Manchester United started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Fulham on Friday night, ultimately managing to break the deadlock in the curtain-raiser at Old Trafford.
Here is what we learned from the first three points for Erik Ten Hag’s side this season.
Zirkzee The Super Sub Wins The Match
The final score was settled when new signing Joshua Zirkzee managed to put the ball in the net after 87 minutes of play. But the Dutch striker did not start the match, with Ten Hag opting once again for a strikerless starting 11. Bruno Fernandes was used as the ‘false nine’, but that did not work so well. While the Portuguese managed to get into two really good opportunities, he squandered them both with poor finishing. After the hour mark, Zirkzee came in for Mason Mount, with Bruno getting back into the number 10 role. Then, late on, Alejandro Garnacho made a good cross into the box, where Zirzkee was at the right place to hit the ball and put it into the net. Such a ‘super sub’ performance could be really important for the former Bologna man, as it could bring the needed confidence to keep making the difference in the future matches.
Mazraoui Gets A Great Debut
While Zirkzee had to wait 60 minutes before coming on, Noussair Mazraoui started right away at right-back, just days after signing for Manchester United. Lack of left-back options made this happen, as Diogo Dalot moved over to that flank, in Luke Shaw’s absence. And Mazraoui had a great debut in front of the home crowd. The Moroccan looked good on the ball and was connecting well with Amad Diallo in front of him. He was also coming inside to offer support in possession, and everything he did during the match felt as if Mazraoui has been part of this team for a while already.
Casemiro Shows Positive Signs
It was a terrible season for Casemiro last season, but in the first match of the new campaign, the Brazilian has shown some positive signs in midfield. Starting alongside Kobbie Mainoo and looking in better shape physically, Casemiro was all over the place, and in a good way. He was energetic and able to cover lots of ground, he created three opportunities for his teammates, managed to get a couple of shots towards Fulham’s goal, while also doing a good job defensively. He looked more able to tackle opposition players, and although there were some situations when he was dribbled past too easily, this was a good first match for Casemiro.
Maguire Proves His Importance
Ultimately, after their worst Premier League campaign since its inception in 1992, Man United kept a clean sheet in the season opener and Harry Maguire had great influence in this. The Englishman was heavily criticised way too often, and now he has been one of the more consistent Man United players. In this match, he even managed to stop a four-v-one situation after Lisandro Martinez’s slip up, and he was there when United were once again struggling against counter-attacks.
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