90+4 min: United look very nervous but hang on to win. They make a final sub, and it’s Matic for Bruno. Fulham have a long throw. Matic does his job by getting the ball clear and chasing up to support Rashford, and that’s the final action.
90+3 min: Great control by Lookman, great recovery from Wan-Bissaka to block the ball to concede a corner. And then, oh my, Bailly almost deflects a Mitrovic cross past De Gea. All they could do was watch it drift by.
90+2 min: Four minutes added on. Cavani and Rashford combine but Rashford again gives the ball back to Fulham.
90 min: Rashford and Wan-Bissaka are a tad hurried in the Fulham box when they had the option of killing the ball or taking it into the corner.
89 min: Desperation on those benches. “Don’t foul him” is the cry to Fulham’s players. Scott E doesn’t want them to waste time.
88 min: Bailly heads out as Fulham launch the ball down the channels. Eventually they get it out left but beyond the wingspan of Reed.
86 min: Bailly plays a hospital pass that asks a lot of De Gea, who is up to the task. Pogba commits a tired foul but surely not enough to get another yellow. In actual fact, the foul goes against Fulham.
85 min: Two United changes. Martial and Greenwood off, Rashford and McTominay on.
84 min:Fulham are pushing on. This time it’s Lemina having a shot blocked.
Fulham’s Mario Lemina shoots. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/Pool/PA
83 min: Final Fulham change: Aina off, Mitrovic on. No United change as yet.
Fulham meanwhile have a chance. Shaw’s tackle is desperate and the ball comes to Loftus-Cheek whose shot ends up somewhere in the Hammersmith area.
82 min: Yet another United corner forced by a Greenwood slalom. Cavani goes down, but is not hurt just not rushing. It’s taken and Fred launches a shot that’s blocked.
81 min: Fulham free kick, and Fulham players are queuing up. It’s wasted as Bailly lets it drift out.
79 min: Another United corner, which Bruno takes his time over. It’s played short and Fred tries to play in Maguire with a “diag”. The skipper fails to reach it.
77 min: United’s turn to look a little tired? Or have Fulham lifted the tempo? Bruno loses the ball then runs all the way back to collect it back from Kamara.
75 min: Oof! Fulham go close. Loftus-Cheek escapes again and his shot is saved by De Gea. RLC might perhaps have done better there. Scott E certainly thinks so.
74 min: Patient build-up from United. Are Fulham a little tired by their defensive exertions. Another United corner, Andersen heads away.
72 min: Fred wins a corner. United slowing up their act and taking their time. On this occasion, Maguire does not climb highest. Fulham get the ball away.
71 min: Fulham sub: Cavaleiro off, on comes Kamara.
69 min: Ola Aina is booked for what looks like repeated infringements. Bailly does well to stop Cavaleiro in his tracks. Another look at the Pogba goal suggests it is an absolute peach.
68 min: Cavani is baulked by Andersen; those two have had quite a battle today. Cavani has been excellent tonight. He looks so suited to English football.
66 min: That, then, is what Paul Pogba can do. And he’s doing it more often for United...it’s almost three when Cavani heads at goal and Areola has to make a full-length save. The former PSG colleagues have had quite a battle tonight.
The ball drops, Pogba kills it like a feather, whips past two players and smashes beyond Areola. What a goal!
Paul Pogba thumps the ball goalwards ... Photograph: Richard Pelham/NMC Pool
The ball flies past Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and Manchester United have the lead. Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Shutterstock
64 min: Fernandes and Greenwood conjure a chance. Martial heads at Areola but was offside in any case. Slow momentum building. And it is pretty slow.
63 min: United are looking a little slovenly. Surely reinforcements are to come. Rashford one of them.
61 min:Fulham camping deep. Bruno is looking for the pass, while Pogba also lurks with intent but there’s numbers to get through. Loftus-Cheeks sets off on a jaunt again and it’s Cavani who robs him.
59 min: Loftus-Cheek on another of his runs, but his pass is read by neither Lookman nor Cavaleiro. He’s been an increasing danger to United.
57 min: It’s a pair of tense benches. Scott E still talking incessantly and there’s the odd squawk in a Scandi/Manc accent from United’s boss.
56 min: Bruno header, great save from Areola but also offside. Bruno again looks very unhappy. It was a fine cross from Pogba that set up that passage of play.
