Man Utd Bottom of PL for High-Speed Runs After Fulham Draw — SkimNews
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- Manchester United rank joint-bottom in the Premier League for high-speed runs this season with 1,691, level with Man City, whose tally was skewed by playing most of the derby with 10 men, per Opta.
- Matheus Cunha delivered a scathing verdict after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham, telling Sky Sports "they put in more energy than us, we cannot accept this"; Gary Neville added, "I've never seen a Man Utd team walk out of possession as much as that."
- United spent 52.98% of their out-of-possession time walking at Craven Cottage — their season high — while covering 110.2km, the second-lowest total of the Premier League weekend and 6.5km behind Fulham.
- Michael Carrick rejected the energy criticism post-match, saying the way United finished "didn't look like that for me," and the attacking data partly backs him: United led the round in metres gained per passing sequence and logged 36 penalty-box entries, the most by any team in any PL match this season.
- United allowed Fulham to begin passing sequences on average 36.9m from their goal — the closest starting position any side conceded all weekend — reflecting how deeply they sat defensively at Craven Cottage.
- With five points from five games, Manchester United host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham after the international break; failing to win would mark their worst-ever Premier League start.
Why it matters: For Michael Carrick, the gap between United's league-leading attacking metrics (most penalty-box entries in any PL game this season, 113 shots) and their bottom-of-the-table work-rate numbers is the central puzzle. Five points from five games has already dampened optimism after last season's third-place finish, and a failure to beat bottom side Tottenham after the international break would officially make this United's worst-ever Premier League start.
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