Fulham Fights Back To Draw 1-1 With Manchester United As Smith Rowe Scores Late Equaliser

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Emile Smith Rowe's goal helped Fulham secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, as both teams remain winless after two Premier League matches. United initially showed promise at Craven Cottage, with Matheus Cunha coming close twice within the opening minutes. Bernd Leno made a crucial save against Cunha in the 14th minute, but United's best chance came from a penalty that Bruno Fernandes missed.

Smith Rowe's equaliser came shortly after he entered the field, continuing Fulham's trend of impactful substitutes. This goal was among the fastest by a substitute since last season began, with Fulham players scoring four of the six quickest goals. Previously, Rodrigo Muniz had played a similar role for Fulham, scoring seven times off the bench since last season.

United took an unexpected lead in the 58th minute when Leny Yoro's header deflected off Muniz into the net. However, Fulham responded quickly through Smith Rowe, who converted Alex Iwobi's cross just 94 seconds after coming on. Late attempts by Harry Maguire and Joachim Andersen failed to change the scoreline.

Fernandes' missed penalty marked his fifth failure from the spot in the Premier League. Since his debut in 2020, only Mohamed Salah and Aleksandar Mitrovic have missed as many penalties as him. Wayne Rooney holds the record for most missed penalties for Manchester United with eight.

The match ended with United in 16th place with one point, while Fulham sits 13th with two draws. This is only the second time in 11 years that United hasn't won their first two league games; they finished third when this last occurred in the 2022-23 season.

United's Early Season Struggles

Manchester United has struggled to gather points early this season. Since April, they have accumulated fewer points than any other consistent Premier League team and even Leicester City, now in the Championship, has more points during this period.

The match highlighted both teams' need for improvement as they seek their first wins of the season. Despite promising moments from both sides, neither could secure victory at Craven Cottage.