Fulham 0-1 Manchester United: What Were The Key Talking Points As Ruben Amorim’s Side Claim A Premier League Boost?

While Manchester United might have struggled to find any real fluidity in west London, Ruben Amorim’s men secured a late 1-0 victory away at Fulham.

In what was a showdown that was low on quality, it was Lisandro Martinez proved to be United’s hero as the Argentinian defender saw his deflected effort loop over a helpless Bernd Leno in the 75th-minute.

Although the Red Devils might have returned to Old Trafford with maximum points, Martinez’s fortunate winner was their only shot on target.

Watching Amad Diallo’s injury time effort correctly ruled out by VAR, Fulham did come close to snatching a point as Joachim Andersen’s header was cleared off the line by substitute Toby Collyer.

While Man United might have now won four of their previous five appearances across all competitions, they are still battling it out in the bottom-half of the table.

On a night when Manchester United dragged themselves to a crucial victory in the capital, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Craven Cottage.

A victory that covers over some of the cracks
While Manchester United might have left west London with an eighth Premier League victory of the season, Amorim would have been far from pleased by another flare performance in the capital.

Although Martinez’s deflected strike might have found a way past Leno, United drastically failed to find any kind of attacking threat on either side of the half-time break.

Despite now winning four of their previous five appearances across all competitions, the former Sporting Lisbon has made his frustrations abundantly clear since his arrival at Old Trafford back in November.

Despite snatching another late dramatic 2-1 victory against Scottish giants Rangers earlier in the week, United have struggled to dominate a fixture from start to finish since Amorim’s arrival in the red half of Manchester.

Although Amorim’s side might have gained a reputation for their ability to drag themselves over the finishing line of late, the Portuguese tactician is crying out for some fluidity.

Fulham miss out on the chance to collect a scalp
Securing what was a routine 2-0 win away at relegation scrappers Leicester last weekend, Fulham returned to west London smelling the chance to make a statement at Craven Cottage.

However, failing to really test what has been a leaky Manchester United defence on Sunday night, Marco Silva’s men have seen their fading European dreams take another blow.

While the Cottagers might have gained plenty of plaudits this season, Fulham are seeking some recent stability and have now collected just a single Premier League victory since a 2-1 win against Chelsea on Boxing Day.

Despite extending on their FA Cup adventure earlier in the month as they claimed a 4-1 romp against Championship outfit Watford, Fulham have won just a pair of their last six showdowns across all competitions.

Likewise, the Cottagers have also failed to win any of their previous five consecutive matchups in west London – a run that stems back to December 5th.

United extend on their Craven Cottage romp
While Manchester United might have arrived at Craven Cottage facing what could have been a potential banana skin, Amorim’s side do hold what is a remarkable record in west London.

Dragging themselves over the finishing line here despite failing to find any real stability, Sunday’s guests have remarkably won all of their previous eight straight trips to Fulham.

Winning those eight consecutive trips to west London by an aggregate score of 18-3, United have also not suffered a single defeat at Craven Cottage since December 2009.

Now recording back-to-back clean sheets away at the Cottagers, Manchester United will turn their attention back to Europa League duties in midweek when they hope for a more routine outing.

Simply looking to officially book their knockout stage ticket on Thursday night, Amorim’s men will be next week when they travel to Romanian outfit FCSB.