WOOD STRIKES TO CLINCH LATE POINT

WOOD STRIKES TO CLINCH LATE POINT

United draw 1-1 with Fulham at Elland Road...

UNITED 1 (Wood 90+2), FULHAM 1 (Cairney 77) (Elland Road, 7.45pm kick-off)

United team: Green, Ayling, Cooper, Bartley, Taylor, Phillips, Hernandez (Mowatt 72), Dallas (Vieira 58), Roofe (Sacko 78), Antonsson, Wood. Subs: Turnbull, Coyle, Bamba, Doukara.

Fulham team: Button, Odoi, Madl, Kalas, Sessegnon, Cairney, McDonald, Parker (Tunnicliffe 83), Ayite (Jozabed 88), Aluko, Smith (Woodrow 65). Subs: Joronen, Malone, Ream, Christensen.

Referee:  Chris Kavanagh

Booked: Bartley (United), Odoi (Fulham)

Att: 21,204 (391 Fulham)

Chris Wood netted a stoppage-time overhead kick to clinch our first point of the new season in a 1-1 draw at home to Fulham on Tuesday evening.

The visitors had opened the scoring after 77 minutes at Elland Road through Tom Cairney’s curling effort, but Wood powered home a dramatic leveller in front of the Kop to secure a share of the spoils.

Fulham enjoyed the better of the first-half chances and were inches away from taking the lead on 19 minutes as Floyd Ayite stooped at the back post to glance wide a cross from youngster Ryan Sessegnon.

Marcus Antonsson had United’s best opening of the early exchanges but the Swedish forward dragged a low effort wide of the far post after seizing upon a loose ball to race through on goal.

Aluko then came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 33rd-minute after some intricate play saw the Cottagers’ forward slotted into the United area, only to clip the base of the post with his strike.

United threatened as the first half progressed with a deflected Stuart Dallas cross just evading Antonsson inside the area and bouncing agonisingly across the face of goal, before Wood headed wide from an offside position on the stroke of half-time.

Fulham made a bright start to the second period and Rob Green was forced into a superb reflex save to claw away a strike from Ayite before former United striker Matt Smith rattled the woodwork with a towering header.

Kemar Roofe, Chris Wood and Antonsson all came close as United searched for an opener, but it was the visitors who broke the deadlock with 13 minutes remaining as Cairney picked out the far corner with a bending effort from the edge of the area.

Many inside Elland Road would have been forgiven for fearing United’s point-less start to the new campaign would be extended when Wood headed over from close-range in the closing stages, but the striker made amends in the 93rd minute with a superb bicycle kick.

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