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As with most recent games against Fulham, Manchester United left it late but eventually came away from Craven Cottage with all three points courtesy of a nervy 1-0 win on Sunday.
This was their eighth consecutive away win at the venue, a happy hunting ground for the Red Devils who also brought up their first away clean sheet in the Premier League under Ruben Amorim.
It was far from a vintage United display but at the end of the day, it is the three points that will count while the head coach will also be pleased with the impact made by the goalscorer.
The visitors had one shot on target, which came courtesy Lisandro Martinez. With all his teammates looking averse to taking any risk, the Argentine decided to try his luck from distance and it paid off.
Lisandro’s impact in front of goal
His shot took a wicked deflection and it looped over Fulham keeper Bernd Leno to nestle into the back of the net to send the away fans wild with ecstasy.
The World Cup winner will be the first to admit that his form has been far from impressive this season but he seems to be slowly getting back to his groove as seen from his recent displays.
Incidentally, the Argentina international now has four goal contributions including two goals and as many assists under Amorim, more than he had accrued in the two-and-half seasons under Erik ten Hag.
In fact, since Amorim’s arrival, only Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund have been directly involved in more goals than “the Butcher” as he is affectionately called by the fans.
Leadership qualities on display
The ex-Ajax star also defended diligently on the night, completing three tackles, and one clearance. Despite his short stature, he fought hard and won all his aerial duels while winning four out of six ground duels.
He was excellent with the ball once again, ending the game with 67 touches and an impressive 92 percent passing accuracy with three of his long balls finding its mark (stats via sofascore).
Apart from the match-winning impact, Martinez showed why he is considered a leader in the dressing room with an impressive post-match interview in which he praised academy graduate Toby Collyer for his goal-line clearance.
Amorim will be expecting more from his centre-back moving forward and hopefully, this clean sheet will boost everyone’s confidence as the team now gears up for a busy February.
Feature image Clive Rose via Getty Images
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