Saturday August 25, 2012 Day 2 Finished Old Trafford

Manchester United 3 - 2 Fulham

  • van Persie 10’
  • Kagawa 35’
  • Rafael 41’
  • Duff 3’
  • Vidic 64’ (o.g.)

256 comments | Write your comment

  1. Van Persie scores but Rooney injured

    Van Persie scores but Rooney injured

    Robin van Persie opened his account for Manchester United as the Red Devils clung on to beat Fulham 3-2 at Old Trafford,. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Manchester United
    • Fulham
    • - Don't forget you can watch highlights of this match, along with every Premier League game, from 00:01 on Monday morning (UK only).
    • - Let me know what you thought of that dramatic game on Twitter now. Follow Tom Adams on Twitter!
    • - FULL TIME. United cling on for a 3-2 win as Kagawa and Van Persie score their first goals for the club. However, concern comes in the shape of Rooney, who sustained a horrible cut to his leg.
    • 90+7' Fulham put the ball into the box as the seconds tick away and De Gea makes a save to deny Ruiz!
    • 90+6' Rooney is taken off on a stretcher and United will finish this game with 10 men. He is patched up.
    • 90+4' Rooney opens up a huge gash on his leg, and I mean huge. It's a good few inches. This looks horrible. Rodallega's boot sliced him open.
    • 90+3' United clear but Fulham regain possession and a poor challenge from Valencia gives the visitors a free kick. Surely not?...
    • 90+2' Rooney gets a shot away from just outside the box but his effort flies a good 10 yards over the bar. And now Fulham have a late, late corner...
    • 89' We will have four minutes of added time.
    • 88' I'm not sure how impressed big United fan Usain Bolt will have been by today's performance but it looks as though United will be picking up their first win of the season.
    • 87' Cleverley darts into space and lets fly from 20 yards as he sends a firm shot flying just past the left-hand post. United looking to close this game out now.
    • 85' Stat from Infostrada: "Ryan Giggs comes on to play in his 21st different Premier League season. He makes his 599th PL appearance."
    • 83' Nice stuff from Ruiz as he slips the ball to Rodallega and Fulham win a corner. Hangeland is up for the set-piece but United manage to bundle the ball clear.
    • 82' Now it is time for a Fulham change as Chris Baird replaces Diarra.
    • 81' Ryan Giggs comes on in place of Anderson to begin yet another top-flight campaign.
    • 80' This has been a hugely entertaining contest, can United hold on?
    • 78' United go close! A Rooney free kick is blocked and then Rafael is teed up for a ferocious effort that Schwarzer tips over. The Brazilian could have had a hat-trick today.
    • 76' Van Persie with the free kick but he can't quite get the required contact from Rooney as the forward runs towards the near post.
    • 74' Hangeland clatters into Van Persie and pushes his luck. The defender is already on a booking but survives, this time.
    • 72' Petric comes off to a deserved ovation as he is replaced by Hugo Rodallega in the Fulham attack.
    • 70' Fulham go close! United fail to deal with the corner and Dembele is allowed to drift past Anderson and then fire in a shot from close range that De Gea repels with a fine save. Nervous moments for the home side.
    • 69' Dembele from range! The Belgium star forces De Gea into a smart save with a firm drive from 25 yards!
    • 68' Two changes for United as Rooney and Danny Welbeck replace Young and Kagawa. So we see Rooney link up with Van Persie.
    • 67' Stat from Infostrada: "Nemanja Vidic scored his first ever PL own goal. Manchester United have now conceded six goals in their last three PL home matches."
    • 66' De Gea is no doubt a very talented goalkeeper and he makes plenty of fine saves, but there is just a lingering uncertainty about him that is hard to shake.
    • 65' GOAL! Manchester United 3-2 Fulham! Disaster strikes United. A regulation cross from the left from Fulham and as De Gea flaps at the ball, the presence of Petric is enough to put Vidic off as the ball strikes his heel in the air and goes in.
    • 63' Young delivers a dangerous ball into the box but as the ball dips nastily Van Persie is penalised for a foul.
    • 62' Here is that change for Fulham and Sidwell shores up the centre of midfield when replacing Kacaniklic.
    • 61' Van Persie tries to pick out Young with a reverse pass but the impressive Reither intervenes.
    • 60' Fulham are getting Steve Sidwell ready on the sidelines...
    • 59' Lovely cross from Van Persie but as Rafael stretches to head over the bar, he may have been better served leaving it to Young, who had snuck in behind him.
    • 58' Rafael throws the ball to the feet of Kagawa and the Japan star is a bit indulgent as he drifts across the face of goal looking for a shot, rather than playing in Van Persie. His eventual shot is deflected behind for a corner but United fail to make anything of the set piece.
