Man Utd 1-2 Fulham: Player ratings as late Iwobi strike stuns Red Devils

Manchester United fell to a bitterly disappointing defeat on Saturday as Fulham ran out deserved 2-1 winners at Old Trafford.

Despite a thoroughly entertaining and open first half in Manchester, neither side managed to grab the lead heading into the break. However, Calvin Bassey would open the scoring after the restart, with Harry Maguire producing an 88th-minute equaliser.

But there was one more twist at Old Trafford, with Alex Iwobi converting a wonderful Fulham counter-attack in the seventh minute of stoppage time to claim all three points for the visitors and stun the Erik ten Hag's side.

How the game unfolded

Man Utd were aiming to make it five Premier League wins on the bounce when they welcomed Fulham to Old Trafford, but it was the visitors who made the brighter start to proceedings, with Iwobi putting two early shots just wide of Andre Onana's post.

Rodrigo Muniz was the next Fulham player to threaten the Man Utd goal, his near-post header forcing a save from Onana. The Cameroonian could only push the effort straight into the path of Sasa Lukic, but the ball ricocheted off the midfielder's midriff and trickled wide.

Despite Fulham's early dominance, the hosts came incredibly close to taking the lead before the half hour mark. The Cottagers failed to deal with a Bruno Fernandes free kick, with the ball eventually finding Alejandro Garnacho in the box and the Argentine seeing his effort headed off the line by Antonee Robinson.

Both sides were showing plenty of threat in the final third as the game began to open up towards the latter stages of the first half, with Diogo Dalot and Muniz striking the woodwork within two minutes of one another following sharp efforts.

The first half somehow ended goalless at Old Trafford, with former Man Utd midfielder Andreas Pereira seeing his curling strike tipped wide just before the break and Garnacho having a near identical effort rebuffed by Bernd Leno just two minutes later.

Fulham continued to press and probe after the restart and were once again guilty of wasting a promising opening ten minutes into the second half. Robinson was released in acres of space down the left and fired a lovely ball across the face of goal, with Pereira just a yard short of tapping into an empty net.

However, the Cottagers would eventually manage to take a deserved lead 20 minutes after the break and it unsurprisingly came from a corner. Fulham had tested Man Utd from set pieces all afternoon and Bassey was on hand to fire home a powerful effort after his initial strike was blocked by his own teammate.

Man Utd were woken up by falling behind heading into the final 20 minutes at Old Trafford, Fernandes and Marcus Rashford seeing efforts saved by Leno in the Fulham goal as they began to turn up the heat.

However, the more the hosts pushed, the more space Fulham had on the break. Marco Silva's side almost grabbed a second on the counter-attack ten minutes from time, but Harry Wilson's bending strike curled just wide of Onana's post.

Despite being outplayed for much of the afternoon, Man Utd thought they had snatched a late equaliser, Maguire sliding into an empty net after Leno spilled a fairly tame Fernandes effort from range.

However, Fulham showed incredible resolve to go up the other end and produce a late winner, Iwobi converting a sweeping breakaway. The Nigeria international cut back in on his right foot following Adama Traore's pass and slammed home to silence a shocked Old Trafford and punish a dismal Man Utd display.

Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Andre Onana - 7/10 - Unfortunately for Man Utd, he was heavily involved at Old Trafford. The much-maligned goalkeeper made some crucial stops and was left too exposed by his defence.

RB: Diogo Dalot - 5/10 - Came closest for the hosts in the first half with a tidy effort that clipped the outside of Leno's post. Questionable defensively as he was often overloaded on the Man Utd right.

CB: Raphael Varane - 5/10 - Man Utd's backline didn't exude confidence and Varane was some way off his best.

CB: Harry Maguire - 6/10 - Arguably could have been sent off for a nasty lunge on Lukic, with the Englishman looking far too slow and cumbersome in and out of possession. Grabbed a late goal to somewhat save his poor performance.

