In what ended up being a last-minute goal-scoring game, Manchester United came away with the win against Fulham 1-0. It was a bit of a rocky one for both sides as there were missed opportunities that most likely would have changed the score of this game. Two major ones came in the second half for both teams.
Joshua Zirkzee hero off the bench
This game really should have been 2-0, as a missed chip from Mason Mount had the crowd groaning at Old Trafford. Another chance came on a ball in from Alejandro Garnacho. Kenny Tete would get his foot out in time while falling forward to make the save on the ball.
Neither of these missed shots would matter, though. Garnacho would send a ball across the box, perfectly on target for Joshua Zirkzee. It was a shot off his left foot to the left corner that would send Man United ahead by one. The crowd went wild for this one as they had just picked Zirkzee up during the offseason and it had been just his seventh touch on the ball.
Another chance occurred in the final minutes as Garancho got a hold of the ball from the center of the box. However, it would be another missed attempt that would keep the score where it was.
Fulham holds on for as long as possible
During the beginning of the second half, United managed to get themselves three big corner kicks in a row. Each one crept closer and closer to being deadly, but the defense remained strong. The team did struggle with clearance, which is what led to the constant onslaught of corner kicks.
It was an uneven distribution of shots on goal that also did them in. Though they split possession a solid 45-55 percent, they could only get two of their shots to be on target in comparison to United's five.
Some promise was shown in the last 20 minutes as a run occurred, but a bad pass from the middle of the pitch would squash the run and lead to an offsides call on the second attempt.
Bright spots from both sides
Manchester United proved that the acquisition of Zirkzee was well worth it and has hopefully earned the respect of the United faithful watching. Garnacho proved to once again be sharp on the ball, making some great passes into the box and getting into open spaces. Captain Bruno Fernandes also made good decisions and put his team in a good position to score.
It was a tough game for Fulham. There were moments where it really seemed like they would do some damage on goal. Instead, Andre Onana would put up two saves to keep United clear and earn himself a clean sheet.
Where Fulham shined was on defense. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but fans can sit back a bit as the team looked put together on that end. Goalie Bernd Leno had himself four saves. Unfortunately, he couldn't close things out. Issa Diop and Tete were especially alert and kept Fulham steady for as long as they could. Hopefully, this win can push United to have a better season this year.