Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 2.
Manchester United impressed in defeat to Arsenal last weekend, so all eyes will be on how they react against Fulham.
Craven Cottage is a happy hunting ground for Man Utd, who have won on their last eight visits, but Marco Silva’s side did beat Newcastle United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on their own patch last season.
What stood out from Cunha and Mbeumo’s debuts?
New attacking midfielders Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both played well for Man Utd against Arsenal in Matchweek 1, racking up nine shots between them.
Cunha, who had five of those attempts, started as a left-sided No 10, before operating as a "false nine" until the introduction of Benjamin Sesko for the final 25 minutes.
It was Cunha's running power with the ball at his feet which stood out most.
He was Man Utd’s quickest player on the day, reaching a top speed of 34.87km/h, and the way he powered towards goal on several occasions was impressive.
The graphic below reflects Cunha’s long progressive ball carries, with five of them occurring down the central spine.
Fulham’s centre-backs and central midfield must contain those bursts better than Arsenal, while right-back Kenny Tete will also have his hands full chaperoning Cunha, who will play on that side if Sesko starts.
It wasn’t just Cunha who carried the ball well for United.
Former Brentford star Mbeumo also dribbled with confidence down the right side, linking nicely with Diogo Dalot.
Defenders aside, it was Cunha and Mbeumo who travelled the most distance of all Premier League players with the ball at their feet in Matchweek 1.
The task in hand for Fulham is to avoid letting this become an end-to-end match, as the duo could put them on the back foot.
Shrinking the space for Cunha and Mbeumo to run into will be an important factor for Fulham.
Non-defenders most distance travelled, MW1
| Player | Most distance travelled |
| Matheus Cunha (MUN) | 201.3m |
|---|---|
| Bryan Mbeumo (MUN) | 185.5m |
| Martin Odegaard (ARS) | 185.4m |
| Anthony Elanga (NEW) | 156.9m |
| Callum Hudson-Odoi (NFO) | 141.2m |
Amorim prepared to take risks
There was visibly more aggression and intensity to Man Utd's play last Sunday than seen in 2024/25.
They showed a great appetite for mixing it physically with Arsenal, and won 56.9 per cent of their duels by pressing with purpose.
United now need to recreate those levels of hostility as a group at Craven Cottage.
One of the reasons they focused so hard on regaining the ball was Amorim’s willingness to leave players high and wide in readiness for quick transitions.
Left wing-back Patrick Dorgu did not always follow Ben White’s movement, for example, sometimes staying forward, as shown below.
From the turnover, he ran through before shooting against a post.
Mbeumo also sometimes opted to stay high rather than tracking back, gambling on the possibility of creating 2v2 situations.
In the example below, Riccardo Calafiori had pushed on, but as soon as Arsenal lost possession, Casemiro picked out Mbeumo with a switch pass.
Only time will tell if this was a one-off tactic or something we will see more of from United, but Fulham will have noted this risky ploy.
Are Man Utd going to be more direct this season?
No side made more long passes than Amorim's across the opening set of matches.
It was noticeable how often goalkeeper Altay Bayindir went long (18 times), while midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro played plenty of diagonals or long balls into the channels, with nine and seven respectively.
Most long/successful long passes, MW1
| Team | Long passes | Succ. long passes |
| Man Utd | 67 | 41 |
|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 53 | 29 |
| Liverpool | 51 | 29 |
| Brighton | 50 | 28 |
| West Ham | 59 | 26 |
With 6ft 5in Sesko leading the line, a striker who is also quick enough to race on to passes aimed into space, this shift may continue and become part of their tactical framework.
Amorim’s men ranked ninth for attempted long passes in 2024/25, so keep your eye on whether they persist with this slightly more direct way of playing at Craven Cottage.
Fulham may target central fragility
Speaking after their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, Man Utd head coach Amorim said: "The most important thing was, we were not boring."
That quote fits in with what we saw from his side, who were determined to commit bodies into the final third.
The downside of that approach meant they were susceptible to breakaways, and in some respects, it was alarming to see how often Arsenal were able to play through an empty central midfield.
Had Mikel Arteta’s side made better decisions on those counters, they could have scored more goals.
In the example below, Fernandes loses possession in an advanced position, leaving Casemiro stranded in central midfield, with Gabriel Martinelli racing down the middle.
A few minutes later after Man Utd had loaded the box from an Mbeumo inswinging cross, Arsenal cleared to Martin Odegaard on the edge of the box. In an instant he was sprinting down the pitch for a 3v3.
Fulham used teenager Josh King in the No 10 role in their 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion, and if he keeps his place, opportunities may arise for the lively attacking midfielder to be pivotal on the break.
Emile Smith Rowe, an excellent ball carrier himself, could also be used in that role, while we may also see pacy Adama Traore come to the fore on counters.
The intention of using Fernandes as an orthodox central midfielder is a positive one from Amorim, and the captain offers quality on the ball from that deeper role.
Yet his desire to join in and make things happen inside the final third can leave the Red Devils open.
To progress as a side, Man Utd will need to find solutions to this issue.