Man Utd 1-0 Fulham: Player ratings as late Zirkzee goal settles Premier League opener

Manchester United left it late to beat Fulham on the opening day of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

New striker Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to grab the all important goal and ensure the Red Devils' league campaign got off to a perfect start.

Fulham didn't do enough to trouble their hosts but will ultimately be disappointed to have lost a game they were so close to taking a point from.

How the game unfolded

Fulham made a good fist of the opening exchanges and went close when Kenny Tete made his way forward from right-back and looped a shot towards the top corner, only for Andre Onana to thrust up a hand to deny him a spectacular opener.

The first opening United created came when a loose pass from Bernd Leno was intercepted high up the pitch, and Casemiro thought quickly to feed in Bruno Fernandes, whose strike was denied by the knee of the Fulham goalkeeper.

That same combination came up with the Red Devils' next chance with Casemiro again feeding Fernandes with a swift pass into the penalty area, but again the United captain was thwarted by Leno from close range.

United wanted a penalty just before the break when Harry Maguire went down when challenging Emile Smith Rowe for a bouncing ball through the box, but referee Robert Jones booked the England defender for diving instead.

After the break, United sought to hit their visitors on the counter, with Marcus Rashford ghosting his way into the box and teeing up Mason Mount. Once more, Leno kept Fulham level.

Fulham were struggling to make open-play chances of their own but nearly found the net when a Rodrigo Muniz overhead kick deflected up off the shoulder of Kobbie Mainoo, with Onana scampering across his line to push the ball to safety.

The major criticism of United last season was how easy they made it for opponents to attack, and they should have been punished when Lisandro Martinez's lunge towards Muniz missed the ball and left Maguire defending a two-on-one situation. But the midfielder's pass into Alex Iwobi was terribly skewed and easily cleared.

Martinez's night of ups and downs swung back in his favour when he made a vital clearance to stop a low Pereira cross being tapped in at the back post. Tete came up with a similar interception from an Alejandro Garnacho ball in the opposite area minutes later.

With under five minutes remaining, United found the winning goal. Debutant Joshua Zirkzee dropped deep and switched play to the flank, where Garnacho was again waiting to cross, and this time his ball found the Dutchman, whose deft touch steered it into the bottom corner.

One final chance went United's way when Calvin Bassey sliced a clearance and Rashford latched onto the loose ball. His pass to Garnacho wasn't the best, but the Argentine should have done better than to fire wide of a near-empty net.

But that didn't matter as United's victory was confirmed seconds later.

Manchester United player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Andre Onana - 7/10 - Produced some stunning saves to keep United from going behind. Thought quickly with his distribution to mixed results.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui - 6/10 - A conservative debut for the right-back, often playing it safe and keeping himself reserved rather than trying anything too daring.

CB: Harry Maguire - 8/10 - Booked for diving, though his was less egregious than Amad's (which somehow went unpunished and was far clearer). The only blemish on what was an otherwise fine game, however, producing several huge headers and interceptions at the back. Substituted late on with a leg injury.

CB: Lisandro Martinez - 6/10 - Skinned by Traore early doors but made amends soon after by shrugging the muscular winger to the ground cleanly. His aggressive style threatened to give Fulham open space in the second half when United went in search of an opener.

LB: Diogo Dalot - 6/10 - United's Players' Player of the Year for 2023/24 showed his team ethic again, switching over to left-back and digging in deep to nullify the explosive threat of Traore.

CM: Casemiro - 7/10 - Took some time to get going and his tardiness was almost the sole reason behind Fulham's impressive start, but grew into the game and rediscovered his imposing physicality of years gone by.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo - 7/10 - Once again the lynchpin in the United team when it was fully functioning. Shuffled about the midfield winning possession back and reacting quickly to move it on.

RW: Amad Diallo - 4/10 - Failed to win a penalty with a terrible dive in the first half. That was as good as his evening got, shying away from responsibility and doing nothing to assert his presence.

AM: Mason Mount - 4/10 - Pushed up alongside Fernandes when out of possession. Couldn't get a grip of the game at all and was understandably withdrawn alongside Amad on the hour mark.

LW: Marcus Rashford - 4/10 - Woefully abject in the first half, though livened up after presumably receiving a rollicking at the break. Like Amad failed to give United a consistent threat out wide.

CF: Bruno Fernandes - 6/10 - On another day would have buried one of his chances. Far more comfortable when dropped back into his usual midfield role.

Substitutes

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (60' for Mount) - 8/10 - What a way to announce yourself to Old Trafford. A fine finish worthy of a United striker.

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (60' for Amad) - 7/10 - Took responsibility when he came on, which is what United were lacking in wide areas.

SUB: Matthijs de Ligt (81' for Mazraoui) - 6/10

SUB: Jonny Evans (81' for Maguire) - 6/10

SUB: Scott McTominay (84' for Mainoo) - 6/10

Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Christian Eriksen, Toby Collyer, Antony

Manager

Erik ten Hag - 7/10 - United looked much improved on the ball but still need work to do defensively.

Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Bernd Leno - 7/10 - Did all he could to try and maintain the clean sheet, but was undone by a piece of brilliance from Zirkzee.

RB: Kenny Tete - 7/10 - Shut down Rashford superbly and his performance too was not deserving of defeat.

CB: Issa Diop - 6/10 - Exemplary for the most part and will be fuming at not walking away with the win.

CB: Calvin Bassey - 4/10 - Very clunky with his tackling and movement. Fortunate not to have gifted United a late second goal.

LB: Antonee Robinson - 5/10 - Wanted to play the match at a hundred miles an hour, which more often than not threatened to cost Fulham defensively than benefit them going the other way.

CM: Sasa Lukic - 6/10 - Did his best to make up for the tackling shortfall left by Joao Palhinha's departure.

CM: Andreas Pereira - 4/10 - Made little difference on his return to Old Trafford. Should have set Iwobi racing clear midway through the second half and somehow ballsed up the pass.

RW: Adama Traore - 4/10 - Listen, if you were as talented and unique as Adama Traore, you too would try to dribble your way out of every situation. But sometimes you've got to pass the ball, you know? Don't make me get that clip from Goal! where Santi Munez learns the ball travels faster than he does.

AM: Emile Smith Rowe - 6/10 - Showed glimpses of his real potential on his Fulham debut, but only glimpses. Sometimes guilty of thinking too quickly when his side were trying to slow the game down.

LW: Alex Iwobi - 5/10 - Often Iwobi's vision was far greater than his execution, spotting runs in behind but not enough picking out the right pass.

CF: Rodrigo Muniz - 6/10 - A proper handful for Maguire and Martinez to deal with, taking the full might of the former in order to tame him.

SUB: Tom Cairney (64' for Smith Rowe) - 5/10

SUB: Raul Jimenez (78' for Muniz) - 5/10

SUB: Harry Wilson (78' for Traore) - 5/10

SUB: Harrison Reed (90' for Lukic) - N/A

SUB: Jay Stansfield (90' for Pereira) - N/A

Subs not used: Steven Benda (GK), Timothy Castagne, Jorge Cuenca, Joshua King

Marco Silva - 5/10 - Fulham couldn't quite pose enough of a direct threat to United, who did at times try and open the match up for their visitors.