Manchester United legend Gary Neville has condemned the club’s display in their 1-1 draw against Fulham, singling out a 15-minute spell after the interval as the worst he has witnessed from the team.
United struggled to impose themselves for much of the encounter and fell behind when Lisandro Martinez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net just past the hour mark.
Neville, who spent his entire professional career at Manchester United, expressed his frustration at the players’ lack of intensity.
As reported by BBC Sport on Monday Neville was quoted as saying, “I’ve watched Manchester United since the age of five and that’s the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen.
Absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen such a lack of effort. What must [Michael] Carrick be thinking?”
United avoided defeat late in the match after Matheus Cunha’s shot took a deflection before finding the net in the 89th minute.
Cunha acknowledged that Fulham appeared to raise their intensity at the start of the second half, saying United failed to match their energy.
At the beginning of the second half they put in more energy than us,” he told Sky Sports. “We cannot accept this.”
However, United manager Michael Carrick dismissed concerns over his side’s fitness, pointing to their strong response in the closing stages.
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The way we finished the game, actually, it didn’t look like that,” Carrick said. “We finished the game really strong actually, and kept pushing. I don’t think that’s an issue, no.”
The result extended a challenging period for United, who had lost the Manchester derby earlier in the week before allowing a two-goal advantage to slip away against Brighton.
The draw leaves United with five points from their first five league matches, placing them 12th in the table.
Cunha later acknowledged the “noise” around the club, while Carrick called for patience from his squad and supporters as the season progresses.
“It’s still a big season ahead. It’s a long season and you’re going to have spells through a season. That’s part of the journey.”
He added: “I’m not playing it down, you know. We wanted more points, so I’m not saying everything’s great. I understand the frustration.”
Carrick also expressed his appreciation for the United fans, who continued to back the team despite the mounting disappointment.
“The supporters were unbelievable today, I have to say, all the way through, and stuck with the boys and supported them,” he said.
“At least we’ve given them something small at the end to take from it, and I’m sure there’s more to come.”