Martinez’s deflected strike gives Man Utd win at Fulham

Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike ensured Manchester United came out of a drab fixture at Fulham with all three points.

The quality of the game had been poor for more than 75 minutes as both sides struggled to create meaningful chances.

But as it looked to be petering out towards a draw the visitors snatched victory when Martinez strode towards the edge of the box before letting fly with an effort that struck Sasa Lukic and looped over Bernd Leno.

That was their first shot on target and was harsh on a Fulham side who had been the better side in the first half, but really should have taken their chances. Raul Jimenez was guilty of one notable miss when picked out by Antonee Robinson but his first touch was a heavy one before he drove a shot over the bar.

Manchester United struck late to win an even contest at Old Trafford back in August and once again they punished Fulham in the closing stages with Martinez’s goal.

They did need the intervention of substitute Toby Collyer to ensure the win in the final couple of minutes when he cleared Joachim Andersen’s header off the line.

Amad Diallo thought he had scored a fourth goal in his last three Premier League games deep in stoppage time, but his finish was ruled out by the video assistant referee for offside.

The win means Ruben Amorim’s side have now won back-to-back games after beating Rangers in the Europa League in midweek and moves them up to 12th.

Fulham, meanwhile, remain 10th.