David Hytner was at Craven Cottage for us tonight. I’ll leave you with his report – goodnight.
Ruben Amorim’s verdict
It’s really important to have this feeling away from home. We had great support from our away fans as always. It was not a great game – we tried to play our game but we need to improve a lot.
We didn’t suffer too much and that is a good sign. It’s not just the clean sheet, it’s the way we defended. We need to improve with the ball; without the ball we were okay and controlled the game.
We need to have more of the ball and create more chances. We struggle a lot in these details. But winning helps a lot.
We have to be cautious [in the transfer market]. We have to follow the rules. I think we made mistakes in the past and we can’t do that now, so we are focussed on improving the team. Let’s see.
The fans are amazing. It’s not normal. Congratulations to them – it’s a big privilege to give them wins and we want to do it more.
Man Utd reaction
Lisandro Martinez
I think I was lucky but I’m really happy with the way we won the game. It doesn’t matter who scored. The most important thing is three points, how we fight, how we play, how we show character and personality. And I’m so happy for this guy [Toby Collyer]. He’s a big example for the young generation. He works so hard and he’s so humble.
It means a lot, not only for the fans but also for us. We’ve suffered a lot and it’s really hard when you lose at this club. We are here and we have to win, every game.
Toby Collyer
It’s unbelievable to hear that from a World Cup winner. I’m working hard – it’s a tough environment but that’s good, it makes you better and builds your character. I’m just looking to improve every day and help the team.
When I cleared [Joachim Andersen’s header off the line] I thought, ‘Has that gone over?’ Luckily it hadn’t. I’m just happy for the team that we got the win.
Full time: Fulham 0-1 Manchester United
Manchester United move up to 12th in the table after an ugly but important victory at Craven Cottage. A match almost entirely devoid of incident was settled by Lisandro Martinez’s deflected long-range shot in the 78th minute. Amorim doesn’t look happy as he walks off – this is a million miles from football taught by Matt Busby, but it’ll do for now.
NO GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Man Utd
Amad was fractionally offside when he received Mainoo’s first pass so the goal has been ruled out.
VAR check for offside Amad wandered over to the left, combined very nicely with Mainoo and rattled a right-foot shot that took a slight deflection and beat Leno.
GOAL! Fulham 0-2 Man Utd (Amad 90+5)
The golden boy seals victory for Manchester United!
Updated
90+4 min: Chance for Muniz! Robinson’s lobbed cross hits an unsighted defender at the far post and bounces kindly for Muniz, eight yards out. He blooters it into orbit. That’s Fulham’s best chance of the game.
90+3 min Both sides have defended very well. It has made for a very uneventful game but it would be remiss not to acknowledge that.
90 min Six minutes of added time.
89 min Robinson wins another corner for Fulham. Pereira’s inswinger is met at the near post by Andersen and headed off the line by Collyer! That’s superb defending: he had to stoop towards the ball, moving part of his body behind the line in the process, and just about managed to keep it out.
Updated
88 min “Don’t want to speak too soon,” says Adam Hirst, “but now we’re into the realm of Textbook Away Performance.”
An Amorimho masterclass?
87 min Fulham are playing with greater urgency as you’d expect. Pereira’s corner bounces across the area and is walloped as far as possible by Malacia.
86 min Traore has moved to the right and is in closer proximity to Martinez. I have a hunch those two might have their own separate contest at the final whistle.
84 min Leno got a hand on Martinez’s shot, a fine effort given the flight of the ball, but he could only help it into the net.
83 min: Double substitution for Fulham Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira replace Sasa Lukic and Emile Smith Rowe.
82 min Malacia is playing at right-back with Dalot on the left.
81 min: Double substitution for Man Utd Tyrell Malacia and Kobbie Mainoo replace Noussair Mazraoui and Alejandro Garnacho.
80 min I think Martinez’s shot was on target so it’ll go down as his goal. If so, it’s their first shot on target all night.
Fernandes played a clever pass to the underlapping Garnacho, who sat Castagne down and tried to play the ball back to Collyer on the edge of the area. Berge poked it away but Martinez nipped in front of Muniz to win possession and hit a speculative shot from 25 yards. It took a huge deflection off Lukic and looped over Leno into the far corner.
Updated
GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Man Utd (Martinez 78)
Lisandro Martinez gives Man Utd the lead out of nothing!
Updated
76 min: Man Utd substitution Ugarte, who came off worse from that foul on Traore, is replaced by the promising Toby Collyer.
75 min Smith Rowe finds space between the lines and plays a diagonal pass to Traore. His first touch takes him inside Yoro but then he spanks over from the edge of the area.
There’s a brief altercation between Traore and Martinez before the goalkick is taken. There’s a bit of history between those two from the return game on the opening night of the season.
Updated
73 min Ugarte, who might have been booked earlier, gets the job done with a late tackle on the rampaging Traore.
Updated
71 min A good attack from Fulham, sparked by a big crossfield pass by Berge (I think) ends with Maguire forcing his way in front of Muniz to head behind for a corner. Good defending.
