Manchester United struck late to secure a crucial 1-0 Premier League victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Barely a minute into the contest, Harry Maguire was forced to put the ball out of play as he collapsed in pain.
Once the medical team came onto the field to treat the centre-back, it became apparent that he suffered a knock to the face when he collided with a Fulham player when jumping up for a header.
While concern echoed around the Man United bench, Maguire ultimately looked to be in a sufficient condition to continue with the match.
In the minutes that followed, United managed to swing momentum in their direction, exhibiting a decent passing game that has been lacking for much of the season.
Eight minutes in, Alejandro Garnacho got on the end of a free kick, passing the ball to the middle of the box where it appeared that Scott McTominay had fired United into the lead.
Moments later, however, VAR was called into action to determine whether or not there was an offside.
With the VAR officials unsure of whether or not to call it offside after Maguire unsuccessfully reached for the ball, referee John Brooks decided to perform an on-field review, whereby he decided to disallow the goal.
15 minutes in, Andre Onana was called into action for the first time to save a blistering shot from Harry Wilson after he cut inside the box and curled the ball goalwards.
While the referee blew for offside, this would no doubt instil some confidence in the United shot-stopper as he looked to keep a clean sheet after several difficult weeks.
The visitors continued to put the pressure on Fulham, earning a corner kick when Jonny Evans tried an audacious scissor kick that saw the ball soar over the top.
Moments later, Bruno Fernandes got on the end of a counter-attack, delivering a well-struck shot from outside the box that was saved by goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
While Fulham had their fair share of attacking opportunities, they were unable to rattle the United defence, with Alex Iwobi’s shot seven minutes from half-time going well wide.
On the 45-minute mark, Willian came close to handing the home side the lead when his shot narrowly skimmed past the far post.
As the half-time whistle blew, it was safe to say that United had exhibited stability across the field that has been lacking for the majority of the season to date.
Still, Erik ten Hag’s side would need to up their attacking intensity and take more shots should they hope to come away with three points at Craven Cottage.
Two minutes after the restart, Garnacho exhibited some fancy footwork to beat two Fulham defenders and cut into the box, after which he fired a low shot that was saved by the Fulham keeper.
Following a Fulham free kick, United unleashed a rapid counter-attack in which Garnacho put in a ball to Hojlund that was deflected out for a corner.
57 minutes in, the home team threatened the United defence with some strong dribbling on the part of Willian and Iwobi.
Ultimately, it was Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Maguire to the rescue as both players put in sliding tackles to block two attempts from Willian just minutes apart.
Three minutes later, a glancing long-range shot from Wilson was on course to find the back of the net when Onana made an acrobatic save to keep the match goalless.
After the ensuing corner, Onana parried a thunderous strike by João Palinha to send the ball out for another corner, with United easily dealing with the threat this time around.
Two minutes later, it was Maguire who jockeyed the ball out of play as United’s defence was threatened yet again by a relentless Fulham attacking lineup.
After a goalmouth scramble, Diogo Dalot cleared the loose ball inches away from the goal line.
On the 63-minute mark, Antony was replaced by Facundo Pellistri following a subdued performance by the winger.
Three minutes later, Garnacho made a mistimed sliding tackle on Wilson to pick up a yellow card, with the Argentinian visually expressing disappointment with his rash decision-making.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, late addition Pellistri showed his awareness when he controlled a cross-field ball from Eriksen and aimed a shot at the bottom right corner of the goal, forcing a save from the Fulham keeper.
In the 78th minute, Christian Eriksen came off for Mason Mount, while Rasmus Hojlund made way for Anthony Martial.
Following a strong display of dribbling from Garnacho, Iwobi brought down the winger in a malicious challenge to prevent a goalscoring opportunity and hand United a free kick from a threatening position.
Fernandes stepped up to the ball and struck an impressive shot, guiding the ball over the wall and downwards toward the far post where Leno had to make a full-stretch save.
The subsequent corner saw Martial strike an overhead kick that was inches away from handing United a late lead.
Dalot was booked in the 88th minute for a sliding tackle, handing Fulham a threatening free kick on the edge of the box.
Ultimately, United could breathe a sigh of relief as Wilson’s wild shot flew out for a goal kick.
On the 90-minute mark, Fernandes broke the deadlock after a neat series of passes.
The United captain received the ball on his left foot from Pellistri, shifting it onto his right before slotting it into the bottom right-hand corner of the Fulham net to send the away end into hysterics.
As the referee blew the final whistle, United were clearly relieved to secure a long-sought after Premier League win.
While not yet back at the level of professionalism they exhibited at the end of last season, this away win will play a crucial role in advancing United’s season rebuild.
Starting XI: Onana, Maguire, Fernandes, Hojlund, Eriksen, Garnacho, Dalot, Antony, Wan-Bissaka, Evans, McTominay
Subs: Pellistri, Mount, Varane, Martial