Matheus Cunha rescues Manchester United after bizarre Martínez own goal at Fulham

Matheus Cunha rescued Manchester United from another Premier League defeat with a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Michael Carrick’s side dominated large periods and registered 17 attempts before half-time, but their lack of cutting edge threatened to prove costly when Lisandro Martínez scored a remarkable own goal after the break.

Cunha eventually spared United with a deflected late strike, although the result means they have now gone three consecutive league matches without a victory.

Manchester United controlled 56 per cent of possession before the interval and repeatedly threatened Bernd Leno’s goal.

Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Cunha and Martínez all had opportunities, with both Fernandes and Cunha hitting the woodwork.

Yet only two of United’s 17 first-half attempts were on target.

Fulham carried their own threat through Sander Berge, Alex Iwobi and Joshua King, but neither side could find the breakthrough before half-time.

The game changed shortly after the hour mark.

Calvin Bassey’s effort was initially stopped by Senne Lammens, only for the loose ball to reach Martínez. The Argentine attempted to control it but instead diverted the ball into his own net to hand Fulham a 1-0 advantage.

United’s performance immediately after half-time drew particularly strong criticism from Gary Neville on Sky Sports.

Neville described the opening 15 minutes of the second half as the worst spell he had seen from United since he first started watching the club as a five-year-old.

Carrick’s side eventually recovered from their poor period. Leno denied Mbeumo before the pressure finally produced an equaliser in the closing stages.

Cunha’s effort took a deflection on its way into the net, giving the Brazilian his first Premier League goal of the season and ensuring United returned from Craven Cottage with a point.

The equaliser avoided defeat, but another winless afternoon leaves Carrick with work to do after United again struggled to turn possession and chances into goals.

United’s attacking efficiency will remain a major focus for Carrick after they created enough opportunities to win but needed a late deflection to rescue a point.

Cunha finally opening his Premier League account provides one positive, but three consecutive league games without a victory increases the importance of United turning their territorial dominance into results.