LB: Victor Lindelof - 5/10 - Didn't cover himself in glory for the opening goal and was not entirely comfortable playing on the left side of the defence.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10 - Offered very little help by teammates as Fulham repeatedly sliced through Man Utd's open midfield.

CM: Casemiro - 4/10 - Remains an extremely talented individual with the ball at his feet, but he was so easily bypassed by Fulham's midfield. A poor display from the Brazilian, who was substituted early in the second period after a clash of heads.

RM: Omari Forson - 6/10 - A first start for Man Utd but not a particularly memorable performance from the youngster, who wasn't too involved in proceedings.

AM: Bruno Fernandes - 6/10 - A decent performance from the Portuguese who grew into the game after Man Utd fell behind. His shot forced Maguire's leveller, but he didn't do enough to influence the match.

LM: Alejandro Garnacho - 6/10 - The tricky winger was consistently Man Utd's sharpest forward and at least looked to make things happen in the final third. Drifted late in the match.

ST: Marcus Rashford - 5/10 - Anonymous throughout as he struggled down the middle. A disappointing display.

Substitutes

SUB: Scott McTominay (52' for Casemiro) - 6/10 - Unable to be the super sub he so often has been this season.

SUB: Christian Eriksen (52' for Forson) - 5/10 - Didn't make a significant impact in either half after coming on and he failed to win the midfield battle.

SUB: Amad Diallo (80' for Mainoo) - 6/10

SUB: Antony (90' for Lindelof) - N/A

Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Willy Kambwala, Jonny Evans, Toby Collyer, Sofyan Amrabat.

Manager

Erik ten Hag - 4/10 - A woeful display from his players despite their impressive recent form. Disjointed, sluggish and were bullied by Fulham from much of the game. Deservedly came away with nothing.

Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Bernd Leno - 6/10 - The German is often Fulham's saviour and he produced some fine stops at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, his late error almost proved costly.

RB: Timothy Castagne - 7/10 - Not tested too often by Man Utd's misfiring forward but stood up to the task when called upon.

CB: Tosin Adarabioyo - 7/10 - Spurned some decent chances from corners, but was very solid in the centre of defence.

CB: Calvin Bassey - 8/10 - A commanding display from the former Rangers man, who was relieved to be up against Rashford instead of Rasmus Hojlund. Scored a lovely goal or the Cottagers.

LB: Antonee Robinson - 7/10 - As expected with the defender, he raced into the Man Utd half regularly, constantly looking to provide an option in the final third. The final ball was a little wayward at times, but he caused the defence plenty of issues.

CM: Sasa Lukic - 7/10 - Replacing the suspended Joao Palhinha is a difficult task, but he performed admirably in the base of the midfield.

CM: Harrison Reed - 7/10 - A combative display from the midfielder, who fought for every ball. Received a few kicks for his troubles, but helped Fulham boss the centre of the pitch.

RM: Harry Wilson - 7/10 - Lacked a little end product in the final third despite some promising openings. Still a productive afternoon from the winger.

AM: Andreas Pereira - 7/10 - The former Red Devil was lively throughout on his old stomping ground and was frequently involved in orchestrating attacks.

LM: Alex Iwobi - 8/10 - Spurned some good opportunities in which he showed a lack of conviction. More than made up for it with a late winner in what was a great all-round display.

ST: Rodrigo Muniz - 8/10 - Man Utd's centre-backs couldn't contain him for large periods and he came within inches of putting the visitors ahead in the first half. A dominant forward display.

Substitutes

SUB: Tom Cairney (68' for Pereira) - 7/10

SUB: Adama Traore (77' for Reed) - 7/10

SUB: Issa Diop (81' for Wilson) - 6/10

Subs not used: Marek Rodak (GK), Tim Ream, Kenny Tete, Fode Ballo-Toure, Bobby De Cordova-Reid , Armando Broja.

Manager

Marco Silva - 8/10 - The Portuguese coach will have been impressed by his side's quality and application in Manchester, with the Cottagers running out as deserved winners with a brilliant display.

Player of the match: Alex Iwobi (Fulham)

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