Manchester United failed to pick up three points against Fulham despite taking the lead at Craven Cottage.
A 1-1 draw against Fulham means Manchester United remain winless in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
Leny Yoro appeared to score the first goal of the season for the Red Devils with a deflected header from a corner. It officially went down as an own goal.
This came after Bruno Fernandes missed a crucial penalty in the first half. Like they did against Arsenal, United started quickly and were the better side, with Matheus Cunha producing a “brilliant” moment early on when he plucked the ball out of the sky and tested Bernd Leno.
Unfortunately, United were unable to build on their lead and conceded an equaliser to Emile Smith Rowe, and one player in particular will be extra disappointed.
Ruben Amorim in deep thought on Manchester United bench vs Fulham.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Matthijs de Ligt is becoming a ‘titan’ under Ruben Amorim
Last season, Matthijs de Ligt was a “titan” against Fulham and once again he was the best player on the pitch at Craven Cottage.
That claim is backed up by SofaScore, who gave Matthijs de Ligt an 8.4 rating – the highest of any player.
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De Ligt once again started over Harry Maguire in the central defender role in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Minutes played 90
Touches 53
Passes completed 95% (37/39)
Ground duels won 100% (1/1)
Aerial duels won 55% (5/9)
Possessions lost 2
Dribbled past 0
Clearances 6
Tackles 1
Matthijs de Ligt stats for Man United vs Fulham.
The Dutch defender was superb in possession, boasting a 95% pass completion rate – only Amad Diallo had a better rate.
Out of possession, De Ligt starred again by not losing a single ground duel, and not being dribbled past even once.
Glenn Hoddle argued that De Ligt had his best game for United against Arsenal last week, and he carried his strong performance into the Fulham match.
De Ligt’s strong display was ruined by one moment, when he chose to leave Alex Iwobi’s cross, instead of clearing it. Emile Smith Rowe nipped in to score an equaliser.
It is small moments like these that are costing United right now.
Matthijs de Ligt is a future leader at Man United
It has been widely claimed that Leny Yoro can be one of the world’s best defenders if he lives up to his incredible potential, but it is often forgotten that De Ligt only recently turned 26 years old.
De Ligt is entering his prime years and he is quickly becoming one of the first names on Amorim’s team sheet.
De Ligt is a former Golden Boy winner and he now looks settled at United and well adapted to Premier League football. In De Ligt and Yoro, Amorim has two extremely exciting centre-backs.
READ MORE: ‘You will see’ – Matthijs de Ligt says ‘explosive’ Man United signing is about to get even better
Amorim’s six-man leadership group does not include De Ligt, but the Dutch international has shown leadership at the back, and as a former Ajax captain, he has the credentials to become a leader at Old Trafford.
While United may only have one point on the board, the Red Devils have also only conceded two goals in two matches – a record that suggests overall the defence is improving.