That only having to welcome an opponent ranked 12th on the Premier League rankings would help Manchester United continue its sublimation streak, but the Red Devils received the final bitter result.

During most of the official match, surprisingly, Fulham was the one who controlled the game and created many dangerous opportunities for goalkeeper Andre Onana’s goal. If they were more careful, the strikers on the team’s side Marco Silva can even end the match early without having to wait until midfielder Alex Iwobi shines in stoppage time. 

Casemiro made Ten Hag worried

A few days before the match with Fulham, Man United received a series of sad news related to the situation of the force when defender Luke Shaw and striker Rasmus Hojlund suffered different injuries and had to rest for a while. short clown. 

And after the defeat against Fulham, coach Erik ten Hag had a headache again when he saw midfielder Casemiro leave the field midway through the match with a head injury after a fierce collision with Harrison Reed on the away team at the beginning of the second half. 

 Casemiro suffered a dangerous head injury. 

The Brazilian star definitely needs further testing before reaching a final conclusion. In the worst case scenario, the 31-year-old player has to retire. Man United’s midfield will be very fragile in the Manchester Derby against City next weekend. because Kobbie Mainoo and Christian Eriksen are clearly no match for The Citizens’ mobile midfield. 

Ten Hag’s failed experiment

In the context of no longer having a true striker to face Fulham after the duo Hojlund and Anthony Martial were both injured. Ten Hag decided to give 19-year-old Omari Forson the chance to start.

However, for a player who had only previously appeared in the Premier League once, it was not surprising that Forson was overwhelmed by Fulham’s tall defense and did not create many highlights. 

Specifically, after 53 minutes of play, the English star did not create any shots, had no successful dribbles, and did not win any 1-vs-1 disputes. 

Obviously, this striker born in 2004 needs more time to practice and practice before being given the opportunity by Ten Hag. 

Man United now misses Hojlund? 

In the press conference before the match with Fulham, coach Ten Hag confirmed that the Red Devils’ gameplay will not be affected too much even though Hojlund, a player who has scored 7 goals in the last 6 matches, does not play.

The Dutch coach affirmed that the former Atalanta star is not the number 1 player at Old Trafford and believes that his team will know how to score goals even though the Danish star is out.

 Man United’s attack lacks vitality without Hojlund. 

However, 90 minutes before Fulham, the Red Devils were completely deadlocked. The absence of Hojlund forced Ten Hag to let Marcus Rashford play the highest role, bringing Alejandro Garnacho back to the left wing, making room for Forson, but the 54-year-old coach’s plan was completely bankrupt because on the day Hojlund was absent, Garnacho and Rashford did not create any connection and appeared completely harmless in front of goalkeeper Bernd Leno. 

Rare bright spot Maguire – Onana

Although Man United was conceded twice by Fulham, Maguire and Onana deserved to receive applause. 

While the English midfielder became Man United’s main ball distributor and directly scored the equalizing goal in the 89th minute, Onana was no less competitive with two amazing saves in the first half against extremely strong shots. The dangers of Rodrigo Muniz and Andreas Pereira, without these two reliable stoppers, Man United probably would have conceded more goals. 

The “honeymoon” officially ended

Since entering 2024, the Ten Hag army has not yet been defeated by any opponent. After 7 matches, the home team at Old Trafford won 6 matches, including brilliant victories against Newport County or West Ham United, but it all ended after last night’s match when the Red Devils let Fulham beat them. Defeated right at home with a score of 2-1. 

This loss caused Man United to increase the gap to 8 points in the top 4 Premier League after Aston Villa had just had a gentle 4-2 victory over Nottingham in the match at the same time.