Match Preview
Manchester United vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 24 25/26 at Old Trafford
Sunday 1st February 2026 KO: 14:00
Referee:
John Brooks (Leicestershire)
Live on Sky Sports
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Fulham visit Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon looking to continue unbeaten by United after two 1-1 draws hame and away. While Manchester United are one victory away from equalling Ruben Amorim's longest Premier League winning streak.
Last time out The Cottagers enhanced their European credentials with a 2-1 success over Brighton & Hove Albion while The Red Devils' resurgence continued with a tremendous 3-2 win at leaders Arsenal last weekend.
Consistently inconsistent in the first half of the season - winning and losing nine games apiece from August 28 to December 17 - the Cottagers have since been beaten in just one of their last eight contests in all tournaments, coming up trumps on five occasions.
Not for the first and probably not for the last time this season, Harry Wilson was the hero for Fulham last time out, when his last-gasp free kick propelled the West London club to a dramatic 2-1 comeback success over Brighton at Craven Cottage.
Currently sitting seventh in the standings and just four points off the top four, the Cottagers also have a resurgence on the road to thank for their pleasing ranking, taking 10 points from their last five Premier League away games after earning just one from their first six in 2025-26.
Silva's side also stifled Man Utd in a 1-1 Craven Cottage draw earlier this season, and they only have to go back to February 2024 for their last league win at Old Trafford, albeit that representing their only top-flight victory at the Theatre of Dreams from their last 20 attempts.
Man Utd's 2-0 derby success preceded a five-goal extravaganza at the Emirates, where Bryan Mbeumo's finish, Patrick Dorgu's thunderbolt and Matheus Cunha's wonder strike condemned Arsenal to their first home loss of the season in any competition.
Doing his prospects of a long-term contract no harm whatsoever, Carrick is the first manager since February 2010 to mastermind back-to-back wins against the teams starting the day in the top two of the Premier League table, in which Man Utd are now in control of the race for fourth place.
The Red Devils hold a one-point advantage over Chelsea and two-point lead over Liverpool ahead of gameweek 24, thanks to their applaudable six-game unbeaten run in the division - the longest of any team in the top flight as things stand.
The hosts' attacking spending spree in the summer is paying dividends as far as goals are concerned, as Man Utd have scored in each of their last 11 Premier League games, while also conceding just one in their last three at the Theatre of Dreams.
Carrick has already passed two of the toughest tests imaginable since taking the reins for a second time, but another challenging assignment now awaits the Englishman, whose opposite number Marco Silva is dreaming the European dream with Fulham.
A penny for Amorim's thoughts as the Portuguese's successor - be it temporary or indeed permanent - took down both Manchester City and Arsenal in the space of two Premier League gameweeks, and in some fashion too.
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Following a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in August, Fulham are looking to avoid defeat in both Premier League matches with Manchester United for the first time since 2003-04 (W1 D1).
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Manchester United have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League games against Fulham (W15 D4), going down 2-1 at Old Trafford in February 2024.
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Fulham have earned as many points in their last eight Premier League games (17 – W5 D2 L1) as they managed in their first 15 of the season beforehand (W5 D2 L8). Indeed, it’s the most points the Cottagers have ever amassed over any run of eight matches within a single season in the competition.
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Only three of Fulham’s first 15 Premier League goals this season were scored via set pieces (20%) but since the start of December only two sides have netted more set piece goals than the Cottagers (7), with that equating to 41% of their goals in that time (7/17).
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Harry Wilson has been involved in 10 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances for Fulham (6 goals, 4 assists). Wilson has scored or assisted every 141 minutes for the Cottagers in 2025-26, the best ratio by a Welshman in a season (min. 1,000 minutes) since Aaron Ramsey in 2018-19 for Arsenal (goal/assist every 136 minutes).
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Manchester United have won both Premier League matches under Michael Carrick this season and a win here would see Carrick (in his current spell) equal Rúben Amorim’s longest winning run in his 47-game tenure (three in October 2025).
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Manchester United are unbeaten in six Premier League games (W3 D3) and haven’t had a longer unbeaten streak since a run of eight in January and February 2022 under Ralf Rangnick. It is the longest current ongoing unbeaten run of any side.
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Including his first spell in 2021, Man Utd manager Michael Carrick has won 10 points in four Premier League matches (W3 D1). Only four English managers have won 13+ points in their first five games – Frank Clark in 1994 (13), Roy Hodgson in 1997 (13), Tim Sherwood in 2013-14 (13) and Craig Shakespeare in 2017 (15).
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Patrick Dorgu has been involved in five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances for Manchester United (3 goals, 2 assists). Since the first game in that run on 21 December, only two players have been involved in more goals, while Dorgu ranks joint top for chances created (14), joint second for possession won (43) and top for fouls won (18).
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In the last two seasons, only Mohamed Salah (55) and Erling Haaland (49) have had a hand in more Premier League goals than Bryan Mbeumo (28 goals, 8 assists). Man Utd won just 20% of games while Mbeumo was at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations this season (P5 W1 D3 L1), compared to 50% with the Cameroonian in the starting XI (P18 W9 D5 L4).
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports