Fulham boss Marco Silva revels in Old Trafford win: “We were the better team” | OneFootball

Manchester United 1-2 Fulham

Fulham recorded their first victory at Old Trafford in over twenty years on Saturday as Marco Silva’s men earned a dramatic late three points over Manchester United in the Premier League.

The Cottagers got their reward for an impressive second-half performance at the Theatre of Dreams, giving Silva his first-ever win at the stadium despite the absence of suspended Portugal midfielder João Palhinha.

The first half ended goalless after few clearcut chances, although United's Seleção full-back Diogo Dalot struck the outside of the post with a good effort from distance. After the sides reappeared from the interval, the visitors took the initiative and were worth their lead when Calvin Bassey (65’) smashed the ball past Andre Onana inside the box following a corner.

United rallied and the home side’s pressure resulted in Harry Maguire’s 89th-minute equaliser, which appeared to set the Red Devils up to probe for a winner as 9 minutes of stoppage time were signalled. However, Silva’s introduction of Spanish winger Adama Traore had given Fulham a greater threat on the break and their final venture forward on 97 minutes resulted in Alex Iwobi calmly slotting a winner, following Traore's pass to cap a well-executed transition.

“It’s an incredible feeling, big win for us,” Silva told the club’s media after the game. “Okay the three points are the most important thing in football and speak louder than all the other things, but we won this afternoon because we were the better team on the pitch. Clearly the best team. Of course, in some moments there was a reaction from Man United, but we controlled the game. We didn’t just come here and defend – we controlled the game in our way.

“The first half was really balanced but much better chances for us. The way we started the first 20-25 minutes, we played in the offensive half at Old Trafford and we controlled the game. Of course, after the 1-0 for us the reaction from them is normal and the crowd push them.

“[We were] a little bit unlucky to concede their goal, normally we would put that player in an offside position. But the reaction [from us] was really good, we always believed we can go for the second. In that moment it was a Premier League game, a little bit of a crazy game, both teams trying to win the match. And we won. The details this afternoon played for us.”

The memorable victory sees Fulham in a comfortable mid-table position, occupying 12th place with a twelve-point gap between them and the relegation zone. Next up for Silva’s men is a tricky home meeting with Brighton and Hove Albion at Craven Cottage next Saturday.

By @SeanGillen9