Harry Maguire of Manchester United shakes hands with Michael Carrick, manager of Manchester United, after the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on September 20, 2026.
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Manchester United have five points from their opening five games
Michael Carrick said fine margins are costing Manchester United after a 1-1 draw against Fulham stretched their winless Premier League run to three matches.
United were fortunate to leave Craven Cottage with a point thanks to Matheus Cunha's 89th-minute deflected goal, though it was not enough to lift them out of the bottom half of the table heading into the international break.
A muted display took a comedic turn when Lisandro Martinez stabbed the ball into his own net just past the hour mark, the defender seemingly caught by surprise after goalkeeper Senne Lammens had fumbled a Calvin Bassey shot with his legs.
It neatly summarised the mess Carrick’s side had made of their visit to west London, and there could be little arguing that Fulham probably deserved to have given Alvaro Arbeloa his first Premier League win.
Nevertheless, it meant more dropped points for United after last weekend’s controversial derby defeat to Manchester City, as well as the draw at Everton and the opening-day loss to Hull.
"It’s not been ideal," said Carrick, whose side have won just one of their opening five league games. It is also only the second time in Premier League history United have collected as few as five points from their first five matches.
"It was always going to come at some point, (and) it’s come at the start of the season. On the other side of it, at Everton, a 25-yard shot, top corner. The City goal that’s not a goal. Today, own goal, that’s one of them things. It’s pretty fine margins that have flipped it.
"I know we can do better, we need to do better at certain things. But I’m not despondent because I think we’ve shown some good signs as well."
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Chibby Nwoko of Fulham celebrates his team's first goal which was an own goal scored by Lisandro Martinez during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on September 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/G
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Chibby Nwoko of Fulham celebrates his team's first goal which was an own goal scored by Lisandro Martinez during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on September 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/G
Fulham’s goal went down against Martinez’s name but the blame was shared with his goalkeeper, a botched effort by Lammens to shovel away Bassey’s shot with his legs rather than his gloves, then an equally inexplicable and muddled attempt at keeping the defender’s pass back to him out of his net.
Cunha’s shot hit defender David Affengruber and span cruelly past the wrong-footed Bernd Leno with Fulham just minutes from a first league win of the campaign.
"It’s the first time when we’ve had a spell of a couple of weeks when results haven’t gone to plan," said Carrick.
"You learn about each other, they learn about me, I learn about the individual and as a team, how we respond, what our reaction is.
"That’s part of growing as a group. You have to go through certain things to get to the end of it."
Fulham boss Arbeloa, whose team moved off the bottom of the table after building on last week’s goalless draw away to Liverpool, reflected on an end to the game that was hard to take.
"I’m upset because we were so close, very unlucky with the goal we conceded," he said. "It is what it is, we need to keep working and improving.
"We knew this month would be difficult against top teams. I think we are in a good way."