Six iconic moments shared between Man Utd and Fulham, from transfers to a dream debut

Manchester United and Fulham have been competitors domestically for over a century. The two clubs will face off for the 94th time on Sunday.

In the all-time head-to-head record between Manchester United and Fulham, the Reds hold a big advantage – winning 59, drawing 19, and losing 15. The previous meeting ended 3-2 in favour of Michael Carrick’s side.

Carrick is urging his players to get a similar result this weekend, albeit at Craven Cottage rather than Old Trafford. It has extra significance as it’s the final fixture before the September-October international break.

Only time will tell if the upcoming fixture will be memorable for any particular reasons. Here are six iconic moments in history shared between United and Fulham.

1958 FA Cup semi-final replay between Man Utd and Fulham

Seven years on from the Munich Air Disaster, a rebuilt United team faced Fulham in what was an emotional FA Cup semi-final replay in front of a reported 38,000 spectators at Highbury. The Reds, led by Sir Matt Busby’s assistant, Jimmy Murphy, went on to win the match 5-3 to secure a place at Wembley.

Murphy had to field a side that had lost eight players in the air disaster, so he hastily assembled a squad of survivors and young reserves to beat Fulham in an eight-goal affair.

Alex Dawson, 18 at the time, scored a hat-trick and was joined on the scoresheet by Shay Brennan and Sir Bobby Charlton.

Manchester United’s line-up in the 1958 FA Cup semi-final replay:

• Harry Gregg
• William Foulkes
• Ian Greaves
• Freddie Goodwin
• Ronald Cope
• Stan Crowther
• Colin Webster
• Ernie Taylor
• Alex Dawson
• Bobby Charlton
• Shay Brennan

Ruud van Nistelrooy completes brace on debut against Fulham

Although Ruud van Nistelrooy made his first appearance for United in the 2001 FA Charity Shield against Liverpool, scoring in a 2-1 defeat at Millennium Stadium, he made his Premier League debut a week later.

The Netherlands international immediately made a name for himself with a match-winning display against Fulham to kick-start the 2001/02 campaign and his start to life in the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to unleash his new signing, but Van Nistelrooy only played 76 minutes as he scored a brace to help United to a 3-2 win over Fulham. United’s first goal was scored by David Beckham to make it 1-1.

Van Nistelrooy left United in 2006 with a record of 10 goals in 10 games against Fulham. That means the Dutchman has a higher goal-per-game ratio against Fulham than any other player in the club’s history.

Fulham’s 2023 FA Cup red card meltdown

It was the 2023 FA Cup quarter-final. Fulham were leading 1-0 in the 70th minute at Old Trafford when United launched a counterattack from defending a corner. This led to an effort on goal by Jadon Sancho, but the shot was blocked on the line by Willian.

There was chaos when VAR intervened, and a penalty was awarded to United to add to Fulham’s blow of having Willian sent off. They also had Aleksandar Mitrovic and manager Marco Silva dismissed for protesting the decision in an aggressive manner.

Bruno Fernandes scored a brace, including one from the penalty kick, and Marcel Sabitzer made it 2-1.

Fulham signed George Best in 1976

Just two years after his United exit in 1974, George Best joined Fulham in the Second Division. The former Ballon d’Or winner returned to England for a brief stint from the NASL outfit, the Los Angeles Aztecs, before returning to the USA.

Best got off to a flying start at Craven Cottage. The Northern Ireland winger scored just 71 seconds into his debut as he went on to strike a formidable partnership with Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore.

Although Best didn’t spend a long time at Fulham, it was the latter years of his playing career, and he scored 10 goals in 47 appearances.

Edwin van der Sar transfer in 2005

It may make some of our readers feel old that it has been 21 years since United signed Edwin van der Sar from Fulham. The Dutch stopper went on to become one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to play for the club.

Van der Sar had not only proven himself as one of the best keepers in the Premier League at Fulham, but he’d also been a hit at Ajax and Juventus before moving to England.

Even though Van der Sar was 34 when he joined United, he enjoyed plenty of success at the club. It’s just a shame he didn’t join the club sooner in his career – preferably in 1999, following Peter Schmeichel’s exit.

During his time at United, Van der Sar won four Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, and two League Cups.

Cristiano Ronaldo solo goal in Premier League title race

In February 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo had announced himself as one of the best footballers in the world. There was further proof of that at Craven Cottage when the young Portuguese winger gathered the ball deep inside his own half in the 88th minute, with the scoreline level at 1-1.

Ronaldo drove the ball forward approximately 60 yards and saw off competition from more than one Fulham defender. He then cut into the box before the ball took a deflection into the back of the net.

The goal is iconic because it helped United secure the Premier League title against José Mourinho’s Chelsea.