It was vintage Manchester United in so many ways. Their stark lack of footballing identity was once again laid bare by Marco Silva's stylish Fulham but it was the priceless victory Erik ten Hag had so desperately craved. And it was somewhat fitting that on his 200th appearance for the club, heavily scrutinised skipper Bruno Fernandes was the man to have the final say as he grabbed the bull by the horns to strike a stoppage-time winner.
This was a dogged and ugly away performance from United that once again refused to offer any clarification that they're a team that should be taken seriously. However, they displayed the guts, resilience and character that will be required to execute a season-changing upturn in fortunes. Their gritty, fighting spirit was embodied by buoyant goalkeeper Andre Onana, who made two notable second-half stops from Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha to earn his fourth clean sheet of the season.
The jury is still out on United's £47million summer signing from Inter Milan but regardless of whether you consider him to be a conclusive upgrade on David de Gea - his mentality must be commended.
"I need to do much more," said the 27-year-old following the 1-0 triumph at Craven Cottage. "I have to step up and I will because I'm used to this kind of situation [being under pressure] but it was important for us to win and I'm happy with this brilliant performance from the team. We were solid, we were together, we fought together and we deserved the win."
When quizzed on whether United's players have been feeling the heat in the face of crisis, Onana defiantly declared: "You just have to be prepared to play for Manchester United. Because that's the price you pay when you're playing for such a big club and you do not win. Everyone is upset and it's normal because we are Manchester United and we have to try and win everything. For me, it's good. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world so you always have to give everything."
Andre Onana has shown resilience following a difficult start to life at Man United (Ashley Western/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock) Onana and Fernandes were not alone in their attempts to pull United from the dirt. Harry Maguire was virtually out on his feet on two separate occasions following a nasty collision with Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz while 35-year-old defensive partner Jonny Evans' hamstrings will undoubtedly be feeling rather tender.
This brief escape from the crippling toxicity is unlikely to last forever but Ten Hag will find comfort in the commitment of his players. The two humiliatingly one-sided consecutive 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle remain raw but Saturday's jubilant celebrations on the Thames have provided a platform to build upon.
"Sometimes we make mistakes, it's part of life but at this club - we will always fight," Onana concluded. "I hope we're going to win lots of titles. We showed a lot of character, we have suffered together and we played a pretty difficult opponent as well but the celebration says everything."
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