RODRIGO MUNIZ showed why he is currently the unlikeliest hotshot in the Prem with the flying finish that saved Fulham.
The Blades were storming towards only their second win of the year after a firecracker of a second half.
Yet two stunning goals – the second of them an acrobatic volley from the Brazilian striker – left them rooted to the basement and kept up Muniz’s astonishing record.
The Fulham hit man has now scored eight in his last eight games – a record no-one else in the top flight can match over the last two months. Few have been more priceless than the one here.
It was frantic, it was breathtaking, and it was frankly totally out of the blue after the drabbest opening 45 minutes you will ever witness. Not so the second of them, though!
The Blades went ahead, Fulham fought back, the home side edged daylight and thought they’d gone 4-1 up only for VAR to deny them with an offside call.
And then the Cottagers launched the most incredible of finales with a dramatic double that made it honours even.
To be fair, when they roared out of the blocks at the start of the second half, even a draw would have seemed unfair on them at the time.
Muniz was a coat of paint away from putting them ahead with a looping header that came back off the upright with keeper Ivo Grbic rooted.
And then twice young Olly Arblaster – what an exciting prospect he is, by the way – showed he’s got the guts to go with his glitz.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER
When another opening fell to Sasa Lukic on the penalty spot, unmarked and with all the goal to aim at, he had to score.
Yet Arblaster proved otherwise, throwing himself to deflect it behind, and copping a painful clattering off team-mate Jack Robinson as he did so…and then, boy, did things change.
It was all Fulham’s own doing, too, as Tosin Aderabioyo gave the ball away to Ben Osborn 35 yards from his own goal just short of the hour mark.
He fed Oli McBurnie on the left, who curled a magical low cross behind the backline. It was a begging-to-be-buried chance and Brereton Diaz, barely six yards out, did just that.
The lead lasted three minutes, when Joao Palhinha peeled short of the near post to meet an Andreas Pereira corner and arrowed a brilliantly placed header into the opposite corner.
A slap in the face for Sheffield…and a quickfire boot in the you-know-whats for Fulham as the home side swiftly seized the initiative again.
This time Brereton Diaz was provider from the left, and although McBurnie’s finish was anything but a classic, it was gold-plated to the home fans.
Within three minutes they were on cloud nine as Brereton Diaz bagged an equally scruffy goal for his second and the Blades had breathing space.
It was hard to tell if the on-loan Chile striker bundled Gustavo Hamer’s cross in at the far post with his knee, his body or a bit of both… yet the ball – plus half a dozen players – ended up in the back of the net.
Cue one come-and-have-a-go melee as well, as keeper Bernd Leno seemed to aim a dig at the goalscorer and everyone piled in to keep the peace. It was restored without anyone seeing red.
Blades fans certainly were when McBurnie had a would-be fourth ruled out after a VAR check for offside – and what an impact that had on things.
Because by the end Fulham had incredibly roared back to level it, leaving home supporters fuming and United players falling to the ground in disbelief.
First Bobby De Cordova Reid gave them a lifeline five minutes from the end, with his first touch after coming off the bench seconds earlier.
And then Muniz produced a stunning equaliser befitting his Brazilian roots with the most acrobatic of volleys that left Grbic without a prayer.
Fulham were on cloud nine, the Blades on their knees… and the rest of us gasping for breath.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
