Manchester United’s trip to Craven Cottage on 20 September ended in a 1-1 draw with Fulham, but the game kept making headlines long after the final whistle.
Within days, the Alvaro Arbeloa FA charge was the story dominating the build-up to United’s next fixture. It stems from comments the Fulham boss made about the officials right after the match, and it has now landed on his desk as a formal misconduct charge.
Here is what actually happened, and what comes next, based on the confirmed facts and quotes from those involved. You can catch up on our reflections on the Fulham draw if you missed the game itself.
Craven Cottage Controversy and the Final Whistle
Manchester United left West London with a point after Matheus Cunha’s late leveller cancelled out an own goal from Lisandro Martinez. That result would normally have been the main talking point. Instead, it was Arbeloa’s post-match interview that took over the conversation, and it is now the subject of an FA investigation with consequences for the Fulham manager.
Arbeloa Bias Comments in Post-Match Interview
Speaking after the draw, Arbeloa suggested the officials had been influenced by United’s result the previous week against Manchester City. He said:
“I knew after the game against Man City that they (would not) let Manchester United lose here.”
It was a striking thing for any manager to say on camera, and it pointed directly at the integrity of the match officials.
Arbeloa took charge of Fulham in the summer and is still searching for his first league win. Pressure on him was already building before he made those comments, and they have only added to the scrutiny he is under.
FA Charges Fulham Boss with Misconduct
The Football Association has since charged Arbeloa with misconduct over those remarks. The FA’s charge states that he “acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official.”
Arbeloa now has until Thursday to respond to the charge. The FA has not indicated what sanction it might pursue, and it would be too early to guess how Arbeloa or Fulham plan to respond before that deadline passes. The Independent’s report on the FA charge carries the FA’s statement in full.
Matheus Cunha 89th-Minute Deflected Equaliser
On the pitch, United had looked in trouble for long spells. Lisandro Martinez’s own goal had put Fulham ahead, and it took until the 89th minute for Cunha to find a deflected equaliser and rescue a point. Gary Neville did not hold back on Sky Sports afterwards, calling it the “worst 15 minutes of football” he could remember since he started watching United as a boy.
Neville explained exactly what he meant:
“I was purely referring to the fact that they walked around the pitch. I’ve never seen a Manchester United team walk, out of possession, as much as that. Michael [Carrick] said he was happy with the team’s energy, Michael’s got to stop defending them. I get why he’s defending them, he’s loyal and wants his players to work for him.”
“Both teams were the same; I called them mannequins. I’ve never seen a Manchester United team, for 15 minutes, walk around out of possession as much as that. No alertness, no liveliness, no sort of on your toes. Just walking when Fulham were in possession.”
He was equally pointed about the balance of Carrick’s side, adding:
“I wish he [Carrick] could play those attacking players but they’re going to kill him defensively.” Our United running stats at Craven Cottage back up some of that concern about work rate, and the debate around the performance has continued to follow the club, with more criticism after the Fulham game surfacing in the days since.
Cunha’s goal papered over some of those cracks for a point, but it did not silence the debate about how United got themselves into that position in the first place.
