Manchester United’s five things noticed vs Fulham, Rúben Amorim finally given what he’s been missing

Five things noticed as Manchester United secured a tight victory over Fulham during a cold Premier League fixture in West London on Sunday evening.

Rúben Amorim reinstated Rasmus Højlund to the starting line-up on Sunday evening as Manchester United faced Fulham away from home in the Premier League.

The tie started with United cautious, while Fulham had the majority of possession, and Alex Iwobi took some ambitious shots at André Onana’s goal, but to little effect.

United failed to create any significant chances in the first half, with Fulham standing strong in front of their goal and Amad failing to get past impressive left-back Antonee Robinson, who was marking him out of the fixture entirely.

In the second half, United failed to improve, with Højlund being taken off for Joshua Zirkzee with 30 minutes left to play and Amorim no doubt bewildered by his side’s performance once again.

However, United finally broke the deadlock as Martínez’s deflected shot from outside the area looped over Bernd Leno to hand Amorim a lead with 12 minutes to play. Amad notched a second in injury time that was then ruled out for offside, but the 1-0 win is a massive win for the club.

#1 – Amorim’s wing-back change

Amorim chose to swap the sides of his wing-backs against Fulham as Noussair Mazraoui started on the left, with Diogo Dalot back on his more natural right-hand side.

Mazraoui was handed the task of inverting very often while Dalot stuck the width on the right, but both players were ineffective in the first half.

Despite the change from Amorim, United’s wing-backs continued to be pretty uninspiring in attack, solidifying United’s need for replacements this month.

#2 – United’s first half curse continues

United have failed to score from open play during the first half of a fixture since 7 December, when Højlund netted against Nottingham Forest in the 18th minute of a 3-2 loss at Old Trafford.

Against Fulham, once again the side failed to score, with many labelling the opening 45 minutes as one of the most boring halves of football so far under Amorim, with neither side effective.

United had just one shot in the first half, with Matthijs de Ligt’s soft header in the 42nd minute failing to put much threat on Leno’s goal, with the German collecting it with ease.

#3 – United’s defence must be applauded

United’s fixture against Fulham produced their first clean sheet since 1 December, when the club defeated Everton 4-0 at Old Trafford.

United were organised against Fulham, and although the home team still got several shots off, none were too threatening to Onana, and when crosses came in, they dealt with them well.

Special shouts must be given to Toby Collyer for his goal-line clearance to keep the lead at a crucial time, but in general, Amorim will be happy for how United defended on the night.

#4 – Some luck finally went United’s way

Although United’s performances have not warranted much more than the results have produced, it must be said that luck has not gone Amorim’s way, either.

However, against Fulham, United finally got their luck as Martínez’s deflected effort grabbed their win and Collyer being in the right place for his clearance, as well as Rodrigo Muniz misfiring a few times at the end.

Read More: Player Ratings – Fulham 0-1 Manchester United (Premier League)

Amorim will be praying for more luck, but as the old adage goes, United need to force their own luck, but for the Fulham game, the 39-year-old was finally given what he’s been needing.

#5 – A drab but much-needed win

United’s victory over Fulham will not be one for the history books, but in the short term, it’s a massive win for Amorim and his men.

It’s only United’s third away win of the season and their first since they defeated Manchester City in December, and it will help inspire the players that they will be able to recover from their poor form for a better second half of the season.

United’s win means they have now moved up to 12th in the Premier League table.

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