A new season for Manchester United, but old problems remain. In contrary to the relative optimism of last week’s defeat to Arsenal, a timid performance in a 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage leaves more questions than answers.
So much has happened since the chastening night in Bilbao, not least the arrival of three marquee signings and a spend of over £200m. And yet this was a performance that was eerily similar to those at the tail-end of last season, even if a couple of players offered some real promise in parts.
This corner of southwest London has been a difficult place to come for several big clubs in recent seasons, but what might be seen as an okay result in other circumstances is simply another poor result for Ruben Amorim’s side.
For while Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty and Matheus Cunha will leave thinking he should have had a brace, the reality remains that United now have one loss and one draw to open the 2025-26 season.
Not only that, but the only goal scored across two games was an own goal – from a header that was going wide before ricocheting off Rodrigo Muniz – while the same defensive frailties remain.
And it all comes back to one overarching issue – the fact that Amorim’s side can never exert control in a Premier League match.
United did start brightly – with plenty of energy and some lovely combinations on the edge of the box as Cunha fired narrowly over before hitting the post – though that was not a sign of things to come, with their best chances coming from moments of luck or brilliance rather than patterns or anything rehearsed.
This was all the more strange given that several minutes of the warm-up were dedicated to a drill in which the wing-backs laid off the ball to either Mason Mount or Bryan Mbeumo before the forwards crossed it in. It suggests that Amorim thought United would dominate possession more than they did, but rather they faded at points and couldn’t control the game, with yet another first half coming to an end without a goal scored. While the new faces were prominent, it was an old head who had the biggest chance as Fernandes fired a penalty well over after an absolute gift of a foul, Calvin Bassey the culprit in throwing down Mount in the area.
The goal did eventually come, from one of the unlikeliest sources, and even when it did, it was not the result of superb attacking play or a moment of genius, but rather a scrappy corner converted by Leny Yoro via a helping hand from Muniz.
And yet despite being gifted a lead, the visitors struggled to take the initiative from there, retreating and inviting pressure in a sight that has become so familiar. From there, it felt like the inevitable was going to happen – and it did, with Emile Smith Rowe darting in between the centre-backs to nick it past Bayindir.
But while United leaking goals is worrying, the question is less of the defence – with Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt both very impressive at points – but rather of the midfield, with the lack of control afforded by Amorim’s system leading to chances being conceded.
The goal was one of several good chances the hosts had, with United’s midfield issues once again clear as Fulham squeezed them and left them unable to sustain any sort of pressure at all – and at points unable to even get out of their own half. Marco Silva picked up on it in his post-match conference, explaining that his side began “commanding the game with the ball” after the first 20 minutes or so
And it is exactly this that has become the defining image of Amorim’s time in charge of United, with the most pertinent question being whether it is the system or the personnel that leads to United being unable to sustain pressure while also leaking chances. The shouts of “attack” from the away fans around the 85th minute tell you everything you need to know.
United have been linked with a midfield signing in the last few weeks but recent performances suggest they’d need to unearth the next N’Golo Kante to even hope to cover some of those gaps.
However, until they fix something in midfield – whether through tactics, personnel or a mix of both – they will continue to create too few chances, give too many away and eventually limp to disappointing results.
Amorim has time on his side as it stands, though with a pre-season under his belt and £200m spent, he could find the questions getting more and more difficult to answer if he doesn’t find a remedy to United’s sub-par performances.
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