It was certainly not the convincing and commanding display Erik ten Hag might have desired to kickstart what is hoped will be a new Manchester United era, but a winning goal from the debutant striker Joshua Zirkzee and a clean sheet against Fulham brought the platform he craves.
Ten Hag knows it was a similar story last season when they bungled their way past Wolves to start a campaign that ended with an eighth-placed finish. Results are what matter but performances will need to improve once the team settles. Zirkzee arrived from Bologna in the summer and he has built expectations early and showed a clinical nature that has been lacking at Old Trafford for a number of years. His jabbed effort might have looked like a stroke of luck but it was precision finishing from the Dutch international who wears the No 11 shirt, a garment somewhat tainted since the retirement of Ryan Giggs a decade ago.
In the end, Ten Hag and Old Trafford released their tension in the 87th minute when Zirkzee combined with fellow substitute Alejandro Garnacho to settle the match, allowing the new boys to celebrate in front of the Stretford End. The two had been brought on at the hour mark when United were in the ascendency and the manager sensed a chance to earn the points. Having his plan work will be a huge boost to the Dutchman after two years of questions about his style and decisions.
Old Trafford had seen plenty of licks of paint over the summer and the players exited a refurbished tunnel to further impress on people that this is a new era for United. What Ten Hag needed more than cosmetic improvements was to show his side finally had a clear identity, offering the “United Way” he speaks of that was lacking last season when they often looked disjointed and without a plan.
Avram Glazer and interim England manager Lee Carsley took their places in the directors’ box to ascertain whether a new era was about to beckon after their worst ever Premier League finish of eighth. United’s last competitive game was the FA Cup triumph, coming after two consecutive league wins, but three months off is not good for momentum. Zirkzee was paraded alongside Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and the injured Leny Yoro to show fans what the next generation looked like.
Amad Diallo, preferred to Garnacho on the right, was the first to give optimism to the United fans, tricking his way into the box before falling and claiming to be fouled by Antonee Robinson, but the protestations were ignored. It was an indication that United have quality on the wings, as Garnacho proved later on and Marcus Rashford showed in brief spurts, making it an exciting prospect to be a striker at Old Trafford.
For all the renewed optimism being portrayed, United lacked fluidity but were dominating possession and pushing Fulham back without finding the finish. Harry Maguire at least added tragicomedy when he decided to dive inside the box with Emile Smith Rowe in the vicinity. The centre-back complained about the decision to book him but he is unlikely to win a place at Rada any time soon.
Despite dominance of possession, United’s problems with finishing were still present. They scored only 57 goals in the league last season and were struggling to make a difference in the box once more. Bruno Fernandes missed two good chances when Bernd Leno reacted quickly in one-on-one situations and the German made another smart save from Mason Mount.
If it was not for the interventions of Maguire and Lisandro Martínez to intercept Andreas Pereira passes, United could have ended the night with nothing. It was a case of fine margins, a trait that cannot continue for United, who allowed Smith Rowe, Fulham’s £34m record signing, plenty of space to work in, something that could cost them in future games.
Fulham were happy to play on the break and Adama Traoré’s pace and power caused United’s defence plenty of problems. André Onana was forced to tip over from Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz but the goalkeeper enjoyed a fuss-free night compared with his counterpart down the other end as United’s back four looked more coherent, aided by a promising debut from Mazraoui.
Ten Hag did not think United were ready for this match and their energy levels were dipping in the final stages. Casemiro was tiring and things were opening up in midfield to give Fulham further confidence. To rectify this, De Ligt got his chance and Jonny Evans was once again called into action as the back four was reshuffled, which helped secure a clean sheet, but it was Zirkzee who lifted the roof off.
It is up to Ten Hag and his cohorts to prove this victory was not by luck but rather judgment and they can build on it. A year ago they lost four of their opening seven matches and their season never recovered. The positives outweighed the negatives on Friday last night but there is still work to be done.
