And that’s your lot. Jacob Steinberg was our man at Craven Cottage; here’s his take on a fine performance from United, and a worrying one for Fulham. Thanks for reading!

And now a much happier Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “If you don’t risk, you don’t win, and it’s a squad game. You have to trust the players and I didn’t have any worries. Yes, the first ten minutes we were put under pressure, but after the first goal we were different class. I was happiest with the second half, we took the tempo down and controlled the ball, which is different to what we did against Leicester, and that’s another step in the right direction.” He’s then asked about playing Ander Herrera deeper so Paul Pogba can go further forward, and jokes that the players are “finally doing what they are told”. Oh Jose!

A downcast Claudio Ranieri speaks. “I was so happy the first ten minutes, we created two good chances to score goals. But after we conceded, we had to stay calm, and we lost our composure. Our fault was big, but against Manchester United we needed to do something better. We have got to work hard, it’s important to do our best. I watched my team down 3-0, but they still wanted to score a goal, so that is a good thing. We fight.”

Man-of-the-match Paul Pogba speaks! “It feels great. That’s what we wanted, since Ole came: the top four. We’re there and we want to stay there. We have big games coming up, so it won’t be easy. But we put in a good performance as a team. When we need three points, we get the three points. But these big games coming up will determine where we end up. I feel great, the team feels good.”

Both teams have some big tests coming up. It doesn’t get any easier for Fulham at Craven Cottage: their next three guests will be Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City! United meanwhile prepare for a tricky triptych of their own: a Champions League tie against PSG, an FA Cup match at Chelsea, and the visit of Liverpool in the league. They do so from a good place: they’ll stay in fourth unless Chelsea get a point at City tomorrow afternoon.

90 min: There will be three added minutes.

89 min: Finally Fulham show a little fight ... albeit literally. Mitrovic and de Gea go nose to nose, the keeper running the clock down with the ball at his feet, then getting barged after he finally picked it up. It all calms down quickly enough, and they’re both booked.

88 min: Mitrovic slips Sessegon into space down the left, but the flag goes up for offside.

87 min: Cairney has a whack from 25 yards. It’s always going wide right.

85 min: Before it can be taken, Herrera is replaced by Bailly. Mata’s corner doesn’t beat first man Ream, but it’s only half cleared, allowing McTominay to fizz a low, diagonal pass from the right wing towards the far post. Smalling slides in, but can’t connect. Close to a fourth, and that wouldn’t flatter United.

84 min: See 84 min. Then Mata turns it up a little down the right, his low cross intended for Lukaku. But a corner will do.

82 min: United stroke it around, feet up, pipe on.

80 min: Sessegnon comes on for Bryan.

79 min: Craven Cottage is pretty quiet right now, the travelling support apart. Their team started well, but have shown little spirit since falling behind. The rain comes down, matching a mood.

77 min: Babel is hooked in humiliating circumstances, seconds after an astonishing miss. There’s some pinball in the United box, and the ball ends up at Babel’s feet, a yard out, just by the left-hand post. He knocks his shot against the woodwork, the rebound clanking off his shin and out of play for a goal kick. Off he goes, immediately, to ironic cheers. Cairney comes on to replace him.

75 min: Fulham struggle to clear the corner. Sergio Rico flaps. Babel loses possession. That allows Sanchez, out on the left, to send a high cross into the box. McTominay flashes a header inches over the bar. That would have been quite the instant impact.

74 min: McTominay comes on in place of Pogba. Then a dismal clearing header by Le Marchand clanks into Sanchez, who races clear. He should score, but allows Sergio Rico to turn the ball round the right-hand post for a corner.

73 min: A lull. And then suddenly Fulham come to life, pinging it around prettily. Babel feeds Christie down the right. The resulting cross finds the head of Mitrovic, who aims for the top right. It’s on target, but there’s no real pace to the header, and de Gea plucks it from the sky easily enough.

70 min: This match couldn’t have gone much better for United. Long over, it’s being played at testimonial pace now, Fulham offering very little resistance. Time to give Martial a rest ahead of the PSG match. Sanchez comes on in his place.

