04 November 2023 , 15:39
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It was not quite a Jurgen Klopp-style fist-pump but it was close.
And it was as animated as Erik ten Hag has been since he danced with a couple of players at Wembley back in February. His animated relief after Manchester United’s ill-deserved winner in stoppage-time must have been on several levels.
Relieved he will still be around for a crack at salvaging his club’s Champions League campaign in Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Relieved the player who provided him with a precious win was his choice of captain - a choice he has been widely vilified for.
Relieved that he did not have to go into any great detail about some seriously lamentable individual performances, most notably from Antony.
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Relieved that United were playing Fulham, because against most other Premier League outfits, United would have been swept aside.
Relieved that his side do not appear to do draws.
Ten Hag has been lambasted and lampooned for losing five Premier League games already this season but the six wins gives him a points return that is not great but is hardly calamitous. And while the fantastic travelling support did show their frustration at times, the majority of hardcore United fans are clearly behind Ten Hag.
Their mood would not have been as euphoric had Bruno Fernandes - who had himself turned in another poor display - not clinched an unlikely victory with a strike that should have been shovelled away by Bernd Leno.
But with that winnable game in Denmark followed by a Premier League home fixture against Luton Town, United have a chance to build some confidence and work on finding some attacking fluidity.
While a first half effort was ruled out after a VAR intervention - and despite that late Fernandes hit - this is a United team that is startlingly short of goal threat. A haul of 12 in 11 Premier League games - to follow the 58 in 38 last season - tells its own story.
Erik ten Hag couldn't hide his joy as Man Utd left it late vs FulhamMind you, Marco Silva’s Fulham are even worse when it comes to startling opposition defences, so it was no wonder we got this sort of attritional, unattractive contest.
The only thing more tedious than the football offered in the first half of this instantly forgettable occasion was the bleating about that VAR involvement.. As soon as the line-drawer had deemed Harry Maguire to be fractionally offside, Scott McTominay’s tap-in had to be ruled out because the United centre-half tried to connect with the set-piece delivery.
Again, the time it took to come to the decision - almost four minutes in this instance - was probably the most contentious element of the incident but, in truth, those four minutes were probably the most entertaining of the opening period.
The only other talking point during those 50 minutes centred on Fulham fans protesting against extortionate ticket prices. Good on them - but anything would have been too expensive for the dross served up before the break.
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Bruno Fernandes celebrates a huge victory for Man Utd at Fulham (AFP via Getty Images)On the basis it could not be any worse, the second half was a smidgeon more watchable - but only a smidgeon. But the only really serious ramification from this game was an injury to Rodrigo Muniz which left the Brazilian striker in tears.
It looked like a serious knee issue and his team-mates were clearly concerned, as was Silva. It was a bad day all round for the Fulham manager, whose late substitutions simply did not work, who saw his players fail to clear four times before Fernandes struck and who saw a Harry Wilson volley as the only serious test for Andre Onana.
The United keeper passed it and his team-mates passed what was, more than anything, a test of their resolve. There was, as usual, little attacking menace but, led by a gritty contribution from Maguire, they showed some fight, some spirit and looked as though they were still playing for their manager.
And that is why Ten Hag was punching the air with relief.