Football

MANCHESTER UNITED secured a hard-fought three points against Fulham.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike proved to be the difference in what was the Red Devils’ only shot on target all game.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected effort was enough to give United three pointsCredit: GettyAlejandro Garnacho struggled amid rumours he could leave the clubCredit: ReutersHarry Maguire impressed but Alejandro Garnacho once again failed to impress in what could have been his Man Utd farewell amid rumours linking him with Napoli and Chelsea.Here is how SunSport rated the individual performances.Andre Onana – 7Good save low down to his left to keep out an Alex Iwobi shot early doors.Other than that he was barely tested but no glaring errors mean it is a step in the right direction for the Red Devils No1.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLDiogo Dalot – 6Had a difficult time in the first half up against Iwobi who was Fulham’s main attacking threat.Switched to the left flank in the second half and supported Garnacho without posing much of a threat.Matthijs de Ligt – 8Another strong showing at the back from the Dutchman. Without his support for Dalot, Fulham may have created a goal down United’s right-hand side.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSHarry Maguire – 9A superb defensive display from the England star who has been one of United’s best players since Amorim took charge.Pulled off a brilliant header at the back post to deny Rodrigo Muniz a certain goal.Harry Maguire reveals he sent private message to Joshua Zirkzee after Man Utd star was cheered off vs NewcastleLisandro Martinez – 8Superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Emile Smith Rowe from shooting as he burst through on goal.His goal had a big slice of luck as it was deflected past Bernd Leno but credit to him for having the audacity to shoot.Noussair Mazraoui – 7Solid at the back and tried to get forward when he could. United looked more balance with him on the left and Dalot on the right, although the pair swapped at half-time.Manuel Ugarte – 6Showed some nice touches and was a bit of a menace in the middle – in a positive and negative sense. Kept a close eye on Smith Rowe and allowed him no time on the ball.Booked for a foul on Adama Traore and was taken off shortly afterwards with an injury.Bruno Fernandes – 5Not at his best. Barely saw the ball in the first half and was not very effective when he did get it.Amad Diallo – 6Looked bright on the ball and United’s only real outlet going forward.He worked tirelessly and pressed really well – his hard work paid off when he found the back of the net in stoppage time but his effort was chalked off.Alejandro Garnacho – 3Was cautious on the ball and ran into blind alleys too often. Final ball let him down on the rare occasion he did manage to beat a defender.Rasmus Hojlund – 4His hold up play is nowhere near good enough for this system or for a club like United. He was too gung-ho at times and his erratic nature meant linking up with Amad and Garnacho proved difficult.Hauled off before the hour mark which says it all about his performance.Subs:Leny Yoro (for De Ligt, 58mins) – 6A more assured display given his shaky start to life in the Premier League.Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 58mins) – 5Like Hojlund he had a difficult time holding the ball up but United improved with him on the pitch.Toby Collyer (for Ugarte, 76mins ) – 6Solid display again from the youngster who was often in the right position to clear, including one on the line to stop a Joachim Andersen header from going in.Kobbie Mainoo (for Garnacho, 80mins) – 6Provided energy in midfield and shored things up alongside Collyer.A brilliant one-two with Amad set up the winger to score before VAR ruled Amad offside.READ MORE SUN STORIESTyrell Malacia (for Mazraoui, 80mins) – 6Brought on in an unfamiliar right wing-back role but did what was needed to see out the clean sheet. More

