Manchester United Salvages Draw at Fulham Amidst Criticism

United clung to a point at Craven Cottage, but the scoreline was just about the only thing that flattered them.

A late, deflected strike from Matheus Cunha salvaged a 1-1 draw against Fulham and spared Michael Carrick from a third straight league defeat. It also papered over an opening that bordered on farcical: Lisandro Martinez turning the ball into his own net to hand the hosts an early lead and set the tone for another disjointed United display.

The equaliser changed the result. It did nothing for the mood.

Neville tears into United’s work rate

On Sky Sports co-commentary, club legend Gary Neville watched United shuffle their way through long spells in west London and could barely believe what he was seeing.

The target of his frustration was clear. Not just the players, but Carrick’s public defence of them.

“Michael has got to stop defending them,” Neville said, his patience plainly gone. “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.

“Michael is of course saying something different to us than he is saying privately. That would've really worried me. People will ask questions about him, but he knew that when he took the job. But there's no panic in that sense - no one is putting pressure on Carrick - but if those types of performances continue, he will find himself in a lot of trouble. They've got to work harder than that for him.”

The numbers will show United took a point. The images were of red shirts ambling, not hunting, without the ball.

“Mannequins” at Craven Cottage

This flat outing followed back-to-back setbacks: a league defeat to Manchester City and a Carabao Cup collapse against Brighton. The pattern is starting to harden, and Neville did not bother softening his language.

“I've never seen a Man Utd team walk out of possession as much as that,” he said, dissecting United’s lethargy. Carrick had just insisted there was “nothing wrong” with his side’s energy. Neville flatly disagreed.

“Michael has just said there was nothing wrong with the team's energy.

“Both teams were the same. I called them mannequins. I've never seen a United team walk around as much as that. No alertness, no aliveness. No 'on your toes'. You should always be on your toes.

“I'm always very careful to say that, but in those first 15 minutes of that second half, Man Utd and generally for the first 60 minutes, were a genuine disgrace. Nowhere near good enough without the ball.”

Fulham did not need to be spectacular to dominate possession and territory for long spells. United allowed it. They watched too often, chased too rarely.

Cunha’s late goal stops the bleeding on the league table. It does not quiet the questions Neville has thrown into the open: how long can Carrick protect this group in public if they keep walking through games like this?