Cameroonian and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has today kept a clean sheet, helping his club secure a vital win against Fulham. In the high-stakes showdown at Craven Cottage, Manchester United managed to quell mounting pressure on their manager, Erik ten Hag, as Bruno Fernandes delivered a dramatic stoppage-time winner, earning them a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham.
Questions were looming over the Red Devils following consecutive 3-0 defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle. Speculation only intensified before the match when star forward Marcus Rashford was conspicuously absent from the squad. The decision to omit Rashford, who had faced criticism from Ten Hag for celebrating his birthday in the wake of the City defeat, was attributed to injury by the Manchester United camp.
Replacing Rashford, it was Scott McTominay who initially appeared to break the deadlock, netting what he believed was his fourth goal in as many Premier League games. However, a contentious offside call, after a lengthy VAR review, negated the goal, determining that Harry Maguire had been marginally offside in the build-up.
Man United found it challenging to threaten Fulham’s goal thereafter, with Fulham gaining momentum in the second half, coming close to scoring a few times, only to be denied by some crucial interventions by United’s goalkeeper, André Onana. The contest seemed destined for a draw until the 91st minute when Facundo Pellistri set up Bruno Fernandes, who fired a precise shot into the near post, propelling his team ahead and alleviating the mounting pressure on their embattled manager.
With this victory, Manchester United surged to 18 points for the season, currently residing in the sixth position in the Premier League standings, ahead of other weekend matches. United fans are now hoping that this win marks the start of a positive streak, putting the recent back-to-back 3-0 defeats behind them.
In contrast, Fulham maintains their 14th-place position in the league, with the gap to the relegation zone potentially narrowing to as little as four points by the end of the weekend. Their next challenge is an away clash against an in-form Aston Villa next Sunday, while Manchester United’s upcoming fixture is in the Champions League, where they’ll face FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.