    • 56' Young is through on goal, surely offside, but no! However, Hughes recovers quickly to prevent the winger from getting a shot away following a pass from Van Persie.
    • 55' An air shot from Ashley Young. That's never anything but hilarious.
    • 53' Fulham charge up the other end and Kacaniklic delivers a teasing cross that forces Carrick to head over his own bar. United clear from the corner though.
    • 51' Now Valencia pings the ball into the box and Riether does well to put off Young. The winger tries to make a meal of it, you will be surprised to hear, but the referee penalises the United man.
    • 50' United work the ball well around the box again and Mahamadou Diarra has to extend a leg to prevent Rafael from finding a United shirt in the box.
    • 49' Stat from Infostrada: "Shinji Kagawa is the third Japanese player to score in the division after Junichi Inamoto (4 matches) and Hidetoshi Nakata (1 match). On those previous five occasions their teams went on to win the match."
    • 47' Evra and Kagawa link up nicely but the return pass from the Japan playmaker fails to find the France left-back. Encouraging signs for this new-look United attack though.
    • 46' KICK OFF!
    • - What did you think of the first half? Let me know on Twitter now! Follow Tom Adams on Twitter!
    • 45+3' Now Kagawa fires in a cross from the right but can't quite find the head of Van Persie.
    • 45+2' Rafael gets a snapshot away following another nice move from United. The rain has made the surface slick and the home side are enjoying themselves now.
    • 45+1' We will have three minutes of added time.
    • 44' Ashley Young requires a bit of treatment after injuring his knee. This looks a nasty one and Ryan Giggs is warming up, but he continues for now.
    • 43' Chaos! Fulham hit the bar! Petric attempts an overhead kick and catches Evra in the face. Play continues and after Kacaniklic sees his low shot saved, Petric follows up with a shot that De Gea turns onto the underside of the bar!
    • 41' GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Fulham! Rafael is rewarded for his fantastic performance with a goal as he meets an Ashley Young cross to the back post with a firm header that Schwarzer cannot keep out.
    • 39' Cleverley with a gorgeous ball into the box for Van Persie but Schwarzer is quickly off his line to get his body in the way, just as the striker threatens to score another great volley.
    • 38' GOAL RULED OUT! Rafael turns superbly on the edge of the box and squares for Kagawa, who takes his time before slotting a shot against the base of the post. Young hammers the ball into the box and after Schwarzer saves, Rafael is just offside when turning the ball in.
    • 36' GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 Fulham! Another new signing! Kagawa puts United in front! Van Persie's corner is cleared as far as Tom Cleverley, who pumps in a low effort through a crowd of players and has Schwarzer scrambling. The ball comes loose and Kagawa is there to tap home. He fears for a second he is offside, but he is being played on.
    • 34' United are beginning to apply more pressure and after Rafael's run is halted by a strong challenge from Hangeland, Young picks up the baton when driving forward on the left. The ref later books Hangeland for his bodycheck.
    • 32' De Gea gets away with one. The United keeper tries to show off some silky skills following a back-pass from Rafael and just about executes a neat turn as he pulls the ball through his legs as Petric charges in. Lucky boy.
    • 30' Valencia goes close! Allowed too much room in front of goal, Valencia knocks the ball past Kacaniklic and then anticipates a challenge from Hangeland by getting an early shot away. It fizzes just off target.
    • 28' Fulham's fluid, undefined attack is causing a few problems for United as they find space at Old Trafford, but chances are few are far between for the visitors.
    • 26' Valencia spots Van Persie at the far post and hangs in a good cross, but Sascha Riether leaps and gets his head to the ball to just take it away from the Dutch striker. It was an important touch.
    • 24' Kagawa involved again. This time the Japan star gets the ball from Valencia, again, and plays in Young to the left of the box. The winger tries to bend one into the far corner, as we all know he can do, but gets too much elevation on his shot.
    • 23' Valencia wins the ball for United inside the Fulham half and pings the ball infield to Kagawa, who drifts forward with intent before firing in a low effort that Schwarzer saves down low.
    • 22' Stat from Infostrada: "Manchester United have scored in each of their last 50 PL matches at Old Trafford. This is the 11th time in top flight history a club has reached this milestone in consecutive home league matches."
