Debutant Joshua Zirkzee fires Manchester United past Fulham

Joshua Zirkzee spared Manchester United their blushes on the opening night time of the 2024/25 Premier League season with an 87th minute strike to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win towards Fulham at Previous Trafford.

The objective got here after Bruno Fernandes masterfully rolled his defender to set the hosts away, earlier than the ball labored its means out large to Casemiro. The seasoned midfielder then performed in Alejandro Garnacho, and his first time cross was poked house by Zirkzee previous a cussed Bernd Leno to make the important thing distinction.

The hosts managed a lot of the ball within the first half, while Marco Silva’s Fulham outfit remained inflexible and compact, but when the first-half was one-sided, that was not the case for the second.

Each groups got here bursting out of the blocks punching as they created numerous openings of their bid to grab the opening objective of the Premier League season and each will really feel they need to be strolling away with the factors.

Mason Mount thought he had given the hosts the lead when Marcus Rashford broke away down the left wing to the Streford Finish and crossed to his compatriot, just for the ex-Chelsea star’s shot to be blocked once more by an impressed Leno.

Kobe Mainoo then fired narrowly large and a harmful cross by Garnacho narrowly evaded being turned house on the far-post earlier than Zirkzee turned the newest hero in pink to ship the house facet to mattress with all three factors within the locker.

It ought to have been two when Rashford burst away down the wing and had simply Garnacho to seek out. The English winger did however embarrassingly, his 20-year-old colleague slipped as he went to shoot with the objective gaping.

Fulham rue missed probabilities

Fulham had regarded harmful from corners however completely ought to have taken the lead when Rodrigo Muniz discovered himself and a teammate towards Harry Maguire, however with the English centre-back solely to beat the Brazilian handed straight to his ft.

They then had one other nice probability after they discovered themselves in a three-vs-two state of affairs, however Iwobi’s poor ball labored towards them, earlier than Lisandro Martinez turned a cross behind simply evading a catastrophic personal objective.

Regardless of the loss and disappointment, they will head again all the way down to West London with their heads held excessive and loads of encouragement for the remaining 37 video games of the league season forward.