70 min This game is a twisted collaboration between George Graham and Brian Eno.
67 min An extraordinary stat from Darren Fletcher on TNT Sports: neither team has had a touch in the opposition penalty area since half-time.
65 min Do the Premier League have an equivalent of the Golden Raspberry Awards? Asking for about 25 minutes’ time.
64 min: Fulham substitution Rodrigo Muniz on, Raul Jimenez off.
63 min “In lieu of anything actually happening,” begins Adam Hirst, “is Traore and Robinson the fastest side of a football team in history?”
John Williams and Brian Borrows, surely.
61 min Martinez jumps into a studs-first challenge on Traore, who sends him flying when they collide. Martinez did something similar early in the season, I think at Crystal Palace. The challenge was low enough to preclude VAR involvement but it was still risky.
Updated
58 min: Double substitution for Man Utd Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee come on for Matthijs de Ligt and Rasmus Hojlund.
57 min Fernandes drives it under the wall, a nice idea, but doesn’t connect properly and the ball hits the side netting. I think Leno had it covered anyway.
Updated
56 min Mazraoui is fouled right on the edge of the area by Castagne. The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre but Bruno Fernandes will surely fancy a shot.
55 min Saying which, Hojlund almost seizes on a dodgy backpass from Castagne. Bassey nips in front of him to clear.
55 min Rasmus Hojlund has had a poor game, particularly in his hold-up play. Joshua Zirkzee’s arrival is imminent.
53 min: Fulham substitution Adama Traore comes on for Harry Wilson. He’s gone to the left wing with Iwobi moving to the right.
Updated
53 min Scratch that, I think Wilson needs to come off. He’s limping really heavily; it might be a metatarsal injury.
Updated
51 min There’s a break in play while Harry Wilson receives treatment. He’s holding his left foot but doesn’t seem too bad.
48 min The attacking options on the bench including Adama Traore, Rodrigo Muniz and Joshua Zirkzee. For now it’s the same XIs that inflicted that first half on the world.
46 min Manchester United begin the second half.
“As a Liverpool fan I am obviously enjoying United’s extended slump immensely,” says Tim Woods. “But at some point, surely the Premier League needs its arch villain back? It’s starting to feel like watching Star Wars but with Dick Dastardly in charge rather than Darth Vader.”
If the relevant parties hold their nerve I think Darth Amorim will win the Premier League with United. But if can be a humongous word, especially in football.
Updated
“I pity that you have to do an MBM of THIS travesty that goes by the name of a game,” writes Krish V. “A root canal would be more pleasant.”
United are bad, but they’re not that bad.
Half time: Fulham 0-0 Man Utd
Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle on 3 April 1996 is the greatest game in Premier League history. This match, the first half anyway, isn’t in the top 10,000.
45 min Jimenez appeals for a penalty after an off-the-ball tussle with Martinez. Nothing doing.
Updated
44 min This game could do with Wolf-Dieter Ahlenfelder as referee.
42 min Ugarte is fouled near the byline on the right by Berge. Fernandes’s free-kick hits De Ligt, trying to fight his way through the crowd, and bounces through to Leno.
41 min Man Utd’s xG, and you’ll like this, is 0.00. Fulham’s isn’t much better: 0.24.
Updated
38 min Jimenez nips in front of Maguire to meet Robinson’s low cross, but the angle is tight and he blasts wide of the near post. That was better from Robinson, who has arguably been the best left-back in the league this season.
37 min Iwobi’s sharp pass is cushioned beautifully by Jimenez, but then he curls well wide from distance.
35 min Garnacho tries a one-two with Fernandes on the edge of the area and is well tracked by Castagne. Garnacho has looked relatively lively.
33 min … Nada. Zilch. Fernandes teases a free-kick into the area and Berge heads clear.
32 min This is a really bad game. Lukic fouls Martinez 30 yards from goal, from which…
29 min Manchester United’s ball retention has been dreadful. The extent of their underachievement in the last few years could be a case for Mulder and Scully.
27 min For the second time tonight, the usually excellent Robinson overhits a fairly routine cross.
26 min Ugarte sends Wilson flying and is arguably fortunate to escape a yellow card.
24 min Nothing much is happening. In fact, nothing at all is happening.
20 min Garnacho beats Wilson neatly on the left, moves into the area and plays a clever reverse pass to Mazraoui. He stands up a cross that is headed away at the far post.
19 min Another crisp low drive from Iwobi is saved by Onana, who saw it late as it came through the crowd. A comfortable enough save.
18 min Manchester United have offered the square root of bugger all in attack. Fulham have been slightly better, though most of their admittedly neat passing has been in the middle third.
16 min Wilson’s ball forward is chested deftly by Jimenez towards Smith Rowe in the area. The ball won’t sit down for him and Martinez makes a risky but effective flying challenge.
Updated
12 min Jimenez wriggles away from Maguire on the edge of the area. De Ligt’s attempted clearance ricochets off Jimenez towards Iwobi, forcing De Ligt to make an important lunging tackle.
