Bruno Fernandes missed a first-half penalty as Manchester United slipped to a 1-1 draw with Fulham after Emile Smith Rowe cancelled out the visitors’ controversial opener.
United are winless in their first two Premier League matches after being beaten by Arsenal last weekend and failing to hold onto their lead at Craven Cottage, with the pressure already building on head coach Ruben Amorim.
A Rodrigo Muniz own goal had put them in front just before the hour mark despite United defender Leny Yoro pushing centre-back Calvin Bassey in the back with both hands as he headed a corner in off the Fulham striker.
“He is lucky to get away with that,” said Sky Sports’ Gary Neville on co-commentary before Bassey told Sky Sports: “When the ref looks back on it, he will be disappointed.”
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Manchester United take the lead against Fulham at Craven Cottage
The incident came after Bassey had been punished in the first half for throwing Mason Mount to the floor at a corner while Man Utd’s Luke Shaw bundled over Muniz in the same moment.
The game was stopped one minute and 23 seconds later when the VAR Darren England instructed referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident, and he awarded a penalty.
Kavanagh was involved further when he accidentally collided with Fernandes as the Man Utd captain was preparing to take the spot kick, which he then smashed over the crossbar, looking to find the top left corner.
Fernandes appeared to be upset with Kavanagh disrupting his pre-penalty routine and said afterwards: “It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment, but that’s not an excuse for missing the penalty.”
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Bruno Fernandes smashes a penalty over crossbar against Fulham
United were left to rue the chances they missed in the first half. Matheus Cunha had three shots within the opening 14 minutes, whistling a strike from distance over, side-footing an effort against the right post and then forcing Bernd Leno into a fine save after brilliantly controlling Altay Bayindir’s long pass forward.
But Fulham more than played their part in an entertaining game, forcing the nervy Bayindir into two significant saves before Smith Rowe came off the bench and tapped in Alex Iwobi’s cross from close range with less than 20 minutes remaining to deservedly earn a point.
Bruno upset referee didn’t apologise for penalty disruption
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Bruno Fernandes admitted he was upset by referee Chris Kavanagh for not apologising after he bumped into him before his penalty.
Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes to Sky Sports on his missed penalty:
“I was upset. As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines, your own things that you do.
“It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty.
“I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot too under the ball and that’s why it ended up going over the bar.”
Bassey: Penalty award was harsh… Bruno miss was justice!
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Calvin Bassey says Leny Yoro fouled him in the build-up to Manchester United’s goal and the referee Chris Kavanagh will regret not disallowing the goal
Fulham defender Calvin Bassey to Sky Sports on Leny Yoro’s push for Man Utd’s opener:
“It’s the same as my one. It’s a foul. He pushed me to stop me from getting to the ball. When the ref looks back on it, he will be disappointed. I can’t say too much before I get a fine!
“But come on, it’s a foul. When you’ve got to jump, any little touch can put you off. He’s got two hands [on my back]. How much worse do you need? On another day, it goes in our favour.
“It’s enough for me not to win the ball and it’s an advantage for him, so it should have been given.
On the penalty award for his foul on Mason Mount: “I still think it’s harsh. I understand why it’s given. I’m trying to stay strong because I know the block’s coming, and then I’ve pulled him over my foot.
“But the ref has got to protect us as well. I’m strong, so it looks a bit more aggressive. If it’s someone stronger [than Mount], I don’t think it looks as bad.”
On Bruno Fernandes’ penalty miss: “I’d say it was justice! I didn’t think it was a pen. It was a bit of relief.”
Amorim: We weren’t smart after opening goal
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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim expresses his frustration with his side’s performance after the Red Devils come away with draw at Craven Cottage.
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim to Sky Sports:
“I think we can do better but we are putting the effort, so that is the most important thing for me. I think we did well in some moments, especially at the beginning of the game.
“After the goal, we were just thinking about the result. This team needs to win games, so we need to focus on the performance and what we need to do, because if we focus on the results, we forget to do the normal things.
“We were OK until the goal. We scored and we should do the opposite: have more possession, push the opponent more. We were not smart in that moment.”
Silva: I won’t explain things that are impossible to explain
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Fulham head coach Marco Silva was left frustrated after he felt VAR should’ve disallowed Man Utd’s goal in a draw at Craven Cottage.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva on whether Man Utd’s goal should have been disallowed:
“Perhaps. Difficult to say something. I think you saw the same as myself. All of the world saw what happened here this afternoon in terms of the VAR decisions. I will not say anything more.
“I don’t have the words to explain things that are impossible to explain. They did unbelievably well when they saw the penalty. The foul on Rodrigo (Muniz) was half of a second after the push from Calvin (Bassey). I think they were amazing and we have to congratulate them.”
Man Utd attack shows promise but work in progress
Sky Sports’ David Richardson:
“We are going to score goals because we are creating so many chances.”
Ruben Amorim is convinced Manchester United’s attack will fire this season. The evidence suggests it will. They threatened to run riot in the opening 15 minutes at Fulham, but a concern is how they’ve faded in games.
Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes were purring early on at Craven Cottage. Cunha went close three times. The quartet linked up with speed and precision around the box. They looked sharp.
Man Utd’s attacking stats compared to last season
But it didn’t last once Fulham settled and stifled Casemiro and Fernandes with their midfield diamond. Ruben Amorim’s substitutions also weren’t able to have the same impact as Fulham’s, Emile Smith Rowe equalising with his first touch.
Benjamin Sesko came off the bench early in the second half but had just one touch in the opposition box – it wasn’t a telling one.
Last weekend, United’s possession was in the spotlight, racking up 60 per cent against a traditional top-four side for the first time in almost a decade. It helped them get the ball into dangerous areas and fire off 22 shots.
This time it was different, over 10 per cent less as they were out-passed by Fulham, not by much, but with only 10 shots to show from it. Amorim’s side remain a work in progess.
Silva needs backing in transfer market
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
Marco Silva deserves a lot of credit for how his Fulham side have battled to start the Premier League season.
Two games with two late goals to rescue a point on both occasions, they could have easily walked away empty-handed.
Silva has been vocal about the need for reinforcements within his squad, with Benjamin Lecomte their only addition throughout the summer, and spoke openly about it after full-time against Manchester United, too.
“We need to sign two or three players,” he said in his post-match press conference.
Returns for Antonee Robinson and Ryan Sessegnon, as well as a boost in confidence for Emile Smith Rowe following his goal, will ease the strain on his squad. However, if they want to start converting draws into wins, fresh faces will be needed.
They had the momentum to win this fixture but just lacked the final push in the latter stages of the game.
