Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) failed to convert a penalty as Fulham came from behind to claim a well-deserved draw against Manchester United.
Here’s what we saw at Craven Cottage.
BRUNO MISSES PEN
Bruno Fernandes missed a crucial penalty on Sunday, as he blazed his spot-kick over the crossbar.
The Portuguese had previously bumped into referee Chris Kavanagh, but insisted the official was not to blame for his miss.
“I was upset. As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines, your own things that you do. It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment, but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty.” – Bruno Fernandes
Bruno netted two penalties in pre-season, suggesting he will continue as United’s primary penalty taker. However, this is a situation to keep an eye on, especially considering Bryan Mbeumo’s (£8.0m) proficiency from the spot.
Away from the penalty, which was awarded when Calvin Bassey (£4.5m) threw Mason Mount (£6.0m) to the ground, it wasn’t the most productive of afternoons for Fernandes, as he created just one chance from a deeper midfield role (see image below).
He did, at least, provide defensive contribution (DefCon) points, which essentially cancelled out his penalty miss.
CUNHA’S CHANCES
United started brightly in west London, with Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) firing over and hitting the base of the post within the opening minutes.
Bernd Leno (£5.0m) later made a brilliant one-on-one stop to deny the Brazilian.
It means Cunha has registered seven shots across the first two Gameweeks, the most of any United player:
Cunha and his teammates clearly need to become more clinical, but the chemistry is building ahead of next week’s home clash with newly-promoted Burnley.
United carried less of an attacking threat in the second half, but they did go ahead in the 58th minute, when Leny Yoro’s (£4.5m) header cannoned in off Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m).
The Frenchman’s header arrived from an Mbeumo corner.
SESKO “NEEDS TIME”
Benjamin Sesko (£7.5m) has now been a substitute in two consecutive matches.
He made his entrance in the 53rd minute on Sunday, prompting Mount to move back into central midfield alongside Fernandes. However, Sesko concluded Gameweek 2 without registering a shot, having only touched the ball 19 times.
Ruben Amorim later admitted that Sesko “needs time” to adapt to life at Old Trafford:
“I think he needs time. It’s not easy sometimes when you are on the bench and you get into the game and the game is really fast. I think he is understanding that the game is faster than the Bundesliga. But he’s fighting. He had some good connections with his team-mates. I felt that when he was on the pitch, he wasn’t on in our best moment. That can change the way you see a player. I am very happy as you can see his effort. We need to help him, we need to be in a better moment to help him.” – Ruben Amorim on Benjamin Sesko
Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m) deserves a brief mention as well.
He effectively organised the United defence during the match and has now earned DefCon points in both of his appearances this season. Despite not securing a clean sheet, he has accumulated 11 points, having claimed the maximum bonus at Craven Cottage.
Sunday’s result leaves United winless in two matches. Given that next week’s home meeting with Burnley is followed by Manchester City and Chelsea, it feels doubly important.
SMITH ROWE IMPACT
Emile Smith Rowe (£5.9m) made the difference for Fulham, as he ghosted into the box to tap home Alex Iwobi’s (£6.5m) cross with his first touch.
The substitute had only been on the pitch for 96 seconds, after taking the place of £4.5m midfielder Josh King.
Smith Rowe’s impact off the bench could put pressure on the youngster in Gameweek 3, although it is worth noting the two did feature in the same team together in pre-season, with the former Arsenal man playing off the left instead.
King did pretty well before his withdrawal, too, with his prodded effort smothered by Altay Bayindir (£5.0m).
Another couple of subs, Antonee Robinson (£5.0m) and Harry Wilson (£5.5m), brought further energy upon their introduction.
Fulham mirrored United’s back three formation on Sunday, with Kenny Tete (£4.5m) tucked in as a third centre-half and Timothy Castagne (£4.5m) and Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m) deployed as wing-backs.
The strategy effectively nullified the threat of United’s two No 10s, Mbeumo and Mount.
It also afforded Fulham an extra man in central midfield, with Iwobi thriving as a result.
“We knew that we would be able to get behind their two midfielders and that their centre-backs would want to jump. We exploited that today.” – Alex Iwobi
It was a fluid set-up, however. At one point, Marco Silva tweaked the formation, moving Castagne to right midfield and returning to a back four.
Elsewhere, Muniz was included up front, with Raul Jimenez (£6.5m) dropping to the bench.
On the DefCons front, Fulham’s Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and Sasa Lukic (£5.0m) both hit the required threshold.
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