The floodlights had barely cooled at Craven Cottage when Manchester United were left confronting another hard number: five points from five league matches. Their 1-1 draw at Fulham, rescued late despite 29 attempts on goal, followed a 3-2 League Cup exit against Brighton and confirmed the club’s poorest Premier League opening in more than a decade.
Key takeaways
- Manchester United sit 12th in the Premier League with one win and five points.
- The 1-1 draw at Fulham came after United registered 29 shots.
- A 3-2 defeat to Brighton had already ended their League Cup campaign early.
- Their five-match record matches the club’s start to the 2014-15 league season.
- Michael Carrick insisted that there is still plenty of the season left to play.
A familiar low after five matches
United’s record stands at one victory, two draws and two defeats, the same return they had at this stage of the 2014-15 campaign. It is their worst statistical start to a league season since that year.
Louis van Gaal was in charge then, with Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao among the leading names at Old Trafford. That difficult opening was notably scarred by a 5-3 loss to Leicester City, a side fighting to remain in the division at the time.
The current total is also below last season’s pace. Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United had collected seven points after five league fixtures and occupied 11th place.
Carrick urges patience after Brighton setback
Fulham offered little immediate relief. United created a high volume of opportunities but had to wait until the closing stages of normal time to secure their point.
The result arrived only days after Brighton knocked them out of the League Cup, adding another early blow to a campaign already marked by inconsistency.
Carrick nevertheless sought to keep the poor start in perspective, saying: “The season is still long.”
