Talking points for Manchester United from their 1-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League
Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee stepped off the bench to score the winner on his debut as Manchester United edged Fulham 1-0 at Old Trafford in the opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Friday night.
The Dutch striker poked home substitute Alejandro Garnacho’s cross from the right with just three minutes from normal time left on the clock. Both sides had opportunities to score, with the best falling to the Red Devils. Bruno Fernandes was kept out brilliantly by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno twice, Garnacho missed an open goal and Fulham made a meal of a couple of promising counter-attacks.
However, Manchester United finally found a way past the Cottagers via Zirkzee and opened the Premier League account for the new campaign with all three points. It was just the start Erik ten Hag would have hoped for, even if there is room for improvement in terms of his team’s overall performance level.
On that note, let us take a look at three talking points for Manchester United against Fulham
1. Erik ten Hag went striker-less, again!
When the team sheet dropped at the new time of 75 minutes before the kick-off, there was palpable excitement within the Man United fans to check out who was in the playing XI and the players that constituted the bench. The lineup was similar to the way Erik ten Hag set his team up in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May last season.
With Rasmus Hojlund out with a hamstring injury and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee not fit to start due to no pre-season, our gaffer opted for the 4-2-2-2 formation. With Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford stationed out wide, Bruno Fernandes operated as a false 9 with Mason Mount playing off him in the No.10 role. The idea was to press higher up the pitch and force the Fulham defenders to make mistakes on the ball, which Fernandes and Mount successfully did at times.
The new striker-less formation is still in its embryonic stages, so it was obvious to see the team taking some time to get going. When Zirkzee is fully match-fit and ready to start, Ten Hag may revert to his old 4-2-3-1 formation, but the new system—on and off the ball—looked effective against Fulham and should be continued in the coming games.
2. Joshua Zirkzee makes an instant impact
Man United managed to beat Fulham after summer signing Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to score in the 87th minute. It was the Netherlands international’s first United appearance following his £36.5 million summer move from Bologna and it could not have gone any better.
Fellow substitute Alejandro Garnacho sent a low hopeful cross in the box from the right and Zirkzee managed to get sufficient power behind his scuffed shot to send the ball past the otherwise brilliant Leno on the night. The goal broke the deadlock when a draw appeared to be the most likely outcome of the curtain-raiser at Old Trafford, with the 23-year-old becoming an instant Stretford End hero.
As Hojlund is sidelined, the Dutchman has a great chance to stake his claim as a starter in Ten Hag’s side in the coming weeks and build on what was the perfect start to his Man United career on Friday night.
“It’s the perfect one, no?,” Zirkzee said after the game. (h/t ESPN)
“In front of the Stretford End. And a win as well, it couldn’t be any better.
“It’s been very good [since I arrived],” Zirkzee continued. “The group have been amazing, I feel very comfortable and at home here. I’m having a very good time.”
3. Man United still susceptible to counter-attack
Man United were given a stiff challenge on the opening day by Fulham. The visitors from west London exploited the home side’s narrow formation by attacking from wide areas through Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi, with Emile Smith Rowe—a summer signing from Arsenal—dropping deep and smartly linking up play.
The Cottagers’ best moments came from counter-attacks as they pounced on any loose balls, mistakes or wayward passes from Man United players. This happened a fair few times; they won the ball and usually released the hulky and speedy Traore on the break, with the Spaniard proving a real handful in the first half for the United defenders.
Ten Hag’s side were fortunate to keep a clean sheet, particularly as Andreas Pereira ruined a fantastic opportunity when he failed to find Alex Iwobi on the left when 2v1 with Harry Maguire sprawling backwards. This sequence happened after Garnacho was robbed of the ball from a United corner kick.
Ten Hag and his coaching staff must iron out the flaws, or else our team could again be in for a difficult ride.
