Gary Neville has delivered a fierce assessment of Manchester United’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Fulham, singling out a 15-minute spell after half-time as one of the poorest he has witnessed from the club.
United struggled to impose themselves at Craven Cottage and eventually fell behind in the 63rd minute when Lisandro Martínez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. Matheus Cunha rescued a point for Michael Carrick’s side with a deflected effort in the 89th minute.
Neville, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage, was particularly critical of United’s work without the ball. He said he had watched the club since childhood but could not remember seeing such a lack of urgency over a 15-minute period.
“I’ve watched Manchester United since the age of five and that’s the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen,” Neville said, describing the display as “absolutely pathetic”.
The former United defender later explained that his criticism was focused largely on the team’s movement and intensity when Fulham had possession. He accused several United players of simply walking rather than pressing or adjusting their positions quickly enough.
Neville also questioned Carrick’s decision to publicly defend his players, arguing that the manager needed to demand a higher level of effort and defensive organisation from the squad.
The criticism came after a difficult opening to the second half for United. Fulham were able to sustain pressure before Martínez’s unfortunate own goal put the hosts ahead.
United eventually avoided another defeat when Cunha’s 89th-minute shot took a significant deflection and beat the Fulham goalkeeper. The result prevented Carrick’s side from suffering a third consecutive defeat after losses to Manchester City and Brighton.
Cunha himself admitted after the match that Fulham had shown greater energy at the beginning of the second half and insisted United could not allow that to happen.
Carrick, however, rejected suggestions that his side lacked the physical energy to compete. The United manager pointed to the strong finish and said he believed his team had created enough chances to win the match.
United’s five points from their opening five Premier League matches leave them with plenty to address during the international break, while the scrutiny surrounding Carrick and his squad is likely to continue.
For Neville, the central issue is clear: he believes United must improve their intensity and defensive structure if they are to produce more consistent performances.
