Manchester United draws 1-1 with Fulham as pressure intensifies on Carrick

Manchester United salvaged a 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, 20 September 2026, after Matheus Cunha's deflected equalizer in the 89th minute prevented a third consecutive defeat. United fell behind to a farcical own goal from Lisandro Martinez in the 63rd minute, when he diverted Calvin Bassey's shot past goalkeeper Senne Lammens after the initial save. Despite the point, the performance has intensified scrutiny on manager Michael Carrick, whose team has won only one of five Premier League matches this season and trails leaders Manchester City by 10 points.

United's start to the 2026-27 season has matched their joint-worst points total after five matches in the Premier League era, with five points from five games equaling the mark set by Louis van Gaal's side in 2014-15. The draw followed defeats to Manchester City in the previous week's derby—a goal later acknowledged by the referees' governing body as shouldering have been disallowed—and a two-goal collapse against Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round midweek. Carrick's team has lost three of their first seven games across all competitions.

The performance drew sharp criticism from former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who was commentating for Sky Sports. Neville described the opening 15 minutes of the second half as "the worst 15 minutes I have ever seen Manchester United play" and said the team showed "a genuine disgrace" in their lack of defensive shape and effort. He criticized the team's passivity in possession, noting they were "walking" rather than remaining alert, and highlighted structural problems with the squad's formation, suggesting too many attacking players lacked defensive discipline.

Carrick adopted a more measured tone in his post-match comments, citing fine margins that have worked against his side this season. "It's pretty fine margins that have flipped it," he said, referencing contentious decisions and unlucky circumstances. "I know we can do better; we need to do better at certain things. But I'm not despondent because I think we've shown some good signs as well." Matheus Cunha, United's goalscorer, acknowledged the team's shortcomings, stating they lacked energy and cannot accept such performances.

Fulham, under new manager Álvaro Arbeloa, remain winless in their league campaign. Arbeloa has become the first Fulham manager to fail to win any of his first four league games in charge since Scott Parker in March/April 2019. The Cottagers, second-from-bottom in the table, offered little attacking threat despite largely controlling possession in the second half before United's late rally. United face an extended international break before returning to action on 10 October against bottom-of-the-table Tottenham.