Manchester United draw with Fulham as Fernandes skies penalty | OneFootball

Bruno Fernandes missed from the penalty spot as Manchester United failed to notch up a record ninth successive league win at Craven Cottage, with Lenny Yoro’s opening goal equalised by Emile Smith-Rowe within 90 seconds of going on as a second-half substitute for Fulham.

United‘s woes in front of goal continued despite their expensively reassembled forward line, and their only goal of the season so far has been a scruffy one, with Yoro’s header deflected into his own goal by Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz.

Once again Ruben Amorim decided there was no place for Benjamin Sesko in United’s starting line-up, which meant Matheus Cunha was tasked with leading the line, and the former Wolves forward could have had a hat-trick in the opening 15 minutes.

After shooting over the bar from 25 yards in the opening moments, the Brazilian then struck the base of the woodwork with a drilled shot following a swift counter-attack. Ten minutes later, it was a more direct approach as Cunha ran on to Altay Bayindir’s long ball forward, and although the United forward struck his volley fiercely, Bernd Leno made an excellent save from close range to tip the ball away for a corner.

Fulham had their chances too. Ryan Sessegnon slipped a ball forward to put Josh King clear, but the teenager’s flick was saved by Bayindir’s outstretched left leg. The Turkish keeper did well to stop an Alex Iwobi volley that flew through a thicket of legs, but looked less commanding coming for crosses and corner kicks. With Andre Onana again left out, it looks like Senne Lammens could walk straight into the team if the Belgian’s proposed transfer from Royal Antwerp is completed this week.

But United have more pressing problems in attack. Having failed to turn plenty of chances into a goal against Arsenal last week, they struggled at Fulham, even when presented with the gift of a penalty, awarded after VAR’s intervention in the 35th minute.

Referee Chris Kavanagh initially saw nothing wrong with an outbreak of WWE style-grappling as Fulham defended a corner, but after reviewing a pitchside monitor, he spotted Calvin Bassey throwing Mason Mount to the ground. Fulham fans booed the decision loudly, but cheered even louder when Fernandes blasted his shot high over the bar into the Hammersmith End.

The United captain had scored 38 of his previous 42 penalties for the club, so this was an unwelcome collector’s item for him.

When United finally found the net, Lenny Yoro’s header from a Bryan Mbeumo corner in the 58th minute took a huge deflection off Muniz to beat Leno.

Yoro played a key role in defence too, not least with a superb tackle to hook the ball away from King’s toes as the teenager ran in on goal. Within two minutes of King being replaced by Smith-Rowe, the former Arsenal man hit Fulham’s equaliser.

Iwobi chipped in a cross from the left towards Raul Jiminez, who failed to make contact. But Smith-Rowe timed his run perfectly to nip in at the near post and poke the ball past Bayindir from five yards.

Harry Maguire missed a chance to nick three points for United after replacing Yoro with three minutes to go, but headed Mbeumo’s corner wide.