Joshua Zirkzee spares Man Utd blushes as Van Nistelrooy worried in Fulham win | Football | Sport

Joshua Zirkzee was the hero for Manchester United after coming off the bench to score the winner in a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham. Erik ten Hag watched his new-look side struggle on the opening day of the Premier League season at Old Trafford but Zirkzee provided the striker’s touch that would have settled Ruud van Nistelrooy’s nerves.

Bruno Fernandes had two golden chances to put the Red Devils ahead in the first half but the Portuguese uncharacteristically squandered them both. In the second half, opportunities were limited for both sides and, despite debut appearances from Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Zirkzee, it looked to be heading towards a draw.

That was until Zirkzee calmly swept home from an Alejandro Garnacho cross on 87 minutes to hand the home side a crucial win and the £42million signing a vital debut goal to open his account.

Express Sport analyses the key talking points from the game, including which players impressed and singling out those who underpeformed.

Zirkzee provides golden touch

With an hour on the clock, Ten Hag called to his bench and it was Zirkzee’s time to shine. He had to wait patiently for his chance and watched on with frustration as United’s four attacking players missed gilt-edged opportunities.

There have been concerns over the 22-year-old’s fitness in pre-season, which led to him starting on the bench.

But the striker looked hungry to make an impression with some early runs off the ball, only on those occasions he didn’t receive it.

However, he kept trying as United searched for an opener. And Zirkzee’s run was timed perfectly when Garnacho crossed from the right, guiding the ball home into the far corner.

Goals are a striker’s currency, and now that he’s off the mark, Zirkzee provided the golden touch which proved to be the perfect platform for United’s season.

Ten Hag call backfires as Ruud takes note

With Rasmus Hojlund out injured and Joshua Zirkzee not ready to start games just yet, Ten Hag was forced to use Bruno Fernandes as a makeshift striker and the Dutchman might live to regret that decision. Assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy was seen taking notes on the touchline and if one were to hazard a guess, there wouldn’t be many positives to take.

The Portuguese has filled in the role in pre-season and excelled in a deep-lying role when spearheading the attack. But when acting as a striker, finesse and showmanship is less important than putting the ball in the net – and Fernandes will have some regrets about his approach.

The club captain was put through on goal after a horrible mistake from Bernd Leno, but the 29-year-old tried a difficult trivela shot with the outside of his boot and fluffed his lines. Minutes later, he was found by Casemiro’s sumptuous pass through the middle but somehow failed to find the bottom corner.

Fernandes is unquestionably the best player in the United team, so it makes sense to carry the play through him. But perhaps Marcus Rashford would offer a better option to deputise for Hojlund in his absence.

A mountain to climb for Mason

Mason Mount is the square peg in the round hole at Old Trafford and his inability to settle in this team is becoming a major issue for Ten Hag to address.

With Fernandes playing further forward, Mount was the obvious choice to support him – and at times even switch roles with the United playmaker – but he didn’t have enough influence on the game.

Mount gave away possession cheaply in the first half and was booked for a cynical, tired challenge on Emile Smith Rowe. Simply put, United aren’t getting the return on their £60m investment that they expected from the former Chelsea star.

In the second half, the attacking midfielder ran onto the ball threaded through by Rashford but fired straight at Leno. The look on his face was one of a player that knew he needed a goal to relieve the pressure, having scored just once in his previous 21 appearances for the club.

And with 60 minutes on the clock, his number appeared on the fourth official’s board. But he could have no complaints after another frustrating display where he offered only glimpses of his ability.

Masterful Mazraoui shows promise

Having been the only one of Manchester United‘s summer signings to earn a start, it was down to Noussair Mazraoui to make an immediate impression on his debut. And despite only having three days to train at Carrington, the £17million signing did not disappoint.

Starting at right-back, Mazraoui made a steady start with no thrills, passing it forward and using the ball intelligently. His confidence grew as the game went on and when required to carry out some defensive duties, he ensured Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe were not afforded space.

The new No. 3 didn’t look fazed on his first Old Trafford outing and that is to be expected from a 26-year-old player who has played at the highest level with Ajax and Bayern Munich. But Ten Hag will be pleased with how he fared on his first appearance in the red shirt.

Garnacho left out despite Wembley heroics

After producing a stellar cameo against Manchester City in the Community Shield, many would have surely expected Alejandro Garnacho to earn a start against Fulham. But the 20-year-old was named amongst the substitutes as Ten Hag handed Amad a surprise start.

The result was a toothless attacking display from the hosts, despite some nice football in the build-up, with Amad one of the few players struggling to show his quality in the final third.

Garnacho was made to wait an hour to his chance to impress before he replaced Mount and immediately, the Argentinian began to cause problems for the Fulham defenders – tormenting them with his quick running and close dribbling.

Quite why Ten Hag left him out is anyone’s guess, but United fans are always delighted to see him on the pitch and he proved his manager wrong with an assist late on, although he won’t want to watch his 93rd-minute howler again after somehow failing to score.