    • 20' Van Persie with a corner from the United right but Fulham clear. Rafael then picks up possession and combines once again with the Dutchman before the ball is spread to the left wing. Again Fulham hold firm.
    • 18' Van Persie turns his hand to set-pieces but his inswinger from the right lacks the height to beat the first man.
    • 17' United have settled down a bit after that early goal from Fulham and Van Persie's immediate response did them the world of good. They should press on and win this game now.
    • 15' Stat from Infostrada: "Robin van Persie scored 10 minutes into his PL home debut for Manchester United. It was his sixth PL goal against Fulham. The only team he has scored more against in the division are Blackburn (11)."
    • 13' Fulham come forward with Moussa Dembele and when the ball finds Ruiz, the forward sees his thumped effort deflected wide. The corner finds Alexander Kacaniklic but his low effort sneaks wide.
    • 11' That is why United paid £24m. Van Persie is just sublime. There will be more where that came from as well.
    • 10' GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham! What a sensational goal for Van Persie on his first appearance at Old Trafford! Anderson plays the ball wide to Patrice Evra and as his cross floats up into Van Persie's pass near the penalty spot, the Dutchman leaps into the air to guide it inside the far post. Glorious.
    • 9' Stat from Infostrada: "Damien Duff’s third minute goal was the second-fastest goal of the season. It also ended Fulham’s run of 502 minutes without a PL goal at Old Trafford."
    • 8' United sweep the ball into the Fulham box but Mark Schwarzer is alert at his near post to clasp the ball. It already looks as though United will have plenty of chances today - the only question is whether they are too open at the back.
    • 6' Van Persie produces a neat touch to play in Kagawa and the Japanese playmaker then spreads it wide to Antonio Valencia. The cross from the winger is intercepted by Aaron Hughes though as he gets a crucial touch to take the ball clear.
    • 4' Well, after a defeat on the opening day to Everton, United now find themselves a goal down at home to Fulham. Unexpected to say the least.
    • 3' GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Fulham! Sensational! United punished for that early foul as Bryan Ruiz slips a low free kick towards the penalty spot where Damien Duff is arriving to sweep the ball home first time!
    • 3' Fulham win an early free kick as Mladen Petric draws a foul from makeshift centre-back Michael Carrick.
    • 2' Stat from Infostrada: "Manchester United’s substitute bench has a total of 1776 PL appearances between them."
    • 1' KICK OFF!
    • - Right then, my name is Tom Adams and I will be on live commentary duty for you today. You can get in contact via Twitter should you wish. Follow Tom Adams on Twitter!
    • 14:50 Man Utd have won the PL title in two of the three previous seasons where they've lost their opening game (1992-93 & 1995-96).
    • 14:45 Pre-game bookmaker odds: Manchester United 2/7, Fulham 10/1, Draw 9/2
    • 14:40 Fulham fired in more shots on target than any other team on the opening weekend of the season (9). The Whites also posted the best shooting accuracy (82%) and conversion rate (46%).
    • 14:35 Manchester United have won four and lost none of their last five Premier League games against Fulham, keeping clean sheets in all four victories. Fulham have lost their last eight Premier League trips to Old Trafford and failed to score in the last five in a row.
    • 14:30 Martin Jol: "If you don’t come up with a few answers then it will be easy for Van Persie. But we know him. We did well against Arsenal last year, twice, and hopefully we can again cope with the service and the individual class of van Persie. We have to keep it narrow down the spine, and try to avoid their players from midfield getting the ball to him all the time. If we do that, then there is always a chance."
    • 14:25 Sir Alex Ferguson: "I went to see Fulham last Saturday and they played very well. They have a lot of experience in their team with six players over 30. We're at home and we need to make an impact quickly after Monday's game."
    • 14:20 TEAMS - Man United: De Gea, Rafael, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Cleverley, Anderson, Kagawa, Young, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans, Rooney, Giggs, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes. /// Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Briggs, Duff, Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Petric. Subs: Stockdale, Baird, Sidwell, Halliche, Rodallega, Kelly, Kasami.
    • 14:15 Good afternoon and welcome to our LIVE text coverage of Manchester United's first Premier League fixture of the new season as Fulham make the trip to Old Trafford. The early news is that Robin van Persie STARTS while Wayne Rooney drops to the bench. Full team news to follow!

