Manchester United picked up an important away win on Sunday night, beating Fulham 1-0 thanks to Lisandro Martinez’s deflected goal.
After promising results on the road at Liverpool and Arsenal, Manchester United were hoping to build momentum at home.
That didn’t quite work out; United picked up unconvincing wins over Southampton and Rangers either side of a 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.
United headed back on the road on Sunday and handed Ruben Amorim a narrow victory in the capital.
Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike handed United a 1-0 win over Fulham, securing all three points in a tough encounter.
Toby Collyer earned praise from Martinez for a crucial goal-line clearance but this was a team effort as United manage to grind out the win.
Manuel Ugarte reaction makes Bruno Fernandes laugh
This wasn’t a vintage United performance but Amorim will take the three points and move on.
Amorim knows the quality Fulham possess with his compatriot and old friend Marco Silva in charge at Craven Cottage.
One player United had to be wary of was Adama Traore with the Fulham winger capable of terrorising defences.
Adama came on for the injured Harry Wilson on 53 minutes but couldn’t help Fulham break United down.
The Spanish winger has some history with United having formed something of a rivalry with Sunday’s match-winner Martinez.
Martinez brushed Traore off the ball when the two sides met in August, having previously been bulldozed by the wide man.
Adama took to Instagram after that game, suggesting that he and Martinez could meet again down the line.
The Fulham man isn’t letting it go; Adama still poked fun at Martinez after Sunday’s game, despite him scoring the winner.
Manuel Ugarte has now returned some of that fire, posting a photo of himself hacking Adama down – a challenge Ugarte was actually booked for in the second half.
That maybe isn’t something to celebrate but Ugarte couldn’t help himself, showing some support for Martinez in the process.
“+3 big away points. One step closer, let’s keep pushing forward together,” said Ugarte.
Captain Bruno Fernandes replied with ‘you had to put that picture in’ alongside a laughing emoji, though Ugarte did include another cheeky photo – a snap of Bruno smiling as Ugarte remained on the deck after taking down Fulham ace Wilson.
Bruno no doubt loved both photos, but we can only assume that he especially enjoyed poking fun at Adama.
Manchester United face a crucial period
Sunday’s victory was a welcome boost for United but we have already seen too many false dawns.
United must really take this result and make some progress, starting with Thursday’s trip to face FCSB in the Europa League.
United are already through from the Europa League league phase but will want to finish on a high in Romania.
United then face two home games, taking on Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Leicester City in the FA Cup.
These are three winnable games for United and Sunday’s away win will hopefully provide some momentum heading into a crucial period.
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