Harry Maguire has accepted responsibility for Fulham’s late winner at Old Trafford, acknowledging that he should have fouled Adama Traore in the lead-up to Alex Iwobi’s decisive goal.
In the Premier League clash on Saturday, Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fulham, marking the end of their positive streak of five consecutive wins in all competitions. Maguire played a pivotal role in the match, avoiding a red card controversially in the 35th minute for a late challenge on Sasa Lukic before equalizing the scores with a header in the 89th minute.
Despite escaping a red card, Maguire’s earlier caution would come back to haunt Manchester United. Speaking to MUTV after the loss, the defender admitted that, considering his booking, he should have deliberately fouled Traore, who set up Iwobi’s winning goal in the dying moments.
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“I was on a booking myself; in hindsight, maybe I should have just brought him down, but then you miss next week. It’s easy to say now,” Maguire conceded.
Reflecting on the overall performance, he added, “We can look back, and I’m sure we’ll assess it in terms of areas that we can improve on, but, ultimately, over the 90 minutes, we didn’t do enough to win the game.”
Looking forward, Maguire emphasized the need for a strong reaction in the upcoming FA Cup fifth-round clash against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, viewing it as an opportunity to bounce back from the disappointing Premier League defeat. He said, “We know it’s going to be a tough game in midweek. Our full focus is on that one. We’ve got to bounce back. A big reaction is needed. It’s going to be a tough game, but we’ve got to go there and produce a performance like we did there last year.”