Cunha leveller turns down noise but Carrick has plenty to ponder

LONDON, Sept 20 : Michael Carrick was spared a drastic increase in the 'noise' around Manchester United as his side avoided a third consecutive defeat by scraping a 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday.

United's disappointing start to the campaign despite pre-season optimism looked set to become something of a crisis at Craven Cottage until Matheus Cunha's deflected 89th-minute equaliser salvaged a point.

Another defeat, following last weekend's derby loss to Manchester City and a midweek League Cup exit against Brighton & Hove Albion from 2-0 ahead, would have left Carrick under the microscope heading into an extended international break.

Five points from five Premier League games is not what United fans would have expected from a reasonably kind set of fixtures, but at least they avoided defeat at Craven Cottage.

There is clearly a lot for Carrick to contemplate though over the next couple of weeks. While his side had 29 goal attempts to Fulham's 12 on Sunday, there were periods in the game when his side lacked urgency and focus.

United's multiple Premier League title winner and Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville described the first 20 minutes of the second half as 'pathetic'.

That culminated in a comical own goal when Calvin Bassey's shot was pushed out by United keeper Senne Lammens with the ball dribbling in off defender Lisandro Martinez.

United's response was positive but they needed a huge slice of luck as Cunha's speculative shot brushed off Patrick Dorgu to leave Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno wrong-footed.

Carrick won over the doubters last season after replacing Ruben Amorim initially on an interim basis, winning 12 of his 17 Premier League games in charge and taking the club back into the Champions League after finishing third.

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