Fulham drew 1-1 with Manchester United in the Premier League's fifth round of matches on Sunday at Craven Cottage. The result leaves both sides in the lower half of the table, though the gap between them remains significant. By then, the match had settled into a pattern neither side could break.
Josh King picked up a yellow card just before half-time, followed by Timothy Castagne shortly after the restart. Lisandro Martínez turned the ball into his own net in the 63rd minute, giving Fulham a lead they would not surrender. There were plenty of changes — Oscar Bobb and Alex Iwobi came on together, then Sander Berge and Marcus Rashford, with Gonzalo García, Josh King, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw all entering the fray.
And here's the thing about the second half — it was Manchester United who finished it. Matheus Cunha's goal in the 89th minute cancelled out Martínez's error. Rodrigo Muniz received a yellow card for his troubles in the 85th minute, but the damage was already done. The visitors clawed their way back from a goal down, though to be fair they had been in control for long stretches.
Fulham had 43 per cent possession but created more with their feet. They registered 1.57 expected goals against 1.41 for United, and their six shots on target matched the visitors. United had 57 per cent of the ball and 13 corners to Fulham's three, yet their shots accuracy sat at 21 per cent. Many chances went begging when one goal was on offer.
The result keeps Fulham rooted to 20th place with one point from four games. Manchester United remain 13th on four points, a difference that feels wider than the table suggests. These are the kind of matches where the standings go out of the window, but points accumulate regardless.
We had backed Fulham to win at 39 per cent confidence. The match didn't go that way — United's ability to respond after going behind was the factor that broke the prediction. Sometimes the game refuses to follow the script.
