Former Arsenal star Alex Iwobi scored a late stoppage-time winner for Fulham as they secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The loss is a huge setback in Erik ten Hag’s plans for a top-four finish this season.
The Red Devils were in impressive form before this game, as they emerged victorious in five consecutive games in 2024. However, this streak has been broken by the Cottagers.
The host missed Rasmus Hojlund badly, with Omori Forson unable to make an impact from the wings.
Fulham had multiple missed opportunities, and their wait was finally over when they opened the scoring in the 65th minute of the game.
Centre-back Calvin Bassey capitalized on United’s inability to handle a set-piece and scored a vital opener for the visitors.
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Man United made a comeback just before stoppage time through Harry Maguire, who made full use of Bernd Leno’s poor ball handling.
This goal shifted the momentum in favor of the Red Devils, but Fulham delivered a decisive blow, with Iwobi finishing a sublime counterattack in the 97th minute.
It was certainly a big blow for Ten Hag as his team fell eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in the Premier League table.
Hojlund’s absence proved to be too costly for the Reds:
Obviously having a long injury list doesn’t help for the host, but being outplayed by Marco Silva’s side at their home turf seems not so promising. They were particularly weak in their attacking moves.
Hojlund’s absence was clearly seen as they missed a lethal striker who can convert those chances. It seems as if the team were over reliant on the Danish ace from the past few games.
Marcus Rashford took on the role of leading the attack but didn’t do much in the first half. Youngster Forson was also substituted early in the second half.
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The decision to grant him a first senior start, despite Antony being available, indicates that the manager doesn’t prefer the Brazilian at this moment.
Even the midfielders struggled to retain possession, let alone creating scoring opportunities, and struggled against Fulham’s counterattacks.
It was a lackluster 90 minutes and Ten Hag’s side have more questions to address. He wouldn’t be too pleased as his side were observed by INEOS’s Sir Dave Brailsford.
Erik ten Hag’s verdict on his team’s performance against Fulham:
As quoted by the club’s official website, the gaffer said:
“Yes, there were slow starts. We should be awake from the first moment, on the first whistle, but the team showed big character and we could have won this game.”
“We got the equalizer, and we deserved it, at that moment. We went for the win. We caught up and we are in that position, but it is up to us to deal with this.”
Our Opinion on the game:
Man United had a golden opportunity to level up on points with fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur and put more pressure on fourth-placed Villa.
However, the Villains used this opportunity well as they won their game against Nottingham Forest yesterday.
The Reds need to make sure they get back to winning ways, but it won’t be easy as they face probably their toughest opponent in Manchester City on March 3rd at the Etihad Stadium. The Manchester Derby is a must win for Ten Hag.
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A defeat would push them further behind in the Premier League points table.
