Matheus Cunha has admitted that Fulham 'put in more energy' than Manchester United during Sunday's 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, a performance he described as unacceptable. The Brazilian forward rescued a point for the Red Devils with a deflected strike that squirmed past Bernd Leno just one minute before the 90th minute, cancelling out Lisandro Martinez's comical own goal on 63 minutes.
Former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ashley Young were scathing in their assessment of Michael Carrick's side, accusing them of 'walking about' for long periods of the match. Cunha, speaking to Sky Sports, echoed those criticisms and stressed that the team's lack of energy cannot be tolerated.
Cunha: 'They put in more energy than us'
'It's so frustrating for us because I feel in the beginning we put the plan in and then we try to do it, we start to do it, and then we create some chances,' Cunha told Sky Sports. 'We didn't score, unlucky, and they scored in one action that's hard to explain. A lot of luck.'
'But then you come back, and then this is a little bit frustrating for us, because I feel after we conceded the goal we played much better. With a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of character, a lot of everything that you can do for this club, but this needs to be from the start. It's only one point, but we're sure to never play for one point.'
On the team's lack of energy, he added: 'Yeah, it's hard to explain, I don't know, honestly. I feel like after the first half we created a lot of things, we play well, and we were strong defensively also, like I said, how we planned to do it. In the middle of the second half, I feel like they put [in] more energy than us. We cannot accept this. We always play better after we concede the goal, and it cannot be like this.'
Pressure mounts on Carrick after slow start
With just five points from their first five matches, the pressure is already mounting on Michael Carrick in his first season as permanent Manchester United boss. Cunha, however, insists the external noise does not bother him, drawing parallels with his experiences in the Brazil national team.
'To be honest, I don't hear something from outside, to be honest,' he said. 'I always try to improve with my teammates, of course, we know how to play [for] this club. For me, it's a little bit common, the national team is the same and I think I'm very privileged to play in these two roles, but yeah, it's only the beginning.'
'Last season it was a little bit the same, a lot of noise around and then we finished third, but this season we need to improve a little bit earlier, because if we improve early, I think we can continue to do something special for the shirt.'
Cunha's first league goal of the season
Cunha's goal in west London was his first of the Premier League season, but his second in all competitions. The result leaves Manchester United with five points from five matches, while Fulham will take encouragement from their energetic display.
The draw at Craven Cottage highlighted ongoing concerns about United's consistency and intensity, with Carrick facing questions about how to address the team's tendency to raise their level only after falling behind. Cunha's admission that the opposition showed more energy than his side underscores the challenge ahead as United look to improve their early-season form and climb the table.
