Late Cunha strike salvages draw for United at Craven Cottage

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha (left) celebrates the late equaliser. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA

Fulham 1 (Martinez OG 63) Manchester United 1 (Cunha 89) 

Michael Carrick can go into the international break knowing his position should be somewhat safer than it might have been if Matheus Cunha had not salvaged a draw at Fulham with a deflected goal in the 89th minute.

Before Cunha’s goal, which flew off the boot of defender David Affengruber, United looked to be heading for an unlikely defeat that would certainly have heaped more pressure on Carrick, with his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson watching on in the west London sunshine. Fulham had taken a deserved lead when Lisandro Martinez put the ball in his own net just after the hour mark.

For most of the game it was difficult to differentiate between the team playing in the Champions League and the one tipped for a return to the Football League.

Fulham started the day bottom of the table but they were playing more joined-up football than their illustrious visitors, as United struggled to find fluency.

Gonzalo Garcia, signed from Real Madrid in the summer, had a hat-trick of chances in the opening half-hour, but snatched at one shot, stretched too far for another and then swung and effectively missed a great chance to volley home in the 29th minute. 

Most of Fulham's best work came from a combination of Timothee Robinson and Alex Iwobi on the left, although the jinking feet of Oscar Bobb and Josh King on the right caused the returning Luke Shaw problems. Luckily for United, Senne Lammens bailed them out several times, saving a well struck half-volley from King, keeping out a Bobb drive with his legs, and then saving bravely at the feet of Iwobi.

United looked less deliberate in their build-up play but still created good chances. Bernd Leno made a spectacular save when Lisandro Martinez fired a volley towards the far corner of goal from 25 yards, Bruno Fernandes hit the base of the far post after a good cutback from Matheus Cunha, who then clipped the outside of the woodwork with a shot that looped up off Fulham's Shea Charles.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick consoles Lisandro Martinez who converted into his own net in the second half. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA

Marcus Rashford shot tamely at Leno after being teed up by Fernandes, and then missed a golden chance by clipping a half-volley high over the bar from Cunha's cutback shortly before half-time.

Moments later, Fulham felt they should have had a penalty as Maguire stuck out an arm to halt King as the young attacker ran into the area. But referee Peter Bankes saw it differently and punished the Fulham teenager with a yellow card for simulation.

Fulham finally took a deserved lead in the 63rd minute. Bobb did well to wriggle to the byline, and when Kobbie Mainoo cleared his low cross, Cunha was hustled off the ball by Calvin Bassey, 40 yards from goal. The big defender strode forward and hit a low shot from the edge of the area that Lammens stopped with his legs. But the ball went straight towards Martinez, was facing his own goal and inadvertently diverted it past his keeper.

United tried to hit back quickly. Leno was at full stretch to keep out a curling long-range shot from Bryan Mbeumo following a 67th minute corner, and then dived low to tip away another long shot from Cunha.

Lammens was then required to beat away a fierce shot from Fulham substitute Kevin, who had replaced the excellent Bobb.

Carrick made his first change in the 77th minute, sending on Joshua Zirkzee for Rashford and shifting Cunha out to the left. With Benjamin Sesko injured, the United manager had few attacking options on the bench, although he also sent on Mason Mount to replace the ineffective Mainoo.

When United equalised in the 89th minute, there was a huge of good fortune. Cunha, the pick of their forward players, deserved something for his efforts, and persistence paid off. His shot from 20 yards was going towards Leno until it hit the boot of David Affengruber, diverting the ball to the far corner of goal and wrong-footing the keeper.

It meant United avoided the ignominy of another defeat, and took bottom ahead of Tottenham at the bottom of the table.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno 8; Castagne 6, Affengruber 6, Bassey 7, Robinson 7; Berge 7 (Larsson 76), Charles 6, Bobb 7 (Kevin 70), King 7 (Andersen 76), Iwobi 7 (Palacios 70); Garcia 5 (Muniz 80).

MAN UTD (4-2-1-3): Lammens 7; Dalot 7, Maguire 6, Martinez 6, Shaw 6 (Dorgu 84); Tielemans 6, Mainoo 6 (Mount 80); Fernandes 6; Mbeumo 7, Cunha 8, Rashford 6 (Zirkzee 77).

Ref: Peter Bankes 7.