Neville: Man United 'pathetic' in Fulham draw, Carrick must stop defending

Gary Neville called Manchester United's start to the second half at Fulham "the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen them play", after a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Lisandro Martinez put through his own net in that spell. Matheus Cunha's late deflected strike then saved a point and spared United a third straight league defeat. Neville, speaking on Sky Sports co-commentary, said: "I've watched Manchester United since the age of five, and it's the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen them play."

"Absolutely pathetic. They've walked for 15 minutes, and you get what you deserve in a football match. I've never seen a lack of effort for 15-20 minutes like I've seen there. What must he [Carrick] be thinking?"

His target was as much the manager as the players. Erik ten Hag had said there was nothing wrong with the team's energy, and Neville answered that directly: "Michael has got to stop defending them. I get why he's defending them; he's loyal, he wants his players to work for him, and obviously there's a long way to go in the season." According to the reports, Carrick rejected the "pathetic" charge and defended his players.

Neville also said he had "never seen a Man Utd team walk out of possession as much as that". Yahoo Sports backed it up with data. United have covered less distance at high intensity than any other Premier League side this season and are 20th for time spent at high intensity. They are bottom for the number of sprints and 20th for time spent sprinting. They are 17th for the share of time spent walking without the ball.

The draw leaves United with one win, two draws and two defeats from five league games. That is 5 points and 12th place. It follows a defeat by Manchester City last Sunday and an exit from the Carabao Cup in the third round against Brighton.

If the running numbers stay where they are, the argument between Neville and Carrick is unlikely to go away.