Manchester United legend Gary Neville has delivered a scathing assessment of the club’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Fulham, describing their second-half display as the worst 15-minute spell he has witnessed from the team.
United produced a largely laboured performance at Craven Cottage and fell behind just after the hour mark when Lisandro Martinez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Neville, who spent his entire professional career at Manchester United, was particularly critical of the team’s lack of intensity after the break.
“I’ve watched Manchester United since the age of five and that’s the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen,” Neville said.
“Absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen such a lack of effort. What must Michael Carrick be thinking?”
United eventually salvaged a point in the 89th minute when Matheus Cunha’s effort took a deflection before finding the back of the net.
Cunha also acknowledged that Fulham had shown greater energy at the beginning of the second half, admitting that United’s performance during that period was unacceptable.
“At the beginning of the second half they put in more energy than us,” Cunha told Sky Sports. “We cannot accept this.”
However, United head coach Michael Carrick rejected suggestions that a lack of fitness was responsible for his side’s struggles, pointing to their strong finish as evidence.
“The way we finished the game, actually, it didn’t look like that,” Carrick said. “We finished the game really strong actually, and kept pushing. I don’t think that’s an issue, no.”
The draw came at the end of another difficult week for United, who had previously suffered defeat in the Manchester derby before surrendering a two-goal advantage against Brighton.
United now have five points from their opening five league matches and sit 12th in the Premier League table.
Cunha later acknowledged the growing “noise” around the club, while Carrick called for patience and urged both his players and supporters to remain focused on the campaign.
“It’s still a big season ahead. It’s a long season and you’re going to have spells through a season. That’s part of the journey,” Carrick said.
The United coach, however, admitted that the team must improve and understood the frustration surrounding the result.
“I’m not playing it down, you know. We wanted more points, so I’m not saying everything’s great. I understand the frustration,” he added.
Carrick also praised the travelling United supporters for continuing to back the team despite the disappointing performance.
“The supporters were unbelievable today, I have to say, all the way through, and stuck with the boys and supported them,” he said.
“At least we’ve given them something small at the end to take from it, and I’m sure there’s more to come.”
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