Fulham’s goalkeeper Alphonse Areola makes a save in front from Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/Pool/AP
54 min: Bruno shoots, but his shot is blocked. His face is like thunder when Adarabioyo gets in his way. Then Greenwood’s cross is headed out by Andersen, and then Shaw’s volley goalwards is blocked by Andersen.
52 min: Suddenly, Loftus-Cheek escapes down the flank. He does so twice in fact. The first time, the ball flies across goal, with no takers. Then he plays in Lookman who shoots straight at De Gea.
Ademola Lookman of Fulham sees a shot saved by Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Shutterstock
51 min: Cavani working back like a Trojan. Bruno gets a ball through the gap and Martial is again casual with his shot. A pass inside might have been the better part of valour. From the resultant corner Harry Maguire climbs highest but Ola Aina does just enough to put him off.
49 min: Martial and Fred fail to break through the Fulham wall. Then Martial reads a Shaw run that never comes. Martial looks to the heavens but should be blaming himself in truth.
47 min: Pogba is slow on the uptake in sweeping up a headed clearance from Bailly. Lookman steals in and Reed whacks a shot wide. The ball fell for him and glory was seen, and soon lost.
46 min: Away we go again. As in the opening minutes of the first half, Fulham press up, clearly on Scott E’s instructions.
A big 45 minutes coming up for both teams here...Ole seems quite smiley as he comes out. Scott Parker makes his way across the field in his dapper jacket, his quiff unshaken by the wind.
Fatsani has his say: “I am not a soothsayer nor a prophet but I will easily join the bandwagon of those taking Man United as serious title contenders if they successfully negotiate the Parker’s Parked Bus and get a result tonight. They tend to struggle against such!”
Peter Kingsnorth has an observation to make and also a prediction. “Pogba looks like a walking red card, already on a booking and almost catches a Fulham player with a high boot. But with Ole needing him to break down the Fulham defence, he if subs him it may cost united the game..”
Here’s why United really need to win this one.
Two minutes of time added on tick on without too much incident. They go in at level pegging. Lookman’s goal was well taken, and had United rocking but once Bruno Fernandes got into the game the visitors took hold. Cavani’s goal was slotted in after a mistake from Areola. Fulham have been ragged at times while still not allowing United to get into too much of a flow.
45 min: Greenwood chases down the ball, down his lonely furrow down the right, but can’t prevent a goal kick.
43 min: Wan-Bissaka gallops to the byline and bombs a cross into the back post that has Fulham scrabbling. From the opposite flank, Martial heads over. Fulham conceding territory and chances.
42 min: Lookman wins a free kick for Fulham. It’s not very well worked and the ball eventually makes its way back to De Gea.
41 min: United haven’t been great, as has been their pattern a little bit of late. It is their quality that has carried them this far.
Joe Bryan of Fulham tussles with Mason Greenwood of Manchester United. Photograph: Kevin Quigley/NMC Pool
39 min: United’s momentum has abated a little, though they nearly stole a goal when Areola failed to notice that Bruno had sneaked up behind him.
37 min:Fulham chance...Zambo Anguissa beats a couple of men, then passes the ball through to Cavaleiro who, well, takes a very heavy touch. A real waste.
36 min: Bruno Fernandoes and Tete clash and the Fulham player looks to be in pain. He gets up, and rather quicker than would be expected.
34 min: Fernandes is fouled and United have a free-kick on the left-hand edge of the area. Few questions over who will take it. He spots the ball Ronaldo-style and hoofs it over in the style of Neil Jenkins.
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United prepares to take a free kick. Photograph: Kevin Quigley/Kevin Quigley NMC Pool
32 min: Lovely spinning pass from Bruno to Shaw but the full back can’t get the ball across. Mason Greenwood has been quiet on the flank. Cavani is the centre forward and perhaps cramping his style.
31 min: Scott Parker chewing wildly and asking a question of the assistant referee. Another draw isn’t a great deal of use to his team.
29 min: The Cavani goal owed much to Areola’s fumble of a Bruno’s cross. Wan-Bissaka sorties forward and Martial heads the ball off Tete’s head. From the corner, Maguire climbs highest and misses. Fulham had gone to sleep. That counts as a miss.
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