  • Summary

    • 90+7' Fulham put the ball into the box as the seconds tick away and De Gea makes a save to deny Ruiz!
    • 78' United go close! A Rooney free kick is blocked and then Rafael is teed up for a ferocious effort that Schwarzer tips over. The Brazilian could have had a hat-trick today.
    • 70' Fulham go close! United fail to deal with the corner and Dembele is allowed to drift past Anderson and then fire in a shot from close range that De Gea repels with a fine save. Nervous moments for the home side.
    • 69' Dembele from range! The Belgium star forces De Gea into a smart save with a firm drive from 25 yards!
    • 65' GOAL! Manchester United 3-2 Fulham! Disaster strikes United. A regulation cross from the left from Fulham and as De Gea flaps at the ball, the presence of Petric is enough to put Vidic off as the ball strikes his heel in the air and goes in.
    • 59' Lovely cross from Van Persie but as Rafael stretches to head over the bar, he may have been better served leaving it to Young, who had snuck in behind him.
    • 43' Chaos! Fulham hit the bar! Petric attempts an overhead kick and catches Evra in the face. Play continues and after Kacaniklic sees his low shot saved, Petric follows up with a shot that De Gea turns onto the underside of the bar!
    • 41' GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Fulham! Rafael is rewarded for his fantastic performance with a goal as he meets an Ashley Young cross to the back post with a firm header that Schwarzer cannot keep out.
    • 36' GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 Fulham! Another new signing! Kagawa puts United in front! Van Persie's corner is cleared as far as Tom Cleverley, who pumps in a low effort through a crowd of players and has Schwarzer scrambling. The ball comes loose and Kagawa is there to tap home. He fears for a second he is offside, but he is being played on.
    • 32' De Gea gets away with one. The United keeper tries to show off some silky skills following a back-pass from Rafael and just about executes a neat turn as he pulls the ball through his legs as Petric charges in. Lucky boy.
    • 24' Kagawa involved again. This time the Japan star gets the ball from Valencia, again, and plays in Young to the left of the box. The winger tries to bend one into the far corner, as we all know he can do, but gets too much elevation on his shot.
    • 23' Valencia wins the ball for United inside the Fulham half and pings the ball infield to Kagawa, who drifts forward with intent before firing in a low effort that Schwarzer saves down low.
    • 10' GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Fulham! What a sensational goal for Van Persie on his first appearance at Old Trafford! Anderson plays the ball wide to Patrice Evra and as his cross floats up into Van Persie's pass near the penalty spot, the Dutchman leaps into the air to guide it inside the far post. Glorious.
    • 3' GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Fulham! Sensational! United punished for that early foul as Bryan Ruiz slips a low free kick towards the penalty spot where Damien Duff is arriving to sweep the ball home first time!
    • 14:20 TEAMS - Man United: De Gea, Rafael, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Cleverley, Anderson, Kagawa, Young, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans, Rooney, Giggs, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes. /// Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Briggs, Duff, Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Petric. Subs: Stockdale, Baird, Sidwell, Halliche, Rodallega, Kelly, Kasami.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

    Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account.

    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      6.5 6
      Defenders
      Goal 7 8
      6.3 5
      Own Goal 6.8 6
      6.6 7
      Midfielders
      6.7 6
      Substitution Out81′ 6.2 6
      7.2 7
      Goal Substitution Out68′ 8.3 8
      Substitution Out68′ 6.7 6
      Strikers
      Goal 7.7 8
      Subs
      Substitution In81′ 7.2 -
      Substitution In68′ 6.7 6
      Substitution In68′ 6.4 6
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      4.9 7
      Defenders
      4.9 7
      Yellow Card 5.1 7
      4.3 6
      4.7 6
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out81′ 5 7
      5.4 8
      Goal 5.8 7
      4.8 6
      Substitution Out62′ 5.1 6
      Strikers
      Substitution Out73′ 5.3 8
      Subs
      Substitution In81′ 4.1 -
      Substitution In73′ 4.3 6
      Substitution In62′ 3.6 6

Comment 236 - 256 of 256

Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated

  1. I heard you learn hard in man utd,you make sure kick­ really hard then you can score better than permier­ league,I hope you had win lots of points.

