Manchester United played out a frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
The Red Devils went into the game after two straight losses and needed a strong response in west London.
They did so with 25 attempts on goal. Seven of those were on target, but goalkeeper Bernd Leno produced three fine saves.
Fulham scored after an unfortunate Lisandro Martinez own goal, but United had their own luck with Matheus Cunha scoring off a wicked deflection.
United will be somewhat pleased after a late equaliser, but it’s hard to deny they dropped two points, given Fulham were 20th in the league before the game.
Several United players underperformed at Craven Cottage, but we were particularly unimpressed with Marcus Rashford, who produced a dismal showing.
The 28-year-old had a fine season on loan at Barcelona last term with 29 goal contributions, which paved the way for him to be reinstated under manager Michael Carrick.
However, his displays have been far from convincing this term, with no goal involvements in any competition. Yesterday’s performance was one of his worst.
Rashford was guilty of missing a clear-cut chance to open the scoring in the first half. He also undercooked a pass for Bryan Mbeumo on the counter-attack.
The Englishman did make a key pass for Mbeumo’s shot, which Leno brilliantly saved, but he struggled to provide a scoring threat from the left wing for United.
Rashford, who received a 4/10 rating from Standard Sport, was slow with his decision-making, with just one successful dribble.
He lost possession on 11 occasions and barely made it difficult for Fulham despite six scoring attempts. His playing style was too predictable and was easy for Timothy Castagne to handle.
The 28-year-old was eventually substituted with an apparent groin injury in the 77th minute, and there is a possibility that he may withdraw from international duty in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, we believe Carrick can’t persist with Rashford on the left wing, and must make a big decision and drop him to the bench when United host Tottenham Hotspur next month.
Benjamin Sesko picked up an injury of his own before the Fulham game. If the Slovenian is fit again, he should lead the line with Cunha and Mbeumo on the left and right wing respectively against Spurs.
Carrick also has the option to play Zirkzee upfront or one of Patrick Dorgu or Shea Lacey on the wings. The Spurs game may come too soon for Amad Diallo, who has been nursing an ankle issue.
Stats from Sofascore.com