69 min: Chambers sends a pea-roller towards the bottom left. De Gea gathers with a yawn.

68 min: Christie bothers Shaw enough to win a corner on the right. Seri hits it long to nobody in particular.

67 min: Babel valiantly tries to get something going for Fulham, dribbling down the right. But he’s got no options nearby, and is soon forced to turn tail.

63 min: Herrera belts a shot towards the top left from 25 yards. Sergio Rico parries well. This is a lop-sided affair now, attack versus defence.

62 min: Lukaku brings down a long ball, spins, and tries to thread a pass down the middle to release Martial. Not quite.

61 min: United are in complete control of this match. Martial probes again down the left; Sergio Rico punches his cross clear of danger. But the visitors keep on coming back. Another phase of passing, and Pogba tries a low drive from the edge of the D. It’s blocked, but there’s a sense that a third goal is only a matter of time. The away fans are giving it plenty; the home fans, not so much.

60 min: Pogba is clipped over by Seri, out on the right. Mata takes a quick free kick but only manages to scoop it into the arms of Sergio Rico.

58 min: A corner for Fulham out on the left. Seri’s delivery is not great, and United are able to streak upfield in numbers. But for once they’re a little laboured in the final third, and Fulham, light at the back, escape.

56 min: A dreadful clearance by Odoi is returned by Pogba, who slips Martial free into the Fulham area down the inside left. Fortunately for the hosts, Martial is flagged offside, correctly so. It’s double fortune, given Le Marchand came sliding in on Martial, clattering him to the ground. That would have been a decision for the ref to make, had the flag not gone up.

55 min: Christie is quickly into the thick of it, making good ground down the right. But his cross leads to nothing. No matter, he comes again, battling hard to break through a couple of tackles and laying off to Babel. But Babel takes a heavy touch that allows Pogba to shepherd the ball out of play for a goal kick.

53 min: The home fans belt out a chorus of “You don’t know what you’re doing” as Ranieri sends on Christie ... but hooks Schurrle, one of Fulham’s better players this afternoon.

52 min: Mitrovic tees up Chambers, 25 yards from goal. Chambers shoots, but falls backwards while doing it. The ball sails harmlessly over the bar.

51 min: Pogba and Mata make a nuisance of themselves down the inside-left channel. Martial takes up possession and nearly dribbles his way into space, but there’s no room in the area and the ball breaks through to Sergio Rico.

50 min: United assumed a quiet control of this match. They’re quite happy to let Fulham ping it around the middle of the park, because the hosts are going nowhere. United conserving energy and happy to play on the break.

48 min: A little bit of space for Schurrle out on the right. He clips a long diagonal ball towards the near post. There’s nobody there. De Gea calmly watches it sail behind for a goal kick.

46 min: United are immediately up in Fulham’s grille. Pogba chips down the right to tee up Martial, but instead of shooting from a tight angle lays off to Mata ... who shoots from a tight angle. That’s blocked. Then Herrera has a couple of weak attempts from 20 yards. Fulham are a right old state at the back, like that’s a piece of breaking news.

United get the second half underway. No half-time changes. Now, Fulham were two goals adrift at half-time in their last game at Craven Cottage, too, but came back to win 4-2. It was some story when they did that to Brighton & Hove Albion; it’ll be a tale for the ages if they replicate the feat today.

Half-time entertainment.

45 min: Odoi curls one in from the right. Mitrovic tries to spin Smalling, but the United defender isn’t having it, outmuscling the striker before clearing.

44 min: From the resulting free kick, the ball drops to Chambers to the right of the D. He attempts to Le Tissier an insouciant volley into the bottom right, but his dipping shot is well snaffled by the safe hands of de Gea.

43 min: But now he’s in the book for barging into the same player’s back. He can have no complaints, and to be fair doesn’t bother making any.

42 min: Matic sticks his arm across Babel, who was trying to zip down the left, and is fortunate to escape censure.

