**Fulham**are still looking for their first win in the Premier League this term after a 1-1 draw with Man United. Marco Silva has seen many close contests with the Red Devils, and this was no exception. Optimism is still high, but there remains work to do to ensure momentum rolls forward.
Here are four things we learned from this stalemate at Craven Cottage.
Midfield management balances the battle
The Red Devils entered this clash with the attitude of a group with a point to prove. Their first 15 minutes indicated that the buzz from first day at **Old Trafford**was not a flash in the pan. Matheus Cunha came close twice to scoring, and the heightened fitness from preseason is paying dividends.
But the furious opening died down in impact, and the Cottagers were clever enough to take away the threat. At the heart of this shift was the tactical interaction between the two teams on the field.
**Ruben Amorim**refuses to move away from his 5-2-3 formation. With an attack that includes Mason Mount,, they can be more aggressive from the front, and defenders try to jump aggressively to close the gaps around the double pivot. But without that help, the numbers game will work against them.
Silva tasked Alex Iwobi to move between the lines. The winger is someone who suits inside spaces, and he would eventually get the assist for the equaliser. However, the plan also placed an academy graduate in an ideal position to prove that he is ready to earn more minutes in the Premier League.
**Josh King**played in the middle of the park once more after he started against Brighton. From a high position off the striker, he showed he has the intelligence to get free in pockets of space and blends that sense of separation with the change of speed to run away from his markers and generate a threat.
Substitutes stand up to be counted
For the second week in a row, **Fulham**had to bounce back from going a goal behind. Heads might have dropped after **Leny Yoro**put his hands into **Calvin Bassey**and buried a header with impunity.
But there would be a response. Harry Wilson would replace Timothy Castagne for the final half hour, and EmileSmith Rowe**** replaced King. Within moments of his entry, the attacking midfielder made his mark on the match, connecting with a cross from Iwobi to level the score in the 73rd minute.
Smith Rowe has a reputation for being injury-prone, and he is not the hardest worker when it comes to moving off the ball. However, the one outstanding trait in his toolbox is finishing in the penalty area.
At a time when the pressure was building, he drifted off the back of Bruno Fernandes to break the lines and ghosted onto the delivery undetected in his signature style. This is not a new narrative.
The game was drifting away from the Cottagers at the Amex Stadium on the opening matchday. But they made their pressure count in injury time with a back-post finish from Rodrigo Muniz.
Silva saw his reserves score 17 times last term in the Premier League. He has built a unit that can enforce balanced game states and allow his options off the bench to tip the tide. But they must also be in the right headspace and have the right characteristics to contribute and so credit must go to them.
Silva deserves a stronger squad
**Fulham**should be feeling good. They came into this season with a record tally of 54 points from their last campaign and have avoided defeat at **Craven Cottage**against the Red Devils for the first time in 15 years. However, there is reason to worry that the juice might run out for the Cottagers quite soon.
Benjamin Lecomte is the only man to walk through the door this summer. He arrived for a fee of £500,000 from Montpellier, acting as a second-choice shot stopper behind Bernd Leno in the squad.
**Willian**has left after his second spell with the team, and **Carlos Vinicius**has also departed, both running down their deals with the club. That means the options are running thin on the ground.
Iwobi is an integral piece of the puzzle, drifting through the centre of the pitch to link and create, whether he starts as a number ten or from the left wing. But he will set sail for AFCON next year with Nigeria, leaving only **Harry Wilson**and Adama Traore as wide options to fill in for him in January.
Timothy Castagne could drop in as a right wing-back, but the numbers are not ideal to work with.
On the other flank, **Calvin Bassey**deputised as a left back at Brighton. Ryan Sessegnon was back from his hamstring niggle, and Antonee Robinson returned from rehab after postseason surgery on his knee. However, **Fulham**are playing with fire and would be wise to recruit some reinforcements.