'He made three top saves' – Michael Carrick blames Bernd Leno heroics for Manchester United failing to beat Fulham

Carrick cut a frustrated figure following his side's 1-1 draw with Fulham, pointing directly to Leno as the primary reason the visitors failed to take all three points. The result leaves Manchester United with just five points from their opening five Premier League matches - matching their joint-lowest tally at this stage of a season, previously recorded in 2014-15.

Reflecting on the match, Carrick felt his side had done enough to take all three points despite the setback. 'I thought we should have won the game, I thought we created enough to win the game,' he told Sky Sports.

Pointing directly to the performance of Fulham's goalkeeper, Carrick added: 'I think probably their goalkeeper really. The saves that he made today - he has probably made three top saves. We have hit the post twice and had a load of opportunities. Of course we are not happy about not winning the game, but there are things to take from it for sure.'

The afternoon took a turn for the worse for United when a chaotic sequence in their own penalty area resulted in a nightmare opener for Fulham. Lisandro Martinez inadvertently bundled the ball into his own net after goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to deal cleanly with a low effort from Calvin Bassey.

Carrick remained stoic about the nature of the goal conceded, acknowledging that such incidents are often unavoidable in the heat of a Premier League battle. 'The goal we did concede is one of them goals. The boys could have thought it is one of those days, but I really like the reaction. We nearly won it in the end. We came to get the win of course, the way it panned out and the way we finished is the positive we take from it,' he told Sky Sports.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the United boss also suggested his side were unfortunate not to be awarded a free kick in the build-up to Fulham's opener. 'I think it was maybe a foul on Matheus [Cunha] first, there's an argument for that. The shot has come through someone and it has happened quite quickly. Quite a few moments like that have been going against us. Thankfully we have still taken something small from the game.'

As the clock ticked toward the 90th minute, United's relentless pressure finally paid dividends through Matheus Cunha. The attacker unleashed a strike from 20 yards that took a significant deflection off Fulham defender David Affengruber, leaving the previously unbeatable Leno with no chance as the ball settled into the corner.

Despite suggestions that his team lacked urgency during certain phases of the match, Carrick defended his players' approach and energy levels. When asked if the team had been passive, he responded: 'I didn't think we were. Did you think we were? Football is a difficult game. We controlled a lot of the first half. It's the Premier League and you will have spells where you don't have it all your own way. To expect total dominance for the whole game, I don't think anyone gets that in this league.'

The result leaves Manchester United in 12th position with just five points from their opening five fixtures, a start that falls well below the expectations at Old Trafford. However, Carrick insists there are structural positives to build upon as the domestic season pauses for the international window.

Concluding his assessment of the performance, Carrick emphasised that the squad is still in a developmental phase under his guidance. The manager stated: 'I think we can take a lot from today. I think we can learn a lot as well. We can be better at certain things, that is pretty clear, but there were some good signs today.'