40 min: Martial causes all manner of bother down the left again. He’s got Odoi on toast. He looks for the top right, but the ball deflects out for United’s first corner of the match. The ball’s hit long. Martial reaches the byline on the left, and pulls back for Lukaku, who cocks his leg to shoot but fresh-airs it. The ball breaks to Jones on the edge of the area; the big defender creams a glorious shot inches over the bar, tipped away by the fingertips of Sergio Rico. Nowt happens from the second corner.

38 min: Chambers is booked for standing on Smalling’s extended leg in a 50-50 on the edge of the United area. It’s clumsy at best; players have seen red for less. Thankfully Smalling is quickly up and about again.

36 min: Herrera slips as he goes into a 50-50 challenge with Ream, and comes off second best. He’ll be OK to continue, and he’s rather fortunately won a free kick out of sympathy. Nothing comes of it, even though United load the box, which is probably the best thing for karmic balance.

35 min: Chambers creams a long ball down the middle, but there’s only Schurrle there. Smalling and Jones are always shepherding that one back through to de Gea.

33 min: Well, we say nothing comes of it ... but United nearly score a third. United scamper up the other end on the counter. Herrera slips a pass into the Fulham box from the right, Pogba having broken clear down that channel. Pogba briefly thinks about a first-time lash from a tight angle on the right this time, but hesitates slightly and is eventually crowded out.

32 min: Bryan hooks it into the mixer. United half clear, and Seri returns it, with a view to scoring in the top-right corner. A deflection sees the ball go out for a corner on the right, from which nothing comes.

31 min: Herrera gets a bit too close to Mitrovic, the pair tussling 35 yards from the United goal, and that’s a free kick to Fulham, just to the left of centre. A chance to load the box.

30 min: Vietto battles well to bring down a long pass on the left-hand corner of the United box. But a ball rolled across the face of the area evades Mitrovic, and the crowd allow themselves a wee groan in frustration.

28 min: Schurrle and Babel are still probing away, both busy as ever. Nothing’s quite working for them, though. Babel drops deep, and tries to slip Vietto free down the inside-left channel. There’s a huge gap in the United defence, but the pass is way too strong, and the opportunity is wasted.

25 min: Why on earth was Jose Mourinho trying to bundle Martial out of the door? It’s staggering. In the meantime, Fulham are struggling to clear their heads after that quick United double. Bryan goes sliding in late on Smalling, and he becomes the first booking of the afternoon.

22 min: Matic drives down the middle, and it nearly opens up for him. Just as he thinks about a shot from distance, Seri smothers him. Just in time.

20 min: De Gea is fine to continue. Meanwhile Fulham have responded well to falling behind, in terms of territory at least, though United are holding firm on the edge of their own box. No way through. Odoi tries to burst clear down the right, but Martial comes back to lend his defenders a hand, and eases the Fulham right-back away from the danger zone.

18 min: That was Pogba’s seventh goal in his last eight Premier League outings, by the way. It was some effort, though whenever a keeper’s beaten from a tight angle at his near post, there’ll be questions. It wasn’t top-drawer netminding, granted, but the ferocity of Pogba’s shot, added to the element of surprise, surely limits any criticism. It was a hell of a strike. Accentuate the positive.

16 min: So much for Fulham’s fast start! Mitrovic chases after a long ball but only manages to clatter into de Gea. The United keeper’s down, receiving treatment.

13 min: Matic is down, having taken a couple of his former Chelsea team-mate Schurrle’s studs on his knee. For a second, he looks in some distress, but the big man gets up again quickly enough, albeit gingerly.

11 min: United are looking for Martial down the left every time. The winger appears to have the beating of Odoi, but he’s not received a particularly inviting pass yet.

9 min: Fulham will be extremely happy with this start. Nearly half of the match so far has been played in United’s final third.

