Neville rips into Man Utd after Fulham draw, Carrick stands firm

Gary Neville didn’t hold back after Manchester United’s 1-1 at Fulham. As BBC Sport reports, the former captain called the start of the second half “pathetic”, saying it was “the worst 15 minutes” he’s ever seen and pointing to a “complete lack of effort”, while questioning what Carrick must have been thinking.

The match swung early for Fulham due to misfortune: Lisandro Martínez put the home side ahead with an own goal just over an hour in—during the same spell Neville singled out. Still, United fought back and grabbed the leveller late on, with Matheus Cunha scoring a deflected strike in the 89th minute.

The physical debate returns

Carrick, meanwhile, leaned on how his team finished. He argued that the way they pushed in the final stages showed the squad is fit enough: “At the end, it didn’t look like that. We finished really strong, kept pushing.” Cunha also fuelled the debate in his post-match comments on Sky Sports, saying: “At the start of the second half they had more energy than us. We cannot accept this.”

A draw at Craven Cottage doesn’t hide the broader issue. United sit 12th after five points from five games, already 10 points behind Manchester City, and fan frustration is high. According to BBC Sport, supporters booed Carrick after he made a decision involving Kobbie Mainoo—bringing him off 11 minutes from time.

Changes, injuries and the wider noise

Carrick defended the move as part of chasing a result, adding that he spoke to Mainoo after the game and “he’s absolutely fine”. The situation is also complicated by absences: Carlos Baleba is yet to make his debut, Matthijs de Ligt wasn’t involved at all, and Benjamin Sesko missed the game due to a recurrence of his shin issue.

BBC Sport also notes off-pitch pressures: the club will release its full-year financial results to 30 June on Wednesday, and the debate about the new stadium continues, with projected costs above £2 billion. Carrick closed by insisting there’s still a big season ahead and that—despite the frustration—deflation isn’t what’s in the group.