Gary Neville Slams Manchester United’s Second-Half Collapse at Fulham
Manchester United escaped Fulham with a 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday, but Gary Neville delivered a fierce verdict on a second-half spell he regarded as the poorest he had seen from his former club.
United were rescued late by Matheus Cunha after falling behind through an unfortunate Lisandro Martinez own goal, yet the result did little to ease scrutiny of Michael Carrick and his side’s uneven run of form. Neville’s central concern was not the late concession or United’s attacking balance, but what he viewed as an alarming absence of running and urgency after half-time.
Key moments at Fulham
- Fulham took the lead after Kobbie Mainoo lost the ball in a dangerous area, allowing the home side to break forward.
- Senne Lammens stopped Calvin Bassey’s initial attempt, but the loose ball rebounded off Martinez and went into the United net.
- United endured a deeply flat period immediately following the interval, with Neville criticising the players’ work rate and body language.
- Cunha eventually earned the visitors a point in the closing stages, his shot taking a substantial deflection off David Affengruber and beating Bernd Leno.
Neville questions United’s effort
Neville said the 15-minute passage after the restart was the worst he could remember from Manchester United, having followed the club since childhood. He described the display as pathetic and said he had not previously witnessed such a shortage of effort from the side.
The former United defender questioned what Carrick would have made of the contrast between his half-time instructions and the lack of intensity shown on the pitch. At one stage, Neville compared the players to mannequins, suggesting the match had become an odd sequence of passive blue and white figures moving around the field.
He said United would not progress without greater urgency, adding that he could not determine whether the problem was fear, complacency or another cause. In Neville’s view, the basic issue was that too many players were simply not working hard enough.
Pressure grows on Carrick
Carrick has come under increasing pressure amid inconsistent results, and Neville argued that the head coach must confront the message being sent by his players’ body language. He accepted that Carrick’s public defence of the squad reflected loyalty and a desire to retain their support, while stressing that there remains significant time left in the season.
However, Neville maintained that United’s walking during the match was unacceptable. He called for a rebalance in the side, warning that Carrick’s attacking players could leave him exposed defensively if the team did not show greater discipline without the ball.
For Neville, the late equaliser did not alter the larger concern. He said a failure to run was the one aspect of the performance he considered disgraceful, leaving United with a point at Craven Cottage but serious questions over the level of commitment shown in a crucial phase of the contest.