7 min: Herrera sends a witless ball forward to nobody, full of panic amid the Fulham press. But Le Marchand, wandering upfield having taken up easy possession, runs into Lukaku. Suddenly Martial and Pogba are tearing down the inside-left channel. Pogba enters the box, tussles with the recovering Le Marchand, and the pair fall limply to the ground. A half-arsed shout for a penalty, but it was 50-50 and United are never getting that.

5 min: Now Schurrle sends a speculative effort over the crossbar! Setting aside the small matter of actually getting an attempt on target, Fulham have looked extremely dangerous in these opening exchanges.

4 min: And once again Fulham cause United a whole world of problems. Babel dribbles down the left and feeds Bryan on the overlap. Bryan finds Mitrovic at the far post, but the big striker can only head across the face of goal from close range. Shaw prods a clearance straight to Schurrle, who leans back and blazes over from the penalty spot.

3 min: More good work by Schurrle, who nearly breaks clear down the right. But Shaw does enough to block, and it’s a goal kick.

1 min: What a start to this game! First up, Dalot was fouled down the United right. From the free kick, Pogba fluffed a header from eight yards. Fulham broke upfield through Schurrle down the right. With United having committed everyone up for the free kick, they’re light at the back. Schurrle wedges across to Vietto, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He’s free, but scuffs his first-time shot wide, his body shape all wrong. What a chance that was for an early shock!

And we’re off! Fulham get the ball rolling. Incidentally, before kick-off, there was a moment’s applause in loving memory of Emiliano Sala.

The teams are out! A marvellous atmosphere at one of the prettiest grounds in the country. Fulham are in their storied white-and-black garb, while United wear ... we’ve already covered this. “Agree that the gear looks good on the tiling,” begins John O’Donovan. “Do you reckon they wear brand new stuff every time? Or is there a chance to wear things in? If I get a new t-shirt I’m not comfortable till I’ve cut the tags off and worn it in a few times. Must be weird being box-fresh all the time.” I guess as professional sports stars they’ve long become used to their entire lives being box-fresh. A bit like that old Billy Connolly line about the Queen assuming the whole world smells of fresh paint, because there’s always someone ten feet ahead of her frantically tarting the place up for her arrival.

Claudio talks to Sky! “They can change eight, 11 changes, anything on the pitch. They have a lot of champions. But we are ready for the battle, to try to show our football. I hope we can make our fans happy at the end of the match. Schurrle gives us experience and intelligence. We have to move the ball quickly, and forward. We have to be compact and press. We have to be calm, very fast and quick!”

A quick peek behind the scenes. And you have to say that United’s gear pairs well with the tiling at Craven Cottage. A slight shame about those bottles of squash, sitting there all orange, yellow and purple. An isotonic blight on an otherwise very satisfying composition.

Ole speaks to his old team-mate Gary Neville on Sky. “A couple of changes had to be made. Marcus Rashford has had a dead leg against Leicester, Victor Lindelof is a slight concern but hopefully he’ll be OK for Tuesday. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones did really well against Aleksandar Mitrovic last time, and we felt this is going to be a fight in the box with him so we put them in there. When we came in, we were way behind top four. So if you get the chance to take the three points and jump in, see what happens with City and Chelsea tomorrow, it’s an important game for us today. We have to stand up and be resilient, it will be tough today. There is no complacency. There is no secret to playing football: you have to enjoy yourself, and you need good players that are able to express themselves. Work hard, stay together. It’s simple.” It’s a simple set-up for the self-aware Neville, who cracks wise that “it wasn’t simple for me at Valencia when I tried that!” Hearty laughs and slaps on the back, and the old pals are off their separate ways.

Both teams have had a nice week off to relax and recuperate. Fulham come off the back of a 2-0 loss at Crystal Palace, and make two changes to the team named for that one. Luciano Vietto and Andre Schurrle take the places of Tom Cairney and Cyrus Christie, both of whom drop to the bench.

Manchester United make six changes to the team selected for the 1-0 victory at Leicester City, with PSG on Tuesday night no doubt in mind. Diogo Dalot, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial are in; Ashley Young, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez and Marcus Rashford step down.