The Manchester United F.C. Vs Fulham F.C. Standings picture in the Premier League shifted dramatically on the afternoon of Sunday, February 1, 2026, when Benjamin Sesko struck a stunning stoppage-time winner to seal a breathless 3-2 victory at Old Trafford, kick-off having taken place at 2:00pm GMT in front of 73,932 supporters.
It was Michael Carrick’s third consecutive Premier League win since returning to the club as interim manager, following victories against Manchester City and Arsenal, and the result pushed United to fourth in the league table on 41 points from 24 games.
Casemiro gave United the lead in the 19th minute, powerfully heading home from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick delivery to reward early home pressure.
Matheus Cunha doubled the advantage in the 56th minute, collecting Casemiro’s exquisite no-look pass and unleashing a thumping first-time finish into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Fulham refused to be beaten, however, and staged a stunning late comeback — Raúl Jiménez converting an 85th-minute penalty before substitute Kevin produced an exquisite equaliser in the 91st minute to give the visitors what looked like a barely believable lead.
United had 90 seconds to respond, and they did — Sesko, on as a substitute, took a composed touch inside the box and slammed home in front of the Stretford End in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete one of the most dramatic finishes seen at Old Trafford in recent seasons.
Fulham boss Marco Silva looked crestfallen at the final whistle, having seen his side lead going into the final minute only to be denied by a moment of clinical finishing from the bench.
Starting Lineups
Manchester United Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
| # | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | GK | Senne Lammens |
| 2 | RB | Diogo Dalot |
| 5 | CB | Harry Maguire |
| 6 | CB | Lisandro Martínez |
| 23 | LB | Luke Shaw |
| 18 | CM | Casemiro |
| 37 | CM | Kobbie Mainoo |
| 16 | RM | Amad Diallo |
| 8 | AM | Bruno Fernandes (C) |
| 10 | LM | Matheus Cunha |
| 19 | ST | Bryan Mbeumo |
Fulham Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
| # | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Bernd Leno |
| 21 | RB | Timothy Castagne |
| 5 | CB | Joachim Andersen |
| 15 | CB | Jorge Cuenca |
| 33 | LB | Antonee Robinson |
| 17 | CM | Alex Iwobi |
| 16 | CM | Sander Berge |
| 19 | RM | Samuel Chukwueze |
| 32 | AM | Emile Smith Rowe |
| 8 | LM | Harry Wilson |
| 7 | ST | Raúl Jiménez |
Substitutions
| Team | Player Off | Player On | Minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Bryan Mbeumo | Benjamin Sesko | 64′ |
| Fulham | Harry Wilson | Kevin | 79′ |
Key Absences
| Team | Player | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Patrick Dorgu | Hamstring injury |
| Manchester United | Mason Mount | Injury |
| Manchester United | Matthijs de Ligt | Injury |
| Fulham | Rodrigo Muniz | Hamstring injury |
| Fulham | Sasa Lukic | Injury |
| Fulham | Oscar Bobb | Hamstring injury |
Goals
| Time | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 19′ | Casemiro | Manchester United |
| 56′ | Matheus Cunha | Manchester United |
| 85′ | Raúl Jiménez (pen) | Fulham |
| 90+1′ | Kevin | Fulham |
| 90+4′ | Benjamin Sesko | Manchester United |
Manchester United F.C. Vs Fulham F.C. Standings — Premier League Table At Time Of Match (Gameweek 24)
The Manchester United F.C. Vs Fulham F.C. Standings context was particularly significant in the context of the top-four race, with United arriving in fourth and departing in a strengthened version of that same position.
Arsenal led the division on 48 points, six clear of Aston Villa in second, with Manchester City one point further back in third heading into the weekend’s fixtures.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 52 | 21 | +31 | 48 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 20 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 44 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 40 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 41 |
| 5 | Brentford | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 38 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 37 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 43 | 34 | +9 | 36 |
| 8 | Everton | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 35 |
| 9 | Fulham | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 36 | -1 | 34 |
| 10 | Brighton | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 33 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 32 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 38 | -3 | 31 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 23 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 22 |
| 15 | Nottingham Forest | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 42 | -14 | 21 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 20 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 24 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 27 | 45 | -18 | 19 |
| 18 | Wolves | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 41 | -19 | 18 |
| 19 | Burnley | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 48 | -25 | 17 |
| 20 | Tottenham | 24 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 22 | 46 | -24 | 16 |
Note: Not all clubs had played the same number of games at this point due to fixture scheduling differences across the gameweek.
Carrick’s reinvigorating influence on the squad was reflected in United’s points tally over those three matches in charge — nine points from nine against City, Arsenal and Fulham — a return that had the Old Trafford faithful daring to dream of a genuine Champions League push before the end of the season.
