Manchester United were dealt a tough reality check at Old Trafford when Alex Iwobi’s injury-time goal gave Fulham their second Old Trafford victory since 1963.
Four days after new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke of United wanting to dethrone Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the English game, they suffered a huge setback in their Champions League chances.
Without injured striker Rasmus Hojlund, the hosts were unproductive in attack until the last minute of normal time, when Harry Maguire appeared to have saved a point for the hosts.
But Iwobi had the ultimate say deep into nine minutes of added time, restoring an advantage given to them by Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey, who hammered home the loose ball after teammate Timothy Castagne blocked his header from a Fulham corner.
The result stopped the west London club’s 11-game Premier League away winless streak. Prior to this match, only Sheffield United had a worse top-flight away record this season.
Neither the defeat, nor, more crucially, the performance, will convince anyone that United will reach Ratcliffe’s lofty goals anytime soon.