Four things we learned as Man United snatch late draw at Fulham with Cunha’s dramatic equaliser

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Four points from four games ahead of Sunday’s game represented Manchester United’s joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign.

The Red Devils surely needed to snap out of this poor league form, and a fixture against Fulham was certainly one they would have wanted to use to turn things around and get their season back on track.

However, while they had hoped to do so with a win, they had to settle for a draw, which is still better than a loss.

There was plenty to take from this game as United played out a 1-1 draw; here is what we learned:

Simplify attacking play

If Manchester United could simplify their attacking play, they would be far more dangerous.

Taking too many touches and playing too many passes slows down their attacks, giving opponents plenty of time to recover. Moreover, the attackers have not been clinical; sometimes they have been unlucky, while other times they have failed to take their chances. Marcus Rashford, for instance, wasted chance after chance in the first half.

Amad, once he returns, is going to have an easy time reclaiming his starting spot

With Amad sidelined, Bryan Mbeumo had the perfect chance to cement his place on United’s right flank. Carrick has persisted with him in that role, yet Mbeumo has failed to make himself undroppable.

Some United fans are already counting down the days until Amad returns, while others hope Shea Lacey is given a run. That does not bode well for Mbeumo. Where is the highly efficient, direct inverted winger we saw at Brentford?

That version of Mbeumo: decisive, ruthless, and relentless, is what fans are longing for. Unless he rediscovers that edge, Amad will reclaim his starting spot with ease once fit.

Craven Cottage record sustained

Despite United’s ups and downs over the years, they have remained undefeated at Craven Cottage since December 2009, when they lost 3-0; this draw keeps the Red Devils’ unbeaten run alive.

Lammens was great

Senne Lammens was United’s only bright spark, especially in the first half. The Belgian single-handedly kept United in the game; without him, United would have been trailing at the break.

His early-season form had raised concerns, but this performance reminded everyone of his quality. United have a gem between the posts, and his display was a timely reassurance of his potential.

While he was partly to blame for the Lisandro Martínez goal, that should not overshadow his excellent showing.

All that said, this result does not ease the pressure on Carrick. He needs to use this international break to devise a way to get the team back to winning ways; indeed, INEOS will have no more excuses to keep him should he fail to get this team challenging for the top spots.