LIFE now begins for birthday boy Ruben Amorim – and he will now hope his team can also start enjoying themselves.Amorim will be blowing out 40 candles on a cake today and at least he will not be in a rotten mood, which has been the case the day after most of his United games.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected shot sealed a 1-0 win for Man Utd at FulhamCredit: GettyThe defender pounced with just over 10 minutes left to seal victoryCredit: GettyOn this occasion, there was no TV smashing in the dressing room although by the time Lisandro Martinez scored a 78th minute winner, many fans at home will have switched off their television sets as the game was so bad.But thanks to Martinez, who got away with a nasty challenge on sub Adama Traore before the goal, United will now look to win a third successive game for the first time under Amorim when they travel to Romania to face FCSB on Thursday.Amorim’s name was sung enthusiastically by the United fans who will not have headed to west London with too much confidence.While the United boss is unlikely to be getting a birthday card off skinflint boss Jim Ratcliffe – and he was here at Craven Cottage – Amorim will be hoping to get a few presents in the transfer market this week.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLDespite this win, only a seventh under the Portuguese coach, it remains clear United are still desperately short of quality, particularly in the final third,While they might not be the worst team in United’s history, despite those bombshell comments from the manager, the fact they are 12th in the Premier League sums up this embarrassing situation.Where United go this season remains to be seen although at least they will not get relegated like 51 years ago. But great entertainers they are certainly not.FIFA president Gianni Infantino will certainly regret heading to west London for this match which only became interesting in the closing stages.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThe family of Hollywood star Julia Roberts were also supposed to come but they cried off and that proved to be an incredibly wise decision.The Magnificent Seven by The Clash was played at half-time although there was nothing magnificent about this game which kicked off at the unusual time of 7pm. Antony leaves Man Utd with more yellow cards than goals as £86m Ten Hag flop goes down as one of worst transfers everAlex Iwobi fired a couple of efforts at United keeper Andre Onana but they were not particularly testing ones.Raul Jimenez delivered a couple of wild finishes but against this awful United team, Fulham would have expected to do better,United did not manage a shot on target until the 42nd minute although it was not much of one with Matthijs De Ligt’s effort easily gathered by Bernd Leno.Martinez’s hit took a wicked deflection off Sasa LukicCredit: PAMartinez celebrated in style 12 minutes from timeCredit: PAAmad Diallo, one of United’s better performers recently, looked lost on the right while Alejandro Garnacho – who started despite being a January window target for clubs including Chelsea – had a few bright moments and played a part in the winning goal.Marco Silva’s Fulham were less of a threat in the second half and they lost Harry Wilson who hobbled off towards Cottage and they are unlikely to see him play away at Wigan in the FA Cup on Saturday.In Wilson’s place, Fulham brought on speed merchant Traore down the left and worried about his pace, Amorim switched Noussair Mazraoui over to the right of defence with Diogo Dalot moving across to left wing-back.Amad Diallo netted a second for United at the deathCredit: ReutersThe winger was judged to be offside by VAR, ruling the goal outCredit: GettyDespite Fulham being unusually passive, United were so lacklustre.They had one free-kick in a dangerous area and bizarrely, keeper Onana raced to the touchline on halfway to get a view of the angle and he shouted at Bruno Fernandes to try his luck in the top right corner.Whether this was a clever ploy or Fernandes could not be bothered to take any notice of his colleague remains to be seen, But United’s captain went for the bottom left corner but he shot wide.A heated game saw tensions flare on the pitchCredit: ReutersAdama Traore reignited his feud with MartinezCredit: APTraore added a bit of spark although as ever, his final product was not great and he wasted one good chance while he then suffered that crunching tackle from Martinez.And then, the United centre-back delivered an impact at the other end of the pitch. He seized on a loose pass from Sander Berge, nipped  in front of Jimenez, and his shot deflected off Sasa Lukic and looped over keeper Keno who was able to get a hand to the shot.Ruben Amorim was delighted to see his side get the winCredit: GettyIt was a frustrating night for Marco SilvaCredit: GettyUnited sub Toby Collyer saved his team with a goal-line clearance from Joachim Andersen’s header.Diallo thought he had got the second deep into stoppage time but it was ruled out by VAR but Amorim would not be bothered about that,Now aged 40, Amorim still looks youthful. READ MORE SUN STORIESBut what a couple of years in the job at United will do to him remains to be seen. There will certainly be plenty of grey hairs.MAN UTD PLAYER RATINGS: Maguire puts in superb defensive display but Garnacho caught running into blind alleysMANCHESTER UNITED secured a hard-fought three points against Fulham.