Man Utd punished by Fulham after Bruno Fernandes penalty embarrassment – 5 talking points

FULHAM 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED: Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to score Fulham’s equaliser after Bruno Fernandes had skied a first half penalty over the bar

Bruno Fernandes was made to rue a hapless first half penalty that almost landed in the Thames as Manchester United failed to win for the second week of the new season in a row.

The United skipper blazed an effort way over the top after Calvin Bassey had been penalised for hauling down Mason Mount in the box towards the end of a first half in which Matheus Cunha twice came close to scoring for the visitors.

United did take the lead in the second period when Leny Yoro’s header struck Rodrigo Muniz before dropping into the Fulham forward’s own goal, but home substitute Emile Smith Rowe equalised with his first touch of the game to secure Fulham a deserved point from their second 1-1 draw of the season.

READ MORE: Gary Neville points finger at referee after Bruno Fernandes missed Man Utd penaltyREAD MORE: Premier League offer explanation after VAR controversy in Fulham vs Man Utd

Here are the game’s main talking points.

1. Matheus Cunha sprinkles the much-needed stardust

You’d expect United to get better under Amorim this season because they only have to clear a relatively low bar, but while that work progresses the club’s fans can at least have fun watching Cunha.

The Brazilian twice almost gave his side the lead in the opening exchanges only to be denied by a post and a brilliant Bernd Leno save, and while question marks remain over his temperament, he is quickly becoming the most exciting thing to watch about his new team.

2. Josh King brings a dash of something different

Nineteen of the 20-man Fulham matchday squad were at the club last season, with 34-year-old substitute goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, a free transfer from Montpellier, the only new face.

The freshest face belonged to 18-year-old Josh King though, and he was a lively presence in a home side who obviously need more attacking punch. Fulham need new faces in the next week, but at least in King – and the impact of Smith Rowe – there is hope.

3. Faltering Bruno Fernandes can only blame himself

Rowers had an unidentified flying object to contend with in the 38th minute when Fernandes skied his penalty a long way over the bar. It was very unlike the Portuguese, and his performances of late – and indeed under Ruben Amorim – really don’t deserve criticism. He remains Manchester United’s shining light.

The feud he started with Chris Kavanagh, who accidentally bumped into him before the spot kick, really wasn’t to edifying though, and served as a reminder of his bad old days of constant moaning. If anything he let the incident get the better of him.

4. Are referees creating problems for themselves?

The moment which led to that penalty was, we were told, an example of the type of thing that will be cracked down upon this season as Bassey was penalised for hauling down Mount.

It was a penalty, albeit one that needed a long VAR review, but by looking into these sort of incidents with more scrutiny referees may just be making rods for their own backs. All penalty area incidents will now need extra scrutiny, and indeed Fulham can feel hard done by that Yoro wasn’t punished for a push on Bassey before the United goal.

5. Jeepers keepers

With Senne Lammens having been pulled out of Royal Antwerp’s match on Sunday it would be tempting to say that the most significant Manchester United goalkeeper news of the day happened away from west London, but that is reckoning without the look on Andre Onana’s face.

The Cameroonian looked less than impressed to be named on the bench at Craven Cottage, with Altay Bayindir starting again, and while Lammens would appear to be coming in as a second-choice stopper it is obvious that all is not well within the gloved ranks.

Onana will be aware that United are scouring the market for goalkeepers, and while he is likely to eventually get his No.1 place back, he’s going to be under mounting pressure when he does so.

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