    From , on Fri 31 Aug 15:09

  2. big up man united for good job rvp well done

    From Hassan, on Wed 29 Aug 15:46

  3. @ Oleg,... I would be very EMBARRASSED to admit that­ I watched something hundred times and still not being­ able to see it..?? This is same as you admitting of­ being blind or stupid.... Perhaps it is you who­ should get good pair of glasses and stop embarrassing­ yourself with further posts

    From Istina Boli, on Mon 27 Aug 22:26

  4. cool

    From Josh ak appiah, on Mon 27 Aug 18:09

  5. RVP RIP (rest in his own P-I-S) #$%$ TRAITOR

    From Robert, on Mon 27 Aug 16:08

  6. Defense and midfield need urgent attention.

    From Politician Stole My Money, on Mon 27 Aug 11:03

  7. Istina. If you think Kagawa's goal was offside,­ after watching replays a hundred times, you're a­ complete idiot and know nothing about football. So­ shut up and stop embarrassing yourself

    From Oleg, on Sun 26 Aug 19:42

  8. PSMM, On recent form Chelsea and Swansea will be­ fighting for the league title and Liver pool will be­ relegated What odds are you going to give me on that­ happening ? Form is temporary class is permament and­ the teams with the greatest class will win out in the­ end. Two games and your being judgemental on what do­ you base your conclusions. The last time Man United­ lost their 1st game (twice) they won the league

    From Dr Graham J Smith DD, on Sun 26 Aug 12:33

  9. amazing

    From Muhammad, on Sun 26 Aug 1:33

  10. Was a great first half performance but United were a­ little nervy at the end. Was really impressed with­ Kagawa I thought he was man of the match and he'll­ become a United legend and a world class player as­ well. I just hope Rooney gets a speedy and safe­ recovery it was a complete accident but was very­ horrific tackle. Its only 2nd game of the season and­ usually it takes a while for United to get into the­ season but there were a lot of possitives from the game­ like we look brilliant in attack. The negatives I think­ are obvious that we are very weak in the back but­ it'll be temporary Rio will be back in a few weeks­ possibly on the bench for away against Southampton and­ Evans should be back for that game too so Carrick and­ Cleverley will be in midfield with Kagawa behind Van­ Persie. I think this formation works for no but when ii­ comes to tougher opposition then I think Rooney will be­ in the starting 11. But a lot of credit goes to­ Fulhum for giving United a good game and unlike some­ teams when they come to Old Trafford. Fulham looked­ organised and sometimes a threat to United. Martin Jol­ is slowly building a good team for Fulham and I can see­ them finishing in at least the top ten in the league.

    From Stu, on Sun 26 Aug 1:02

  11. A liitle bit of luck and great saves from DDG otherwise­ could easily have conceaded a few and lost this one.

    From Politician Stole My Money, on Sun 26 Aug 0:19

  12. On recent performances ManU will win nothing this­ season

    From Politician Stole My Money, on Sun 26 Aug 0:18

  13. A masterclass strike from RVP masks massive Man U­ deficiencies in midfield and defense.

    From Politician Stole My Money, on Sun 26 Aug 0:18

  14. a fair result

    From Hochi, on Sat 25 Aug 21:19

  15. SUPERMAN He sat on the subs bench , yes the Saviour of­ United , the Evertonian Blue born and bred, Shrek­ Rooney who writes a column in the News of the World,why­ well he did have a rubbish game versus Everton......do­ you blame him , his lifelong club. Fergie has other­ people to use who have still to make an impact , let us­ hope United will be strong opponents for the Champs.SO­ FERGIE DO IT , PROVE IT , YOUR LAST CHANCE ?

    From Stanislaw, on Sat 25 Aug 20:51

  16. 252 @ peter, agree, their brains are­ crippled..scumbags.

    From Fukkthejoows, on Sat 25 Aug 20:19

  17. when will fergie get it.... u cannot lose u first game­ in this company ....we have lost the edge allready now­ we have to win all games and at man c and chelsea u­ have to assume they will win theres just to level were­ are the centre backs we need then.......... guess he­ has not noticed ...................nuff said

    From MARK, on Sat 25 Aug 20:14

  18. peter , "....morons who wish to see rooney­­ crippled..." From peter, on Sat 25 Aug 19:55 i­ suspect joowish agitators posting

    From Hochi, on Sat 25 Aug 20:09

  19. i have never liked the mancs,but i hate to see the pure­ bile posted by some morons who wish to see rooney­ crippled. but if he scored the winning goal in the­ world cup final they would cheer him#$%$ off sicko's go­ live in syria where you would be appreciated1

    From peter, on Sat 25 Aug 19:55

  20. John, no i'm not a holocaust denier. How could i­ deny the REAL holocaust in japan and germany and korea­ , vietnam , iraq , libya, afghanistan , and so on where­ millions of innocent civilians , women and children ,­ were nuked , firebombed and napalmed alive ? ps : is­ iran next to be holocausted ?

    From Hochi, on Sat 25 Aug 19:45
Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account