Fulham 1-1 Manchester United was a game either side could have won. In the end the points were shared at Craven Cottage on Sunday: Lisandro Martinez put through his own net, and Matheus Cunha rescued a draw with a deflected shot late on.
Key moments
The first half had everything except a goal. Opta counted 26 shots between the sides, a Premier League record for a first half without a goal since its data began in 2003-04. Bruno Fernandes and Cunha both hit the post, and Bernd Leno made several full-stretch saves for Fulham.
The breakthrough came in the 63rd minute, and Fulham did not make it. Calvin Bassey drove past Cunha and shot, Senne Lammens parried, and the ball struck Martinez and ran into the net. Fulham led without a clean finish to their name.
United kept pushing and got a break of their own. Cunha’s shot from outside the area took a heavy deflection off David Affengruber and wrong-footed Leno. Luck went one way, then the other.
Michael Carrick said afterwards: “I thought we should’ve won the game, we created enough to win the game.” The data shows a closer game than that.
What the numbers say
Opta had United on 1.59 expected goals and Fulham on 1.57. That is level. The first half produced 2.47 xG between the sides; the second half produced 0.7.
A draw fits the chances. It also means both goals came by unusual routes: one own goal, one deflection. Neither was a clean strike.
What it means for the table
United are 12th on 5 points from five games, with one win, two draws and two defeats. Opta says that is the joint-worst start to a Premier League season, matching 2014-15. It is also three league games without a win, following the 0-1 home defeat by Manchester City on 13 September. City lead the table on 15 points, 10 clear of United.
The picture is mid-table. United are four points behind fourth-placed Brentford and two points above the bottom three, where Coventry are 18th on 3 points. At one point per game, that is a mid-table run.
Fulham are 19th on 2 points with no win from five (two draws, three defeats), and they are still waiting for a first league win under Alvaro Arbeloa. They are off the bottom on goal difference only: Tottenham are 20th on the same 2 points, with a goal difference of -6 to Fulham’s -3. Bournemouth and Coventry are one point ahead on 3. Survival is the job, and a point against United helps, but a fifth game without a win keeps Fulham in the bottom three.
Looking ahead
The international break comes next, and both clubs return on Saturday 10 October. Fulham are at Ipswich Town at 15:00, the first of a run that continues with Hull City and Coventry City, according to Opta. United host Tottenham at Old Trafford at 17:30 BST. Tottenham were bottom of the table after Sunday’s games.
We do not read a season from one draw. What we can say is that United’s chance quality was level with a side in the bottom three, and they needed a deflection to escape.
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