EPL: Man Utd draw Fulham 1-1 as pressure mounts on Carrick

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Manchester United rescued a 1-1 draw against Fulham thanks to Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser on Sunday, but the pressure is mounting on boss Michael Carrick after their latest lacklustre display.

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Carrick’s side were in dire need of a victory at Craven Cottage but instead left grateful for a point.

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United fell behind in the second half to a farcical own goal from Lisandro Martinez, who diverted the ball into his own net after Senne Lammens had saved Calvin Bassey’s shot.

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Although Cunha’s last-gasp leveller spared United from a third successive defeat, there was little reason for celebration for Carrick and his beleaguered team.

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United have just one win in five Premier League matches and already trail leaders Manchester City by 10 points.

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They have lost three of their first seven games in all competitions this season and head into the international break with Carrick under intense scrutiny.

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Carrick has insisted that he does not care about his future at Old Trafford.

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But after successive gut-punch defeats against Manchester City and Brighton, this was another setback to his reeling regime.

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Shell-shocked by Erling Haaland’s winner for City in last weekend’s derby — which the referees’ governing body later admitted should have been disallowed — United blew a 2-0 lead against Brighton in the League Cup third round on Wednesday.

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Barely escaping with a draw against second-from-bottom Fulham was another indignity in a season already full of forgettable moments for United.

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Expected to at least match last season’s third place finish, United have gone backwards since Carrick was appointed as manager on a permanent basis following his successful interim spell.

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United return to action with a home game against bottom of the table Tottenham on October 10, with Carrick and Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi both desperate for a win that would turn the tide.

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Fatal cocktail

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Foreshadowing their afternoon of struggle, United were fortunate not to fall behind in the opening moments when Fulham forward Gonzalo Garcia dragged his shot wide from a dangerous position.

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That narrow escape triggered a response from United as Bruno Fernandes picked out Martinez for a stinging strike from the edge of the penalty area, forcing Bernd Leno to make a superb save.

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United went close again when Cunha pulled his pass back to Fernandes, whose fierce strike cannoned off the post.

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But United were jittery at the back and Josh King’s half-volley forced a good save from Lammens before the goalkeeper denied Sander Berge with another smart stop.

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Oscar Bobb should have beaten Lammens moments later, but he was off target with a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

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With United far too open, Fulham poured forward in waves in the closing minutes of the first half.

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Lammens had to claw away another blast from King, then raced off his line to frustrate Alex Iwobi as the pressure mounted.

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United’s lack of drive and cutting edge, combined with some shambolic defending, provided a fatal cocktail that led to Fulham’s opener.

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After Cunha carelessly conceded possession deep inside United’s half, Carrick’s men were slow to react as Bassey unloaded a powerful strike which was palmed out by Lammens.

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Martinez tried to clear the ball but his bizarrely mistimed swipe directed the ball back into his own net via a deflection off the despairing Lammens.

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Leno kept out Bryan Mbeumo’s curler and plunged to his left to save Cunha’s low drive as United tried desperately to salvage a point.

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United’s late flurry brought an equaliser in the 89th minute.

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Cunha tried his luck from distance and his shot took a wicked deflection off David Affengruber. For once, Carrick’s luck was in.

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AFP

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