Manchester United’s run of eight successive victories at Craven Cottage came to an end on Sunday after Emile Smith Rowe struck a late equaliser off Alex Iwobi’s pinpoint cross into the box to earn Fulham a 1-1 draw in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes had the chance to put United ahead in the first half after Calvin Bassey brought down Mason Mount at a corner.
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However, the Portuguese midfielder blazed his penalty over the crossbar, leaving the game goalless at the break.
United eventually broke the deadlock in the 58th minute through a stroke of fortune. Leny Yoro rose to meet Bryan Mbeumo’s corner, and his header deflected off Rodrigo Muniz before wrong-footing Bernd Leno and rolling into the net.
But Fulham responded in the 72nd minute thanks to substitute Emile Smith Rowe, who needed just 93 seconds to make his mark.
The former Arsenal midfielder drifted into the box and poked home Alex Iwobi’s inviting cross to level the game.
For the final 40 minutes, United showcased their new £200 million attacking trio of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo, but Fulham’s defence held firm.
Sesko came closest when his strike rattled the post early on, while Cunha also tested Leno with a close-range effort.
At the other end, fit-again Ryan Sessegnon almost put Fulham ahead in the first half after being played through by Josh King, but United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was quick off his line to make the save.
Despite showing improvement with his distribution compared to Andre Onana, Bayindir looked unconvincing at set pieces, with Fulham threatening on several occasions from corners.
The result means Manchester United’s winning streak at Craven Cottage ends at eight, while Marco Silva’s side take confidence from holding one of the league’s biggest spenders.
Smith Rowe expressed his delight after scoring on his Fulham debut:
“We are very competitive in training, we all want to score goals and contribute to the team. We know when we come off the bench we have to work hard and try and score,” he told Sky Sports.
United remain in search of consistency under Ruben Amorim, while Fulham will be buoyed by the spirit shown to battle back late on.
