Cunha's Late Deflected Strike Rescues A Point For Manchester United At Fulham
A fortunate 89th-minute equaliser from Matheus Cunha, deflected in off Fulham defender David Affengruber, salvaged a 1-1 draw for Manchester United at Craven Cottage, sparing manager Michael Carrick a third straight defeat in all competitions.
Martinez Own Goal Puts Fulham On Course For A First Win
Manchester United looked set for a third straight defeat in all competitions until Matheus Cunha's late intervention secured a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage. Fulham had taken the lead in the 63rd minute in unfortunate circumstances for United: Calvin Bassey's shot was only parried by goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and the loose ball struck Lisandro Martinez and rolled in for an own goal. It was a cruel twist for Martinez, who had scored the only goal the last time United won at Craven Cottage, in January 2025, and Fulham looked on course to close in on their first Premier League win of the season under manager Alvaro Arbeloa.
Cunha's Deflected Effort Denies Fulham A First Win
With just a minute of normal time remaining, Cunha struck from around 25 yards, slightly to the left of goal. The effort took a heavy deflection off Fulham centre-back David Affengruber, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bernd Leno and creeping in at the far post to make it 1-1. The goal denied Fulham what would have been their first league win of the season and meant Carrick's side avoided a third consecutive defeat in all competitions, following a Carabao Cup exit to Brighton in midweek and last weekend's Manchester derby loss to City.
Both Sides Head Into The Break In The Bottom Half
The draw leaves Manchester United 12th in the Premier League table with five points from their first five games, level with their joint-worst start to a league season, matching the total they had at this stage in 2014-15. Fulham sit 19th with two points from five matches, still searching for their first win of the campaign heading into the international break.
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