Emile Smith Rowe denied Manchester United their first win of the 2025/26 Premier League season as Fulham rallied to earn a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
United, who had Bruno Fernandes miss a first-half penalty following Calvin Bassey’s foul on Mason Mount, were on course for victory when Leny Yoro's 58th-minute header struck Rodrigo Muniz on the back and wrong-footed Bernd Leno.
However, United were undone by substitute Smith Rowe, who scored just 94 seconds after his introduction.
It is the sixth-fastest goal by a player after coming off the bench since start of last season.
The former Arsenal playmaker flicked Alex Iwobi's cross home as Fulham salvaged a point for the second successive match, following last week's 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Matheus Cunha went close on several occasions for the visitors, while Harry Maguire and Joachim Andersen spurned good chances late on, leaving both teams winless two fixtures into the new campaign.
How the match unfolded
Cunha was at the centre of an electric start from United, firing over from 25 yards out and side-footing against the base of a post within the first two minutes, before he was thwarted by a stunning save from Leno.
United had a golden chance to take the lead in the 38th minute, as Bassey was ruled to have pulled Mount to the ground from a corner, with referee Chris Kavanagh overturning his on-field decision of no penalty after a VAR review.
However, Fernandes fired his penalty high above the crossbar.
Ruben Amorim introduced Benjamin Sesko just eight minutes into the second half, but United's breakthrough came via a Fulham striker as Yoro's header deflected in off the unfortunate Muniz.
But Smith Rowe dragged the hosts level in the 73rd minute, darting onto Iwobi's delivery to prod past Altay Bayindir.
Maguire planted a header wide in the 88th minute, while Andersen failed to make proper contact at the other end as the spoils were shared.
United rue early misses
Although United approached Sunday's match without a point on the board, there was an upbeat mood around the Red Devils after they turned in a positive performance against Arsenal last week.
Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha both looked lively in that 1-0 defeat to the Gunners, and the latter flew out of the traps here, going close twice in the opening exchanges before teeing up Fernandes for a long-range drive that was repelled by Leno.
Cunha could have opened the scoring after plucking Bayindir's excellent pass out of the air in the 14th minute, but the Brazilian was denied by Leno, and his profligacy spread to Fernandes when United were awarded their spot-kick.
United seemed to retreat into their shell after Fernandes' miss, and if not for Muniz completely mistiming his header from a corner, they may have gone into half-time behind.
The visitors remained tentative after the break and, after going ahead in fortunate fashion, they could have few complaints when Smith Rowe hauled Fulham level.
Amorim may argue his team have created enough chances to be on two wins after their first two matches, but with Sunday's opener going down as a Muniz own goal, no United player has found the net yet this season.
With a EFL Cup tie against Grimsby Town and a Premier League fixture against Burnley to come in the next six days, that will have to change soon.
Fulham show battling qualities again
Fulham were lacklustre for much of their meeting with Brighton, but Muniz's strike in the seventh minute of stoppage time saw Marco Silva's men escape the Amex Stadium with a point.
Having scored seven Premier League goals as a substitute since the start of last season, Muniz was promoted to the starting XI, with Ryan Sessegnon also coming in at left wing-back as Silva matched Amorim's 3-4-3 set-up.
Fulham made a nervy start, but they grew into the contest and could feel hard done by when Muniz found the net at the wrong end.
However, as was the case at Brighton, a Fulham substitute made the difference as Smith Rowe levelled less than two minutes after coming on.
Of the six quickest Premier League goals by substitutes since the start of last season, four have come from Fulham players.
Fastest PL goals by subs since start of 2024/25
| Time | Player/team | Opponent |
| 21 seconds | Jota (LIV) | Nott'm Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 1 min 3 sec | Sessegnon (FUL) | Spurs |
| 1 min 7 sec | Wilson (FUL) | Crystal Palace |
| 1 min 19 sec | Hinshelwood (BHA) | Liverpool |
| 1 min 26 sec | Issa Diop (FUL) | Aston Villa |
| 1 min 34 sec | Smith Rowe (FUL) | Man Utd |
Silva has proven his ability to change matches from the sidelines, but after expressing frustration with Fulham's lack of transfer activity, he will feel he deserves additional backing.
Back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte is the only new face at Craven Cottage, but Silva will want a couple more in ahead of Saturday’s derby against Chelsea. Before then, Fulham host Bristol City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Club reports
Fulham report | Man Utd report
What the managers said:
Marco Silva: “They scored but it was a great reaction from the boys, proud of the reaction in the difficult moment of the game. You finish the game stronger, around their box with some good moments for us and I’m proud, proud of the fans, the way they were with the team until the last whistle. We wanted to win, it was important to start with the three points at home, but we understand we face a big team too.”
Ruben Amorim: “I think we can do better. We are putting the effort, so that is the most important thing for me. I think in some moments, we did well, especially in the beginning of the game. After the goal, we were thinking about the result. And this team needs to win games, we need to focus on the performance, what we need to do, because if we think about the results we forget to do the normal things. That was my feeling. We were okay until the goal. We score a goal and we should do the opposite - have more possessions, push more the opponent, and I think we were not smart in that moment.”
Next fixtures
Key facts
Fulham have avoided defeat in two of their last four Premier League matches with United (W1 D1 L2), as many occasions as in their previous 14 meetings (D2 L12).
Indeed, it is the first time that the Cottagers have not lost against the Red Devils at home in the league since August 2010, ending a run of eight consecutive home defeats.
Man Utd have failed to win either of their opening two matches of a Premier League season for just the second time across the last 11 campaigns, after also doing so in 2022/23.
Fulham have conceded seven own goals in the Premier League since the start of 2023/24, the joint-most of any side in the competition across that period (alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United and West Ham United).