Cunha's late deflected strike earns United a point at Craven Cottage
On 20 September 2026 at Craven Cottage, Matheus Cunha's deflected last-minute equaliser rescued Manchester United after Lisandro Martinez's own goal had looked to hand Fulham the win. BBC Sport published player ratings and match assessments for both sides following the game.
Fulham took the lead through an unfortunate Martinez own goal before United salvaged a point, and Bernd Leno produced early stops to keep the hosts level during tense spells. The match featured notable goalmouth action, including a Cunha effort that looped onto the post and a full-length save by Leno to deny Bryan Mbeumo.
Fulham's defensive performers were led by Leno (7), who made several crucial saves and scrambled to block Cunha's header; Timothy Castagne was booked for a foul on Marcus Rashford and received a 6. David Affengruber earned a 7 for an incisive pass that released Josh King and for recovering possession when he was briefly exposed near the goal line; Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson both received 7s for their work on the flanks.
In midfield and attack for Fulham, Sander Berge was given a 7 (off 76 for Larsson) after a long-range effort was kept out by Senne Lammens, while Shea Charles was rated 6 for his protective partnership with Berge. Oscar Bobb was marked down 6 after a run that ended with a shot just wide, Alex Iwobi received a 7 for probing the inside-left channel, and Josh King was Fulham's top scorer in the ratings with an 8 for constant threat and a far-post chance that Lammens saved, though he was booked for diving.
Fulham's substitutes carried ratings of 6: Palacios (on 70 for Iwobi), Kevin (on 70 for Bobb), Larsson (on 76 for Berge), Muniz (on 79 for Garcia) and Andersen (on 79 for King). Players listed among the unused substitutes were Lecomte, Manuel Angel, Sessegnon and Smith Rowe.
Manchester United's goalkeeper Senne Lammens was given a 6 for key first-half saves and for coming out bravely at Iwobi's feet, with the assessment noting his distribution and his role in the Fulham goal. Diogo Dalot (6) impressed with a spirited run and created a chance for Rashford, Harry Maguire (7) drew a foul from King to relieve pressure, and Lisandro Martinez was rated 5 after his well-struck half-volley had earlier forced a save from Leno but ultimately resulted in an own goal.
United's midfield and forward ratings included Youri Tielemans (5) for a wasted chance, Kobbie Mainoo (7, off 79 for Mount) for composed possession work, Bruno Fernandes (6) for a low shot against the post, and Marcus Rashford (6, off 76 for Zirkzee) who both set up and missed opportunities. Matheus Cunha was assessed at 7 for his role as the centre-forward, creating a chance for Fernandes and seeing a deflected effort hit the post; substitutes Zirkzee (6), Mount (6, on 79 for Mainoo) and Dorgu (7, on 83 for Shaw) were also rated, while Darlow, Mazraoui, Mount, Yoro, Andrey Santos, Baleba and Lacey were listed among the unused United substitutes.
After the window for rating players closed, BBC Sport noted that the scores shown represent the average from all user submissions. The ratings and match report sit alongside BBC Sport features such as the Match of the Day Predictor and other club follow pages for readers seeking further engagement.
