the whistle to the end, and United took three points away.
Manchester United's process was a twist and turn, but the result was not surprising. Manchester United are the "kings of London", winning 77 away games, the most in the league.
Fulham are one of Manchester United's point boys, with just two wins, five draws and 19 defeats in their last 26 Premier League games. And, since 2009, after two consecutive wins against the Red Devils, they are 14 games winless. In all competitions, the farmer has gone 15 games without a win against the Red Devils. After losing to Manchester United, Fulham also equalled the record of 6 consecutive defeats against the same team in the top flight, after losing 6 consecutive defeats against Arsenal in 1968~2006 and Tottenham Hotspur since 2010.
Manchester United are also promoted Macstar, having lost just one of their last 18 Premier League games against the league newcomers, losing to Watford in 2021 during Solskjaer's tenure. In addition, Manchester United have never dropped points after leading at half-time this season, and the team conceded only seven goals in the second half, tied for the fewest in the Premier League.
United created a number of chances by attacking the gap behind their opponents with long passes, but their poor grasp resulted in a one-goal lead at half-time and almost losing the victory. After 14 Premier matches, the Reds remain on zero goal difference, with only Chelsea in the top 8. The Blues are notoriously lacking a centre-forward, suggesting that United face the same problems.
The 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is old and may leave the team in the winter transfer window; Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both have the same problem, with unstable scoring form; Garnacho is young and energetic, but it's hard to expect him to be a major goalscorer right away. It will therefore be necessary for Ten Hag to bring in a new striker in January next year, and if United do not strengthen their forward line, the race for fourth place will remain difficult.
At the same time, on the defensive end, because of Darlow's suspension, Malasia did not perform well as a guest right-back, and was repeatedly blasted by veteran Willian. The stats show that Fulham forced De Gea to make seven saves in the game, setting a record for the most shots on target against Manchester United in the Premier League since August 2010.
With the same number of shots on goal, United did not have a significant advantage and would not have taken away the victory had it not been for De Gea's many brilliant saves.
In the end, Fulham also created chances on United's right defence to equalise at one point. Wan-Bissaka has become clearly unpopular with Ten Hag, while the Reds have no other right-back available. Even Fulham can take advantage of Manchester United's weakness, and if he is replaced by a strong team, the consequences are even more unimaginable. Therefore, the right back is also an area that the club must bring in in the winter window.
Ghana Jo can be a key target for Manchester United, but one of the important parts of developing young players is not to help the seedlings. Manchester United's weak spots must be strengthened as soon as possible, with Ten Hag having previously confirmed that he will decide the future of some players whose contracts are expiring during the World Cup and ponder future transfers. The new centre-forward and right-back substitutes are undoubtedly the most urgently needed signings for the team.