Man Utd 1-0 Fulham: Zirkzee scores winner on Premier League debut
Manchester United obtained off to glamorous ways in the 2024/25 Premier League season, outdistancing Fulham 1-0 numerous thanks to a late Joshua Zirkzee impartial.
After a summer of speculation and alteration behind the scenes, Erik ten Hag – preserved after glamorous the FA Cup against Manchester Municipal void – pined to start the season wearing a bang at a fraught Ratty Trafford.
United unveiled furnish in places yet gazed package to be irritated by Marco Silva’s Fulham, merely for Zirkzee to turn in a cross from other replacement Alejandro Garnacho in a late 1-0 win.
The Netherlands international did not farce around a minute of United’s pre-season friendlies, owning came in late obeying Euro 2024 and his 61st-minute initial proven advised.
Zirkzee, signed from Bologna, was lugged on as part of a twin alteration along with Garnacho, whose cross he prodded dwelling to address an opening-night task in the 87th minute.
It was some initial on a night that began wearing the Netherlands international and United’s 3 other summer signings being invited by the Ratty Trafford avid.
There was a genuinely feel-wonderful determinant about the progression, yet Fulham gazed unalarmed as Adama Traore improved down the appropriate and saw a cutback wound out by Red Wickedness ones debutant Noussair Mazraoui.
There was a hefty early grumble as Lisandro Martinez barged the speedy winger off the sphere, before United’s genuinely own fleet-footed wide male obtained bums off benches.
Amad Diallo’s fine luster at the expire of that run fell on deaf ears and Fulham penniless, wearing Kenny Tete’s 25-yard curler necessitating to be delegated by Andre Onana.
“We pine Glazers out” shouted devotees as co-owner Avram Glazer shadowed from the managers’ box wearing United arranging smart in places without inventing legible-wound probabilities.
Their initially came in the 29th minute as an fantastic press led Bernd Leno to cough up possession, merely for the goalkeeper to refute Bruno Fernandes after Casemiro had wound out his establish.
The Fulham inoculation-stopper spread himself once more to refute the United captain summarily after as rapid buildup farce around ended wearing Casemiro wonderfully slid in the Portuguese to render utilise away a inoculation.
The Brazil international headed appropriate wide and then volleyed far better off target as the initially half of the season ended scoreless.
Fulham unsteadied the hosts once the 2nd half obtained under approach and had a pair of half-probabilities from alcoves.
However United without standstill drank off that raggedness, wearing Mason Discover refuted after a Marcus Rashford bursted before Kobbie Mainoo discharged inches wide.
Fulham were owning to protect nicely yet were still inventing probabilities, wearing Onana dropping short a blocked Rodrigo Muniz looming kick looping in before some stupendous Harry Maguire securing.
The travellers had a two-on-one strategy, yet the centre-earlier clutched his progression and wound out former United midfielder Andreas Pereira’s sphere in the 66th minute.
Fulham once more gone beyond the Red Wickedness ones on the respite in the 74th minute, yet once a figure more they failed to capitalise. This time Martinez rendered the key treatment, mowing out Pereira’s sphere to the far article at the expire of a sweeping slide.
A Fernandes inoculation was tweezed out of the air by Leno as the clock injury down towards what appeared package to be a goalless draw.
However for the dilemmas United have under 10 Hag their pep can hardly ever before be inspected on your own and Zirkzee retrieved uncolored into it.
The newfangled arrival tinkered wide and ran into the box 3 minutes from time, elongating to uncolored Garnacho’s cross from the appropriate past Leno in front of the Stretford Expire.
Carrier Garnacho ought to have added to that impartial in stoppage time after Rashford’s selfless establish after a Calvin Bassey misstep yet the Argentina winger in some approach missed an responsive impartial.