Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to score a dramatic debut goal, securing a last-minute victory for Manchester United against Fulham.
The 23-year-old, who joined United from Bologna this summer, started on the bench as Erik Ten Hag chose a line-up without a traditional striker.
However, Ten Hag brought on his fellow countryman at the hour mark, and Kirkzee made a decisive impact by volleying in a cross from Alejandro Garnacho three minutes from time.
Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno made crucial saves against Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, while at the other end, Andre Onana denied Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz as Fulham dominated for extended periods, with United struggling to find a finishing touch in the final third.
Ten Hag gave Noussair Mazraoui his debut, while Matthijs de Ligt and Zirkzee remained on the bench. Marco Silva, on the other hand, handed Emile Smith Rowe his first start for Fulham in a lineup that included seven players from their 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in January.
Just three days after signing, Mazraoui made a crucial sliding tackle in the opening minutes to prevent Alex Iwobi from reaching a pullback after Adama Traore surged down the right, outpacing Lisandro Martinez into the box.
Traore sent a shot over the bar before Kenny Tete’s 25-yard curling effort forced a spectacular save from his former Ajax teammate Andre Onana.
Mason Mount, in just his second start for United since last October, received a booking within 20 minutes for a tackle on Smith Rowe.
Bruno Fernandes attempted a first-time shot from a nearly impossible angle, hitting the side-netting, while another ex-Ajax player, Calvin Bassey, was booked at the 25-minute mark for a sliding challenge on Mount.
Casemiro sent a shot well over Leno’s bar shortly before the German keeper almost gave away possession on the edge of his own box but managed to block Fernandes’ low, sliced shot with his legs just before the half-hour mark, a chance Fernandes should have converted.
Five minutes later, Fernandes had another opportunity when Casemiro set him up near the penalty spot, but once again, Leno blocked his first-time shot with his legs. Casemiro then missed a downward header from a far-post corner and sent a 20-yard volley over the bar shortly afterward.
Before halftime, Harry Maguire received a yellow card from referee Robert Jones for diving in an attempt to win a penalty, with Emile Smith Rowe nearby.
After the break, Alex Iwobi headed just wide at the near post from a corner as Fulham started strongly, and Diogo Dalot cleared another close-range header from Kenny Tete soon after.
Mason Mount’s near-post shot was saved by Bernd Leno’s boot after a rapid United counterattack, while Kobbie Mainoo dragged a low 20-yard effort wide at the 55-minute mark.
Zirkzee was brought on just before the hour, delighting the home fans, with Garnacho and Amad also replacing Mount. Shortly after, Rodrigo Muniz’s acrobatic volley deflected off Mainoo and required a tip over the bar from Andre Onana.
Fulham substituted Smith Rowe with Tom Cairney at the 64-minute mark, but Andreas Pereira missed a golden opportunity to send Iwobi through on goal during a two-on-one counterattack.
Dalot’s inviting cross was well defended by Antonee Robinson, while Pereira was booked for pretending to show an imaginary yellow card, followed by Cairney receiving a real one for a challenge on Garnacho.
Lisandro Martinez made a crucial clearance from Pereira’s low cross in the 74th minute to prevent Fulham from taking the lead. The visitors won several corners but failed to capitalize.
Maguire crowded out Muniz as Fulham searched for a breakthrough, with Raul Jimenez replacing Muniz with less than 15 minutes remaining.
Bruno Fernandes curled a shot straight at Leno from the edge of the box when he could have passed to Zirkzee on the left. De Ligt and Jonny Evans were brought on with 10 minutes left, replacing Maguire and Mazraoui.
In a tense finale, Tete’s outstretched foot denied Marcus Rashford a far-post tap-in from Garnacho’s pullback, but the decisive moment came in the 87th minute when Zirkzee spread the ball wide to the right, continued his run into the area, and volleyed home to send the ball past Leno into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations.
Garnacho missed an open goal in added time after Rashford set him up following a mistake by Bassey, but United held on to secure a winning start to the season, much to Ten Hag’s relief.
