Man Utd Edge Fulham With Martinez's Deflected Winner

Manchester United managed a narrow 1-0 victory at Fulham on Sunday, with Lisandro Martinez scoring a deflected winner to ease the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim. The match appeared destined for a goalless draw until Martinezs long-range shot took a crucial deflection off Sasa Lukic, sending the ball looping over goalkeeper Bernd Leno with 12 minutes remaining.

The win, which marked Uniteds fourth Premier League victory in 12 games under Amorim, lifted them to 12th in the table. Amorim acknowledged that Uniteds best performances so far had come away from home, perhaps due to the nerves associated with playing in front of the home crowd at Old Trafford.

The match was a scrappy affair, with little excitement for United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who watched from the stands. While the victory ensures United won't be dragged into a relegation battle, the performance was far from inspiring.

Fulham started brightly but lacked the cutting edge needed to break down Uniteds defence. Andre Onana returned to the United goal despite his mistake in the previous week's loss to Brighton, and he was called into action early, making two crucial saves from Alex Iwobi. Bruno Fernandes had a near miss with a clever free-kick just before the hour mark, but it was Martinez's fortuitous strike that ultimately decided the match.

Fulham had a late opportunity to equalise when Joachim Andersen's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Toby Collyer. United almost sealed the win with a late strike from Amad Diallo, but the goal was ruled offside after a VAR review.