Amorim determined to maintain performance levels from Arsenal match

Ruben Amorim has urged his Manchester United players to maintain their performance levels from their match against Arsenal for the rest of the season.

Despite losing 1-0 to the Gunners in their opening Premier League match last Sunday, the Red Devils produced 1.52 expected goals (xG) to Arsenal’s 1.31 after taking 22 shots to their opponents’ nine.

Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu were the standout performers at Old Trafford, the former duo forcing brilliant saves from David Raya while the latter struck the post in the first half.

Next up for Amorim’s side is a trip to Fulham, and the head coach is not expecting an easy game at Craven Cottage.

“It’s always hard to play against Fulham. They have a clear identity,” said Amorim.

“Marco Silva is really experienced and really smart. He can change several things, cover several spaces and you can see, game-by-game, that he tries to do that.

“They are really comfortable because they have the experience, they understand the league is long, so they will feel confident and relaxed for the game so it’s going to be a tough match.

“Every game has its history. The space and the opponent are not going to be the same, even the responsibility on the game could be a little bit different and that has a lot of influence on the game.

“So, we need to be consistent in our performance and consistency is not just playing in the same way, it’s maintaining the level and not dropping too much, and I feel that pre-season is pre-season, but even in pre-season and against Arsenal, our consistency was good.”

Marco Silva’s Fulham, meanwhile, rescued a late point in their opener against Brighton, with Rodrigo Muniz scoring a 97th-minute goal to level the match at 1-1.

However, they have been one of the quietest clubs in the transfer market with back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte their only arrival thus far, leaving Silva frustrated.

"We as a club cannot be pleased at all. The Premier League demands much more from you," Silva told reporters on Friday.

"We had a plan, and the plan did not go through."

Asked if he was happy with Fulham's squad depth, he added: "Of course not. We have three wingers, one (Alex Iwobi) is going to be out for seven to eight games (when the Africa Cup of Nations starts in December). 

"It is just an example of how short we are in certain numbers. Many places, in terms of numbers, we are short. AFCON will have an impact on our decisions."

 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Rodrigo Muniz

Muniz, who has scored 17 league goals over the past two seasons, may not start against United, but he has proven to be a threat off the bench.

None of Muniz’s first nine Premier League goals for Fulham were as a substitute, but seven of his last nine have come from the bench; the most of any player since the start of last season.

Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes created five chances for Man Utd in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, the 33rd time he’s done so in a Premier League match – the most of any player since his debut in February 2020.

It’s also the second most by a United player on record (2003-04 onwards), with Ryan Giggs doing so 34 times in that time.

MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

United have won just three of their last 23 Premier League away games against London sides (D5 L15), though all three of these victories have come against Fulham.

In addition to that, the Red Devils have won each of their last eight Premier League away games against Fulham – they’ve never won nine in a row against an opponent in their league history.

United lost their opening Premier League game of the season against Arsenal – the only seasons where they’ve lost their first two games are 1992-93 (eventually finished first) and 2022-23 (came third).

Silva, meanwhile, has lost seven of his 10 Premier League matches against United (won two, drawn one), only losing more against Manchester City (12). On home soil, he’s lost four out of five against the Red Devils, with the other a 4-0 win as Everton boss in April 2019.

Fulham ended 2024-25 on a run of three consecutive home Premier League defeats, last losing more in a row when they lost their final six home games in 2020-21, being relegated to the Championship. Silva has never previously lost four consecutive home league games in his entire managerial career.

Fulham have also won just one of their last 19 Premier League games against United (D3 L15), beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in February 2024.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 30.4%

Draw – 25.5%

Manchester United – 44.1%