Man Utd 1-1 Fulham (Fernandes 71′ | Bassey 45+1′) – Fulham win 4-3 on penalties
OLD TRAFFORD — According to one of his previous managers, Rasmus Hojlund can run the 100m in 11 seconds. Perhaps he meant in a car, because this Manchester United number nine barely breaks into full stride.
Given he is amid another goal drought, confidence is of course rock-bottom, but if the rest of us were struggling in our own line of work, we would at least ensure the effort to rectify the situation is there.
Against Fulham, as United crashed out of the FA Cup after a penalty shootout defeat, Hojlund’s inactivity for 68 minutes never gave his besieged side a chance.
Often when strikers are so ineffective, the blame can largely be placed at the feet of those providing the service. In this case, if your target is stationary, even the magic feet of Bruno Fernandes can do little to stave off yet another Old Trafford nadir.
The bar is very much on the floor, but the first 30 minutes on Sunday represented one of United’s better performances this season.
There were even elements of control. While chances remained few and far between, there were some coherent attacking moves, involving multiple players. Hojlund even had a shot at goal.
At the back, there were no errors, few heart in mouth moments – something that have become par for the course in recent years around M16.
It was, of course, never going to last. In typical United fashion, having made marked improvements down one end of the pitch from set pieces, the Premier League’s second-most porous defence from set-pieces went behind from a corner just before half-time, Calvin Bassey heading home.
Since Amorim took charge, no Premier League team has conceded the first goal more often than United. However the new boss tries to counter any criticism for his team in transition, that is a damning statistic.
It is especially damning for a team who cannot score goals, especially at home. A huge contributor to such struggles over the past two seasons is Hojlund – a £72m striker who cannot even hold the ball up.
The masses have started to turn. Old Trafford has learned that booing underperforming players gets nobody anywhere, but after groaning to their heart’s content at Hojlund’s lack of application all match, when the number nine came up on the fourth official’s board midway through the second half, the roof nearly came off the Stretford End.
Ruben Amorim does not have many options available to him – the club’s doing after letting two forwards leave in January without bringing any replacements in – but Hojlund’s continued presence in a system that relies on being on the front foot is beyond baffling.
There is much excitement around Hojlund’s replacement, Chido Obi. He is very raw, but in two chances spurned before the end of 90 minutes, both brought about by the teenager throwing himself into situations Hojlund wouldn’t dream of going near, United at least had a striker on the pitch with an eye for goal.
Obi had three big chances in 52 minutes. For comparison, Hojlund has had three big chances in Premier League games this season.
Fernandes will perhaps only get the recognition he deserves when he is gone, with “Captain Fantastic” again rescuing United with a superb finish. Two big saves from Andre Onana, both to deny Emile Smith Rowe, were just as crucial in getting us to extra-time.
Obi remained a leggy United’s biggest threat in extra-time, forcing a fine save from Bernd Leno, with both weary teams settling for penalties.
The scenes upon the final whistle, after Joshua Zirkzee had missed the last spot kick to send Fulham through to the quarter-finals, were of jubilation in the away end, with the opposition players lapping up the adulation.
Bassey, teed up by his supporters, defied 120 minutes of action to lead the celebrations. Having spent much of his afternoon stood still alongside Hojlund, he had plenty left in the tank.
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