Tom Cairney has shared an insight into how his Fulham side overcame Manchester United by securing a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday.
As you can imagine, Erik ten Hag came under immense criticism for Manchester United’s performance and how it was easy to play through them.
Two men who started in the middle of the park for the Champions League chasers were – the experienced Casemiro and rising star Kobbie Mainoo.
Tom Cairney, who was introduced into the action in the 68th minute, shared that Marco Silva’s side targeted the space in between Manchester United’s midfield and defence, as he told Soccer Special on Sky Sports (27/02/24 at 7:05 pm).
The Fulham captain noted Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, but was sure to acknowledge that the 18-year-old is a ‘very good footballer’.
The duo started the game, but the Brazil international was forced off after 53 minutes, with Scott McTominay coming on in his place.
Regardless of the personnel on the pitch or the system deployed by the home side, they just couldn’t cope with Fulham’s constant wave of attacks, with Alex Iwobi scoring the winner late in stoppage time.
And Tom Cairney was asked if there was a specific area of the pitch his team targeted.
Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo
“We knew they were very strong going forward, so we wanted to take the ball off them,” said Cairney. “They can get gaps between the back four and the midfield.
“We tried to exploit that with little triangles and playing in behind Casemiro and Mainoo, who is a very good footballer. It kind of worked from the first five to ten minutes. That’s why we grew into the game and got the confidence.
“They were kind of chasing the game and the gaps just got bigger and bigger. I saw what Jamie (Carragher) did on Monday night and that was basically it.”
Manchester United have a decision to make
It seems unlikely that a top-four finish will be delivered by ten Hag, which more than likely, means no Champions League football for next season.
Many things are changing in the boardroom at Old Trafford and you would assume they will have to make a call on the manager’s future sooner rather than later.
With Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Wednesday night, followed by the Manchester derby at the weekend, you feel a lot rides on these two games.
If Man United showcase the same type of defensive fragility, then they will simply get torn apart again.