On the first day of the 2024–25 Premier League season, Manchester United defeated Fulham 1-0, with Joshua Zirkzee scoring a late goal on his debut.
On a night when Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt both made their Old Trafford debuts, substitute Zirkzee headed home an Alejandro Garnacho cross two minutes from the conclusion of the match.
Bernd Leno denied Bruno Fernandes twice in the first half and stopped a Mason Mount attempt just after halftime, but United had the best of the chances until the Dutchman’s goals.
During a fun match that appeared to finish in a draw until Zirkzee’s opportune flourish, Andre Onana made a few spectacular saves at the other end, saving strokes from Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz.
FIRST HALF – CREATING CHANCES
The Reds had a more relaxed possession spell after a somewhat hectic start in which Marcus Rashford rushed through on goal in the opening 30 seconds but was promptly ruled offside by the assistant referee.
Adama Traore used his trademark speed to run down the right wing, posing the first difficult question for the Cottagers. Alex Iwobi must have been ecstatic to see the ball flying dangerously over the penalty area after the next cut-back, but newcomer Mazraoui bravely stepped in to take it out of his path and prevent an early setback.
A few minutes later, Amad started to probe down the right side himself. He ran past two Fulham defenders and into the area before being clipped by Antonee Robinson, one of the opposition pair.
Rob Jones remained unfazed despite cries for a penalty ringing across M16, as VAR determined that there was no significant contact at the coming together. Opposition full-back Tete launched a counterattack from the haze of that mayhem, sprinting across the centre of the pitch before launching a long-range curling attempt. The surprise was equalled by Onana, who acrobatically leaped to turn it around.
Traore’s effort to sprint past United’s defence after taking control in a key position cemented the first half’s trend of defensive strength. Instead, Lisandro Martinez calmly pushed him off the ball and watched as the ball dribbled out of play for a goal kick.
At the interval, Fernandes found the Reds’ first significant opportunity of the match when a poor ball from Leno made its way to Casemiro. The gloveman for Fulham was fast off his line to chase down the next shot after the Brazilian sent a through-ball to our skipper.
Five minutes later, the pair came together once more, creating an equally enticing opportunity, but Leno held firm again before Casemiro missed a corner with a nod.
As the first period came to an end, Harry Maguire, who had just crossed London from Arsenal, chased down a loose ball and arrived before Emile Smith Rowe, denying us another penalty attempt.
However, the referee was not persuaded and gave the Reds’ defender a ticket for his antics.
The Second Half: The Ideal Preface
After a reasonably peaceful start to the first half, Fulham stormed out of the blocks in the second half, looking dangerous from a series of corners after the break.
But after absorbing those early hits well, the Reds began to advance and regained possession in the middle on a regular basis. After being released, Rashford ran towards the left side of the opposing box in the 52nd minute. He skilfully poked the ball to Mount, whose attempt from yards out was again stopped by Leno.
After a clever play, United increased the pressure, with the fans imploring Kobbie Mainoo to do something out of the box. Although he dragged the effort barely wide, he complied.
At the hour mark, Erik ten Hag made the decision to attack while the iron was still hot and send in some attacking reinforcements. As Mount made way, Garnacho took Amad’s position, and Joshua Zirkzee, wearing a red shirt, made his competitive debut to thunderous cheers in the crowd.
The first glimpse of Joshua Zirkzee, the new Reds forward, was well received by the Old Trafford fans.
After United took an offensive set-piece, it appeared as though Garnacho had been tripped right away, but the referee detected no infraction, and Fulham started countering once more.
Andreas Pereira, a former Reds midfielder, found the ball at his feet on the box’s edge and fizzed it deadly over our goalmouth. Martinez was fortunately the first player on the scene to forcefully smash it behind for a corner, although any contact was guaranteed to result in a Cottagers score.
Shortly after, Garnacho ran towards the opposing byline in a suddenly end-to-end match, but Tete was able to make just enough touch on the Argentina international’s driven cross to prevent Rashford from taping it in.
Garna wasn’t done yet, either, as the winger found himself in possession down the right once more following a brief United break. This time he sent a fast cross into the box as time was running out. Zirkzee, who was making his debut, was able to secure all three points by making just enough contact with the ball to go past the diving Leno.
Gallery for the Season PremiereSee the top photos from the first night of 2024–2025 between United and Fulham
MATCH DETAILS
United: Amad (Garnacho 60), Mount (Zirkzee 60), Rashford; Fernandes; Mazraoui (De Ligt 81), Maguire (Evans 81), Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo (McTominay 84).
Alternatives: Antony, Eriksen, Collyer, and Bayindir.
Mount: Maguire is booked.
Zirkzee: 87 goals.
Fulham: Iwobi, Smith Rowe (Cairney 64), Lukic (Stansfield 90+1), Pereira (Reed 90+1), Leno, Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Muniz (Jimenez 78).
Benda, Castagne, Cuenca, and King are substitutes.
Bassey, Pereira, and Cairney are booked.
