While Manchester United can rightly feel that points were frittered away in earlier visits to Goodison Park and Craven Cottage, the one picked up from Michael Owen’s equalizer within a minute of coming off the bench at the Reebok Stadium was undoubtedly a point salvaged. To claim otherwise would only be an insult to a resilient Bolton Wanderers side who must have thought that a famous victory was within its grasp. Despite enjoying a 66% share of possession, United were unable to create anything resembling clear cut opportunities as Bolton closed down and unsettled their opponents for the whole ninety minutes leaving the likes of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov totally frustrated.

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While Manchester United can rightly feel that points were frittered away in earlier visits to Goodison Park and Craven Cottage, the one picked up from Michael Owen’s equalizer within a minute of coming off the bench at the Reebok Stadium was undoubtedly a point salvaged. To claim otherwise would only be an insult to a resilient Bolton Wanderers side who must have thought that a famous victory was within its grasp. Despite enjoying a 66% share of possession, United were unable to create anything resembling clear cut opportunities as Bolton closed down and unsettled their opponents for the whole ninety minutes leaving the likes of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov totally frustrated.

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A perfect start to a new campaign. Four outings, twelve points and a shade under three goals a game put away! At least that’s what it could, and should, have been for Manchester United if not for an uncharacteristic collapse in the dying moments. Not once but twice. So where does the frustrating problem exist? The answer may well be a simple one. While a mental assumption that a game had already been won could be part of the answer, the major factor may be a more worrying one.

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Fulham    2    vs   Manchester United    2

Warning… Genuine title contenders do not take a 2-1 lead six minutes from the final whistle, be awarded a penalty moments later and still not take all three points as Manchester United failed to do at Craven Cottage. It’s not something that Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides are renowned for doing but with a whole season ahead of them, the bitter lesson will hopefully sink in before the stakes become even higher. That said, Fulham would have had every right to feel hard done by had they not taken something out of this game. Apart from netting his 150th career goal for the club, Paul Scholes was once again widely acknowledged to have been United’s best performer.

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Manchester United droped two points and settle for a point against Fulham after a dramatic game at Craven Cottage. On form Paul Scholes breaks the deadlock with a trademark 25-yard goal, but Fulham rallied and equalised through Simon Davies. Brede Hangeland scored an own goal to make it 2-1 before he equalised at the stoppage time. Read the full story

In the eyes of most football fans, Manchester United’s Premier League visit to Fulham on Sunday is by no means a blockbuster yet there was a time 52 years ago when two meetings between the clubs had the whole nation gripped by their drama. “The Cottagers” were a second division club which finished the 1957-58 season in fifth position while United was still struggling with the tragedy which had decimated their team just six weeks earlier. Yet they produced 12 goals between them in two pulsating FA Cup semi final meetings.
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