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike proved to be the difference in what was the Red Devils’ only shot on target all game.Harry Maguire impressed but Alejandro Garnacho once again failed to impress in what could have been his Man Utd farewell amid rumours linking him with Napoli and Chelsea.Here is how SunSport rated the individual performances.Andre Onana – 7Good save low down to his left to keep out an Alex Iwobi shot early doors.Other than that he was barely tested but no glaring errors mean it is a step in the right direction for the Red Devils No1.Diogo Dalot – 6Had a difficult time in the first half up against Iwobi who was Fulham’s main attacking threat.Switched to the left flank in the second half and supported Garnacho without posing much of a threat.Matthijs de Ligt – 8Another strong showing at the back from the Dutchman. Without his support for Dalot, Fulham may have created a goal down United’s right-hand side.Harry Maguire – 9A superb defensive display from the England star who has been one of United’s best players since Amorim took charge.Pulled off a brilliant header at the back post to deny Rodrigo Muniz a certain goal.Lisandro Martinez – 8Superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Emile Smith Rowe from shooting as he burst through on goal.His goal had a big slice of luck as it was deflected past Bernd Leno but credit to him for having the audacity to shoot.Noussair Mazraoui – 7Solid at the back and tried to get forward when he could. United looked more balance with him on the left and Dalot on the right, although the pair swapped at half-time.Manuel Ugarte – 6Showed some nice touches and was a bit of a menace in the middle – in a positive and negative sense. Kept a close eye on Smith Rowe and allowed him no time on the ball.Booked for a foul on Adama Traore and was taken off shortly afterwards with an injury.Bruno Fernandes – 5Not at his best. Barely saw the ball in the first half and was not very effective when he did get it.Amad Diallo – 6Looked bright on the ball and United’s only real outlet going forward.He worked tirelessly and pressed really well – his hard work paid off when he found the back of the net in stoppage time but his effort was chalked off.Alejandro Garnacho – 3Was cautious on the ball and ran into blind alleys too often. Final ball let him down on the rare occasion he did manage to beat a defender.Rasmus Hojlund – 4His hold up play is nowhere near good enough for this system or for a club like United.He was too gung-ho at times and his erratic nature meant linking up with Amad and Garnacho proved difficult.Hauled off before the hour mark which says it all about his performance.Subs:Leny Yoro (for De Ligt, 58mins) – 6A more assured display given his shaky start to life in the Premier League.Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 58mins) – 5Like Hojlund he had a difficult time holding the ball up but United improved with him on the pitch.Toby Collyer (for Ugarte, 76mins ) – 6Solid display again from the youngster who was often in the right position to clear, including one on the line to stop a Joachim Andersen header from going in.Kobbie Mainoo (for Garnacho, 80mins) – 6Provided energy in midfield and shored things up alongside Collyer.A brilliant one-two with Amad set up the winger to score before VAR ruled Amad offside.Tyrell Malacia (for Mazraoui, 80mins) – 6Brought on in an unfamiliar right wing-back role but did what was needed to see out the clean sheet. 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RASMUS HOJLUND was spotted berating Manchester United teammate Andre Onana during Sunday’s clash at Fulham.The Red Devils made the trip to Craven Cottage for a rarely-seen 7pm kick-off.Rasmus Hojlund berated Andre Onana early on in Man Utd’s clash at FulhamCredit: APHojlund was not pleased with Onana’s distributionCredit: ReutersRuben Amorim named a strong XI as he looked to bounce back from United’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton last week.But there was plenty of tension on the pitch just minutes into the clash.Hojlund led the line for the visitors as he looked to muscle his way past Fulham defenders Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey.The tactic saw goalkeeper Onana attempt to launch long balls into United’s Danish striker.