Four things we learnt as United edge past Fulham in rollercoaster encounter to make it three on the bounce

Manchester United welcomed Fulham to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon to kick off February. Senne Lammens remained in goal, with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire at centre-back. Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot completed an unchanged back four. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo played in the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes just ahead of them. Bryan Mbeumo and Amad retained their spots in attack, with Matheus Cunha coming in for the injured Patrick Dorgu. Here are four things we learnt from the match. Casemiro set piece threat It seems not that long ago that United could not buy a goal from a free kick. This has not been the case over recent months, as they have now become one of the best in the business. One of the main reasons for this is the fine work of the Brazilian, Casemiro, who headed in yet another goal from a set piece. He has been a thorn in the side of numerous teams this season, and he made Fulham his most recent victim. Amad vindicating Michael Carrick With United returning to a 4-2-3-1 under Carrick, there has been much discussion about which attacking players would change. Benjamin Sesko started both games under Darren Fletcher, scoring three goals in two games. Nonetheless, he has been dropped under Carrick so Amad can have a place on the right of the attack, and Mbeumo has been shifted centrally. This has been vindicated so far, as he carried a significant threat to the Cottagers’ goal and most of United’s most dangerous play came down the right-hand side. Whether it be his dribbling, pressing, or carrying the ball up the pitch, Amad continues to bring something unique to this United team. Matheus Cunha quality The Brazilian was having a quiet afternoon up to the turn of the hour. He pressed well and combined with the midfield, but often found himself disconnected from the attack. This changed in the second half, when he pushed up on the right-hand side a little bit more and unleashed an unstoppable effort into the top of the goal for United’s second. Cunha and Mbeumo continue to impress the Old Trafford faithful and have been a huge difference maker in the United of 2025/2026 and last season’s edition. Benjamin Sesko’s moment Sesko has had to put up with being benched in spite of scoring three goals in January. When brought on as a substitute versus Fulham, he hit the post with a header only seconds after coming on. He took his big chance, though, in added time when he spun and unleashed a ferocious effort into the top corner to regain United’s lead. Hopefully, the young man can build on this with his sixth goal of the season. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.