Match Report: Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
Manchester United romped home with an emphatic 4-1 scoreline against Fulham at Old Trafford to register their first win in the Premier League since the international break.
United’s lack of creativity in the midfield and the final third came under scrutiny following unimpressive draws against Crystal Palace and Southampton at home. However, the Red Devils produced arguably their best performance in recent weeks to demolish a Fulham unit that did not show much resilience and collapsed like a pack of cards.
Manchester United dominated the game right from the word go and created plenty of chances in the opening stages with lots of help from Fulham’s leaky backline.
Denis Odoi, who was playing in an unfamiliar right-back position, was turned inside out by Ashley Young who cut inside from the left onto his favourite right foot and found the net with a powerful strike to put the hosts in the driver’s seat just 13 minutes into the game.
United had plenty of joy in the final third, particularly down the left as Marcus Rashford and Young continued to wreak havoc down the wide areas. Played in behind the backline, Marcus Rashford fizzed an accurate cut-back into the danger area and Juan Mata made it 2-0, guiding the ball past Sergio Rico with a fine left-footed finish.
It was impressive to see how United showed the intent to put the game to bed in the first half itself. Marcus Rashford’s long-range free-kick was kept out by Sergio Rico but the Red Devils soon found another goal. Mata caught the Fulham defence totally flat-footed with his subtle movement and set up Romelu Lukaku for a simple tap in to make it 3-0 before the break.
Fulham saw a bit more of the ball in the early stages of the second half but the Cottagers didn’t create any notable opportunities. However, Ander Herrera’s reckless challenge on Aboubakar Kamara earned Fulham a penalty which was eventually converted by the Frenchman himself, giving Claudio Ranier’s men a glimmer of hope.
Well, that soon evaporated when Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa was sent off for a second bookable offence and United were in no mood to allow the opposition to claw their way back into the game. The scoreline became more emphatic when Marcus Rashford’s powerful drive beat Sergio Rico at his near post to make it 4-1.
The 4-1 win propelled United to 6th in the standings, above Bournemouth who suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool earlier in the day.
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Jose Mourinho should have plenty of positives to take from the result and the Red Devils will definitely have a lot to build upon in the upcoming fixtures against Valencia in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Premier League next week.
Fan Tweets
Starting to believe Manchester United will avoid relegation this season. Slowly but surely.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) December 8, 2018
Manchester United always look better with Juan Mata in the team.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) December 8, 2018
Might only be Fulham, but the most enjoyable Manchester United game for some time. Constant attacking, entertainment and commitment. More of the same needed.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) December 8, 2018
Diogo DALOT @DalotDiogo definitely man of the match, only 19 years old and getting used to the premier league by now putting in a quity performance on his second game in the PL. Future united legend watch this space #MUFC #MUNFUL @ManUtd
— Nick (@Nicktito17) December 8, 2018
Can Fulham play Manchester united every week? pic.twitter.com/7uj1GwGeki
— i never (@Bennyblingzz1) December 8, 2018
For the first time in a while, manutd have 8 players in an opposition area during an attack. You can’t have these many players going forward and not score goals. #manful #SSN pic.twitter.com/ZMI6B8UGxJ
— Obinna Onuoha (@kruseaphix) December 8, 2018
Everybody Playing Well for #MUFC because Pogba isnt there to slow them down! #manful
— Entadaplace (@entadaplace) December 8, 2018