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHowever, one kick from Onana fell painfully short and instead put his side under pressure from Fulham.It saw Hojlund berate the stopper for attempting the pass.And fans could not resist reacting online.One said: “Hojlund having a go at Onana for that lofted pass. He has a point as he hardly ever wins those duels.”Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSAnother declared: “Hojlund barking at Onana’s s**t distribution lol.”One noted: “Hojlund in attack and Onana trying to progress the ball through long balls. 4 failed attempts in opening 5 mins, when will we learn?”Antony leaves Man Utd with more yellow cards than goals as £86m Ten Hag flop goes down as one of worst transfers everAnother boomed: “Every ball has resulted in a loss of possession. How do we stop doing this?”One chortled: “This is ridiculous, Onana to Hojlund and it’s just gone every single f*****g time. Stop it.”Another added: “Someone tell Onana not to go long with Hojlund as our 9.”A late deflected goal from Lisandro Martinez saw Man Utd secure a priceless 1-0 away win to relieve some pressure on boss Amorim.MAN UTD PLAYER RATINGS: Maguire puts in superb defensive display but Garnacho caught running into blind alleysMANCHESTER UNITED secured a hard-fought three points against Fulham.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike proved to be the difference in what was the Red Devils’ only shot on target all game.Harry Maguire impressed but Alejandro Garnacho once again failed to impress in what could have been his Man Utd farewell amid rumours linking him with Napoli and Chelsea.Here is how SunSport rated the individual performances.Andre Onana – 7Good save low down to his left to keep out an Alex Iwobi shot early doors.Other than that he was barely tested but no glaring errors mean it is a step in the right direction for the Red Devils No1.Diogo Dalot – 6Had a difficult time in the first half up against Iwobi who was Fulham’s main attacking threat.Switched to the left flank in the second half and supported Garnacho without posing much of a threat.Matthijs de Ligt – 8Another strong showing at the back from the Dutchman. Without his support for Dalot, Fulham may have created a goal down United’s right-hand side.Harry Maguire – 9A superb defensive display from the England star who has been one of United’s best players since Amorim took charge.Pulled off a brilliant header at the back post to deny Rodrigo Muniz a certain goal.Lisandro Martinez – 8Superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Emile Smith Rowe from shooting as he burst through on goal.His goal had a big slice of luck as it was deflected past Bernd Leno but credit to him for having the audacity to shoot.Noussair Mazraoui – 7Solid at the back and tried to get forward when he could. United looked more balance with him on the left and Dalot on the right, although the pair swapped at half-time.Manuel Ugarte – 6Showed some nice touches and was a bit of a menace in the middle – in a positive and negative sense. Kept a close eye on Smith Rowe and allowed him no time on the ball.Booked for a foul on Adama Traore and was taken off shortly afterwards with an injury.Bruno Fernandes – 5Not at his best. Barely saw the ball in the first half and was not very effective when he did get it.Amad Diallo – 6Looked bright on the ball and United’s only real outlet going forward.He worked tirelessly and pressed really well – his hard work paid off when he found the back of the net in stoppage time but his effort was chalked off.Alejandro Garnacho – 3Was cautious on the ball and ran into blind alleys too often. Final ball let him down on the rare occasion he did manage to beat a defender.Rasmus Hojlund – 4His hold up play is nowhere near good enough for this system or for a club like United.He was too gung-ho at times and his erratic nature meant linking up with Amad and Garnacho proved difficult.Hauled off before the hour mark which says it all about his performance.Subs:Leny Yoro (for De Ligt, 58mins) – 6A more assured display given his shaky start to life in the Premier League.Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 58mins) – 5Like Hojlund he had a difficult time holding the ball up but United improved with him on the pitch.Toby Collyer (for Ugarte, 76mins ) – 6Solid display again from the youngster who was often in the right position to clear, including one on the line to stop a Joachim Andersen header from going in.Kobbie Mainoo (for Garnacho, 80mins) – 6Provided energy in midfield and shored things up alongside Collyer.A brilliant one-two with Amad set up the winger to score before VAR ruled Amad offside.Tyrell Malacia (for Mazraoui, 80mins) – 6Brought on in an unfamiliar right wing-back role but did what was needed to see out the clean sheet. More