Manchester United made a strong start to their English Premier League season after dispatching Fulham 1-0, to top the EPL table.
On Friday, August 16, the eagerly awaited 2024/25 EPL season kicked off with Erik ten Hag’s revamped squad securing a stylish victory at Old Trafford, delighting the fans and earning three crucial points.
Ten Hag’s assistant and United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui were among the new faces.
Manchester United showed dominance throughout the 90 minutes, a feature lacking from the onset of last season owing to their Danish gaffer’s intense style of play.
Last season, teams often took advantage of United’s fatigue to launch attacks in the latter stages of matches while also benefiting from momentary lapses in defence owing to a lack of squad depth or injured personnel.
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However, the game against Fulham was a complete turnaround. The Red Devils were fresher, faster, pressed harder as the game progressed and maintained a solid defence throughout the 90.
In the first half, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro had six close attempts on target, but Fulham’s goalkeeper Leno was up to the task and thwarted them, denying Bruno two one-on-one opportunities that had the Portuguese screaming to the high heavens in frustration.
The one thing that stood out last night is that Manchester United was brilliant in pressing but even more exceptional in defence.
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Harry Maguire and Mason Mount both featured in the starting 11, and the Englishmen proved exactly why Ten Hag picked them: stability and press.
Mount was also denied another one-on-one opportunity in the second half by in-form Leno after Marcus Rashford’s signature cut-in opened up Fulham’s defence.
Amad Diallo and Rashford, supported by Mazroui and Dalot, exhibited impressive wing play (above counter-defensive tactics) stretching out and exploiting Fulham’s defence.
Fulham, on the other hand, posed a challenge for Manchester United.
Emile Smith Rowe linked up well with former United midfielder Andreas Pereira and Alex Iwobi in the middle of the park. The Cottagers were fluid in attack with Tete testing Onana’s catlike reflexes early in the onset of the first stanza.
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The result didn’t reflect poorly on Marco Silva’s side; it was simply that Manchester United excelled in all aspects, including both man and game management.
The timely introduction of Zirkzee and Garnacho in the second half gave Ten Hag’s team the edge to overcome Fulham.
Zirkzee rose to the occasion, poking the ball past Leno after Garnacho’s perfectly weighted lob found him unmarked.
With this victory, Manchester United leads the Premier League as the new season of top-flight English football action begins.
And if it’s anything to go by, this win, coupled with the team’s equally impressive performance in the Community Shield (FA vs EPL winners) — holding their own against Man City — is a sign of great things to come.
Layer by layer, Ten Hag is building his legacy at The Theatre of Dreams.
This weekend’s Premier League games feature the standout match of Matchweek 1: Manchester City vs. Chelsea on Sunday.
