Cunha Saves the Day as Man Utd Snap Their Worst Drought in Nearly Half a Century Against Fulham

A deflected effort from Matheus Cunha rescued a 1–1 draw for a struggling Manchester United at Craven Cottage on Sunday, after Lisandro Martínez's own goal had handed Fulham the advantage.

The Red Devils head into the international break with at least a point to show for their efforts, having endured consecutive defeats and a Carabao Cup exit during the week.

Michael Carrick will no doubt feel some relief, but Sunday's display against one of the Premier League's early underperformers will only amplify growing concerns. United produced an entertaining first half that somehow ended goalless, but the drop in intensity following the restart was alarming to say the least.

Former Manchester United legend Gary Neville was especially cutting on commentary, going so far as to declare that the 15 minutes after the break were the "worst" he had ever witnessed from his club since he first began following the Red Devils as a 5-year-old back in 1980.

Cunha's late equalizer is unlikely to silence such criticism entirely, but things could have been considerably worse for United.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

His reintegration had initially sparked a revival for Marcus Rashford at Manchester United, but the England international has lost his edge heading into the extended international break.

Energy and threat had made up for a lack of goals early in the campaign, but Rashford had nowhere to hide at Craven Cottage. His low intensity and hesitancy in front of goal encapsulated Man Utd's overall performance in west London, with Rashford squandering a number of clear-cut chances.

The Red Devils were occasionally fluid, cutting through Fulham with some neat, incisive passing combinations when they raised the tempo. Such moves frequently ended with Rashford in promising positions, and there was a time when the 28-year-old would have embraced that responsibility and finished with confidence.

But the current version of the Englishman appears somewhat lost, fading when the pressure is on. Furthermore, while Rashford has shown flashes of quality across the opening five weeks of the season, his presence now seems to be disrupting United's attacking rhythm.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Fulham (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—8.4: His positioning for the Fulham goal left something to be desired, but Lammens was outstanding throughout the first half.

RB: Diogo Dalot—7.3: A solid if unspectacular outing from Dalot, who rarely dazzles but remains a dependable option on the right of Carrick's backline.

CB: Harry Maguire—7.4: Man Utd turned to a familiar approach after going behind, with Maguire called upon as an attacking option. The centre-back made a couple of vital interventions when Fulham looked to counter at 1–0.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—6.3: A mixed bag of a performance. Martínez kept you guessing throughout, testing Bernd Leno with a powerful early effort before playing an unfortunate role in Fulham's opening goal.

LB: Luke Shaw—6.6: Shaw adds value to United's left-sided build-up play, but the full-back was less effective when pushing forward. Fulham also found success exploiting him at the back post from wide deliveries.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—7.2: One player who maintained his standards and intensity during Man Utd's second-half slump was Mainoo, making Carrick's decision to substitute the midfielder in the final 15 minutes a puzzling one.

CM: Youri Tielemans—7.5: He was occasionally caught out by the lively Alex Iwobi, but Tielemans fulfilled his build-up duties diligently and served as a useful link further forward.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—7.5: Mbeumo has produced his finest work for the Red Devils through the middle, so it raises questions as to why Carrick continues to deploy him on the wing.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.8: Fernandes will be left wondering how he failed to find the net, striking the post with a first-time shot in the opening half. The Portuguese was more influential as a box-to-box presence than as a creative force.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.8: Taken off clutching his groin, having squandered a host of first-half opportunities. Rashford was a net negative at Craven Cottage.

ST: Matheus Cunha—8.1: Cunha had struggled to impose himself as United's focal point. The Brazilian linked play effectively at times, though much of his contribution felt peripheral. He made amends for his involvement in Fulham's goal by grabbing the late equalizer.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (77' for Rashford)—6.1: Contributed to United's transitions on a couple of occasions, but little beyond that.

SUB: Mason Mount (80' for Mainoo)—6.1: Introduced too late to have any meaningful impact on the game.

SUB: Patrick Dorgu (85' for Shaw)—N/A

Subs not used: Karl Darlow (GK), Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, Shea Lacey.

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd's Rescue Act