Key events
“Also on the ‘save our concession’ banner,” writes David Wall, “by making nitpicking cuts to try to plug holes in the outgoings rather than looking at the Glazers’ debt and dividends, is Ratcliffe attempting new adventures in hi-fi(nance).”
I’m not sure, but at some point there’s got to be a Reckoning.
“United’s defence of that corner,” says Richard Wood. “Stand in the place where you are.”
Someone in the ground just messaged me wondering if it was corner and looking again, it might well have come off Pereira not Fernandes. Fulham won’t care.
HALF-TIME: Manchester United 0-1 Fulham
A miserable half of football, but now we’ve got a goal, perhaps it’ll improve. Or, er, perhaps not.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Fulham (Bassey 45+1)
All united need to do is see this ball away and they cannot. Pereira swings out, Muniz is there before Ugarte then Bassey, peeling off at the far post, is there before Mazraoui, guiding past Onana from close range with head and shoulder. In his first FA Cup game, he’s scored his first FA Cup goal!
45 min Bit of possession for Fulham, Traore feeding one in behind for Castagne, whose cross is blocked behind by Bruno. Corner with the first half almost over … which Maguire heads clear. But the visitors soon win another as the fourth official signals there’s to be one minute of additional time.
43 min “Pathetic game so far,” says Duncan Edwards. “Meanwhile there’s talk of restricting the time that goalies can hold the ball and I’m all in favour. Is it me or has there also been a creep up in players not retreating 10 yards at free kicks, and throw-ins taking a fortnight?”
And, if you’re Arsenal, over corners. I too think this is a good change, all the more so given teams have now realised good set-pieces are part of their job and also extremely rewarding.
42 min Given Fulham kicked off, we can only assume United opted not to attack the Stretford End in the second half as per tradition. I wonder if that’s to lessen the pressure on them; what a sorry state of affairs that’d be.
40 min This time, Fulham clear properly and United build again, Bruno swinging over a terrific ball from the right, Zirkzee stealing a yard off Bassey – imagine his shame! – to extend a leg and poke wide of the near post. Good effort but never likely to result in a goal.
39 min The corner is half-cleared, Pereira heading out to Ugarte on the edge, and his hooked shot is deflected behind.
38 min But as I type, Iwobi drifts a lovely ball into the box and, arriving late, Lukic races on to it, but he can’t get over it hard though he tries, heading over the top. United immediately go down the other end and force a corner.
37 min This started promisingly, with both sides looking to score, but now we know neither is good enough, it’s become pretty dull.
36 min United are missing Garnacho’s pace and enterprise. They’re back to not creating, rather than creating and missing.
35 min Onana catches the corner and with 10 minutes left in the half, we’ve still to see a serious scoring opportunity.
34 min Fulham win a free-kick inside the United half, Pereira pinging in behind, before Mazraoui opts to concede a corner.
33 min But where there’s Onana and Mauire there’s hope, and they almost get in each other’s road when Casatagne curls in an ostensibly poor cross, the keeper seizing at the second time of asking.
31 min Bassey easily out-muscles Hojlund, who doesn’t – yet? – know how to use his size, then collides with Mazraoui. Neither side looks to have any idea how to score.
30 min “Re the opening photo,” begins Ian Sargeant, “which showed the ‘save our concession’ banner, are there any exceptions to the planned price rises at Old Trafford or are they automatic for the people?”
I’m not sure, but the Glazers are definitely out of time.
28 min The free-kick is poor and comes to nowt.
27 min Error after error, a poor backheel from Hojlund ruining an attack before Traore gives it away, fouls Bruno, and Pereira is booked for whinging.
26 min …then shoots straight into the wall, Robinson thrashing the rebound somewhere towards Droylsden.
25 min De Ligt gives it away to Pereira, who, carrying it forwards, is tripped by Ugaerte. He’s booked and will miss the next round if United progress; Fulham have a free-kick a few yards outside the box, left of centre. Lukic shoos Pereira away and takes aim…
24 min Another Fulham cross, another ball that’s easy for Onana to collect – Iwobi the culprit this time.
22 min United fans will wonder what Dorgu might’ve made of the passes De Ligt’s fizzed out to Dalot. One to watch but, in the meantime, we’ve a bit of a lull.
20 min “Mixed emotions today,” writes Robert Smilie. “Been a Utd fan all my life thanks to dad carrying out National Service in Manchester in the 50s and passing his love for them on to me. But have family connection to Fulham through great-granddad Billy Morrison who played for Fulham the last time they beat Utd in Cup.”
That was, I believe, in 1907-08; United came back the next season and won it for the first time in their history.
19 min Yet again, De Ligt hits Dalot with another excellent pass – this looks like a plan – but Dalot can’t control.
17 min Dalot takes a throw quickly and finds Eriksen, left side, just outside the box. He curls hard, but at saveable height, and a diving Leno shoves away.
16 min “United’s management of football in the last decade and the inevitable current fall brings to mind the immortal words of Stipe,” says Karen Asad. “Buy the sky and sell the sky/And bleed the sky and tell the sky/Don’t fall on me”.
The album from which that song comes, Life’s Rich Pageant, is, for mine, the best of the early years. A work of complete genius.
15 min Bruno sends one forward that Bassey misses and Hojlund collects well, but Andersen makes a telling challenge.
15 min Iwobi takes the ball and, just as Steve Wilson notes what a good season he’s having, runs the ball into touch.
14 min This is maturing into an entertaining encounter, as I type Eriksen pulling wide, taking a pass from Dalot and clipping a ball to the near post, Hojlund nicking a yard before driving wide.
12 min The corner, though, sees normal service resume, Fulham clearing easily.
11 min Another good ball swept out to Dalot by Onana and this time the cross is decent, just too hard for Zirkzee, then Ugarte catches Robinson in possession and feeds Bruno, whose shot is shovelled awkwardly around the post by Leno.
10 min Fulham are growing into this, Robinson moving by Mazraoui and looking to cross, but the defender gets back at him well, his block allowing Onana to claim.
9 min Pereira’s pass misses Munoz but winds up with Traore, who slows Dalot down, shifts it, and digs out a cross to the back post, but neither Pereira nor Muniz cam do anything with it.
8 min A mix-up between Yoro and Bruno gives Traore the ball, but United recover shape well and force Fulham back to Leno.
7 min First bit of Traore, who curls a cross directly into Onana’s arms.
6 min De Ligt spreads nicely to Dalot, who dips inside and shoots, directly at Lukic. I type these words advisedly, but United have started fairly well.
5 min Mazraoui sends a decent-looking pass down the line, so Bassey ragdolls Hojlund – for the first time this afternoon – and clears.