12 min Fulham are dominating the ball without really threatening, that effort from Iwobi aside.
10 min “I’ve been thinking about what would happen if Ruben Amorim’s motivational techniques were used in other contexts,” says Edan Tal. “‘Troops, you might be the worst battalion in the history of this army, now over the top you go!’”
You’ve seen The Sopranos, right? (NB: clip contains a lot of adult language.)
Updated
6 min Iwobi is allowed to run 30 yards to the edge of the area and drive a crisp low shot across goal with his left foot. Onana gets down to his left and holds on.
5 min Actually there is one change to the expected line-ups: Dalot is palying at right wing-back, Mazraoui on the left.
4 min Nothing to report except some sloppy passing and a very vocal away end. No prawn sandwiches are being consumed tonight.
3 min Both teams have lined up as expected, which means Bruno Fernandes is starting in a deeper position alongside Manuel Ugarte.
2 min The weather in London has improved a little; it was vile at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
1 min And they’re off.
Marco Silva and Ruben Amorim, friends off the pitch, embrace on the touchline. Time for action.
Sign up to United Writing. I dare you. I double dare you.
(It’s really good, I’ve no idea why I felt the need to recite Pulp Fiction.)
The Premier League table
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 22 | 33 | 53 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 23 | 23 | 47 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 23 | 6 | 44 |
| 4 | Man City | 23 | 17 | 41 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 23 | 14 | 41 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 23 | 15 | 40 |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth | 23 | 15 | 40 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 23 | -1 | 37 |
| 9 | Brighton | 23 | 4 | 34 |
| 10 | Fulham | 22 | 4 | 33 |
| 11 | Brentford | 23 | 2 | 31 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 23 | -4 | 27 |
| 13 | West Ham | 23 | -16 | 27 |
| 14 | Man Utd | 22 | -5 | 26 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 9 | 24 |
| 16 | Everton | 22 | -9 | 23 |
| 17 | Leicester | 23 | -24 | 17 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton | 23 | -20 | 16 |
| 19 | Ipswich | 23 | -26 | 16 |
| 20 | Southampton | 23 | -37 | 6 |
A reminder of the teams
Fulham (4-2-3-1) Leno; Castagne, Anderson, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez.
Substitutes: Benda, Diop, Cuenca, Cairney, Andreas, Reed, Traore, Muniz.
Manchester United (3-4-2-1) Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot; Amad, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Lindelof, Malacia, Yoro, Collyer, Casemiro, Eriksen, Mainoo, ZIrkzee.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Today’s Premier League results
West Ham’s draw at Villa Park means Man Utd drop to 14th before kick-off. F-O-U-R-T-E-E-N-T-H. That’s their lowest position after Christmas since the aforementioned 1989-90 season, when they were in a relegation battle until late March. Look at this for a league table.
Updated
Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham There are ten minutes plus added time to play at Villa Park, where Emerson Palmieri has equalised for West Ham.
Jamie Jackson on Man Utd’s woes
When seriously struggling, you do not need to send your best forward into exile, as Marcus Rashford has been for the past six weeks. This problem seems self-inflicted by Ruben Amorim. Because unless a Ratcliffe tap on the shoulder informed of the need to offload the forward’s £365k-a-week salary, how bad do the “training reasons” have to be (Amorim’s stated reason) to exclude the 27-year-old from United’s past 10 outings?
Team news
Marco Silva sticks with the Fulham XI that beat Leicester last weekend.. Man Utd make three changes from their last Premier League game, the defeat at home to Brighton. Lisandro Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund come in for Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee.
Fulham (4-2-3-1) Leno; Castagne, Anderson, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez.
Substitutes: Benda, Diop, Cuenca, Cairney, Andreas, Reed, Traore, Muniz.
Manchester United (3-4-2-1) Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot; Amad, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Lindelof, Malacia, Yoro, Collyer, Casemiro, Eriksen, Mainoo, ZIrkzee.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Updated
Rob Draper on Ruben Amorim’s first coaching crisis
“He is a magician,” says Carlos Pires, the sporting director at Casa Pia who, at some risk to himself, appointed a man with no coaching experience to his first job in 2018. “Everything he touches turns to gold. I told him: ‘In 10 years’ time, whether you are at Manchester United or coaching in the Lisbon leagues, you can tell people I’m the crazy guy who gave you the opportunity.’ And yes, I did use Manchester United as the example, even back then.”
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Fulham v Manchester United at Craven Cottage. Ruben Amorim’s suggestion that his team is the worst in Manchester United’s history has caused quite a stir. And while his comments showed a distressing ignorance of the class of 1989-90, you can understand why he felt it necessary to take the nuclear option. It’s almost 12 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and United are further away from success than ever.
Fulham are the antithesis of United – stable, understated, easy on the eye and with a rhythm that comes from working with the same coach for three and a half years.
This United team, a bit like the 1989-90 side, look happier away from home. United have an outstanding recent record at Craven Cottage, where they have won their last seven games. On current form, it’ll be a surprise if that continues.
Kick off 7pm.
