Martinez's Late Goal Seals Man Utd Victory Over Fulham

• Jan 27, 2025

Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike gave Manchester United a narrow win over Fulham in a largely uneventful match. The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Martinez’s late effort secured the three points for the visitors.

For most of the match, both sides struggled to create clear chances. Fulham looked stronger in the first half, with Alex Iwobi testing Andre Onana and Raul Jimenez missing two good opportunities. Jimenez’s heavy first touch on a promising play and a shot over the bar summed up Fulham’s inability to capitalize on their chances.

Manchester United showed little attacking intent for much of the game. Their first real moment of quality came in the 77th minute when Martinez advanced to the edge of the box and struck a shot that deflected off Sasa Lukic, looping over goalkeeper Bernd Leno and into the net. It was United’s first shot on target, and it proved decisive.

Fulham nearly equalized in the closing moments when Joachim Andersen’s header was cleared off the line by United substitute Toby Collyer. Amad Diallo thought he had added a late goal for United in stoppage time, but it was ruled out by VAR for offside.

The win follows United’s midweek victory over Rangers in the Europa League and moves them up to 12th in the Premier League table. Ruben Amorim’s side has now secured three wins in their last four games, showing resilience despite inconsistent performances.

For Fulham, the loss was a harsh end to their recent good form, especially at home, where they had been unbeaten since November. The team was left ruing missed opportunities, particularly in the first half when they were the better side.

Although the victory highlighted Manchester United’s knack for scoring late goals, it also exposed ongoing issues in their gameplay, such as a lack of creativity and cohesion. Fulham, on the other hand, will need to work on converting chances to avoid similar outcomes in the future.

The result serves as another reminder of the fine margins in football, where a single moment can decide the outcome of an otherwise uneventful match.