Diogo Dalot had hit a post for United moments earlier with a shot from distance but the home team’s tactics largely amounted to getting the ball to Alejandro Garnacho and hoping their energetic Argentina winger could fashion something. He was United’s brightest attacking spark by some distance. In fact, their only one and their best two chances were conjured by him, Robinson heading away one curling shot before Bernd Leno athletically pushed a second bound for the corner to the side.
With Hojlund injured, Rashford was deployed at centre-forward and again looked unhappy and ineffective in the position. Forson had a couple of nice touches and one shot quickly chased down but was substituted eight minutes after the restart having largely struggled up against Fulham’s mobile left back Robinson.
Fulham should have done more with the plentiful chances they created. Another attack, with Iwobi again teaming up with Robinson, saw the left back aim a pass across the six-yard box half a yard ahead of the onrushing Pereira, who had Lindelof on his back scrambling to recover ground. Before then, Iwobi should have made of a chance as the goal opened up with Muniz dragging Raphael Varane after United were cut open and Onana had to be at full stretch to keep out a bending shot from the superb Pereira after Casemiro had been dispossessed by the razor sharp Lukic.
The most contentious moment of the first period came in the 36th when Harry Maguire caught Lukic thick on the ankle and was booked for his trouble. Any higher on the United defender would have been off.
Fulham began the second half like they played for much of the first – proactive, on the front foot, with purpose and intensity. They probably could not believe how much a tepid United kept backing off and the goal when it did come was richly deserved. Pereira’s corner was met by a shot from Calvin Bassey that was blocked by his own team-mate, Timothy Castagne. But Castagne had the good mind to leave the ball as it fell back into the path of Bassey to rifle into the roof of the net.