Getting the new Premier League campaign underway on Friday night, Manchester United dragged themselves to a late 1-0 victory against Fulham at Old Trafford.
Watching Bruno Fernandes miss a pair of golden opportunities in the first-half Erik ten Hag’s side appeared destined to settle for an uninspiring start to proceedings here.
However, while Fulham might have enjoyed large spells of dominance on either side of the half-time break, the Cottagers were eventually left heartbroken as summer recruit Joshua Zirkzee opened his Premier League tenure with a sensational cameo appearance.
Coming off the bench and sweeping home with just three minutes left on the clock, United would have simply been glad to have got the new campaign with a crucial victory on home soil.
On a night when Manchester United got proceedings underway with a gritty last-gasp 1-0 win, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Old Trafford.
United drag themselves to a crucial opening victory
While Manchester United might have got their hands on a history-making 13th FA Cup trophy back on May 26th as they secured a 2-1 victory against bitter local rivals Man City, ten Hag’s side found themselves at the heart of a real Premier League struggle last season.
However, although the Red Devils eventually had to settle for an eighth-place finish last year, the Old Trafford hierarchy did make the decision to stick with the former Ajax boss over the summer.
While ten Hag might have avoided the chop in the red half of Manchester and managed to keep hold of his job, the Dutch tactician still has plenty of pressure on his shoulders and a Champions League return is at the top of his agenda.
Dragging themselves over the finishing line here and desperate to use Friday’s late winner as a platform to build on, the euphoria that accompanied the final whistle was in keeping with the optimism that surrounded United in the build-up to the game.
Although the likes of England…
Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-08-16 22:05:08
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Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-08-16 22:54:14
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.