Nigerian-born Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee made a dream debut for Manchester United, scoring a dramatic late goal in front of the Stretford End to secure a 1-0 victory over Fulham in their opening match of the 2024/25 Premier League season at Old Trafford.

Zirkzee, who joined from Bologna for £36.5m ($47 million) last month, had only been available for the final half-hour of the match due to a lack of match fitness. Nonetheless, he made a crucial impact by finishing Alejandro Garnacho’s cross in the 87th minute, sparking wild celebrations among the fans.

“It couldn’t be better to win here in my first home game and score a goal,” Zirkzee said. “I’ve heard that scoring at the Stretford End is one of the best feelings at Manchester United. I’m incredibly thankful and blessed to have experienced it in my debut. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who survived a challenging end to last season despite finishing eighth in the Premier League, is hoping the FA Cup victory over Manchester City could serve as a catalyst for a better campaign. However, Friday’s performance was reminiscent of many from the previous season.

“I’ve seen many areas where we need to improve, but that’s normal,” Ten Hag acknowledged. “This win is good for boosting our confidence.”

Ahead of the match, Ten Hag admitted his team was “not ready” for the new season due to injuries and a lack of match fitness among key players. This was evident as Bruno Fernandes started as a center-forward in the absence of Rasmus Hojlund, and Zirkzee was on the bench after returning late from Euro 2024. Noussair Mazraoui, freshly signed from Bayern Munich, was immediately thrust into the starting lineup at left-back.

Despite settling differences with Ten Hag, Jadon Sancho did not feature in the squad.

Fulham, who won at Old Trafford for the first time in 20 years last February, started confidently again. Andre Onana made a crucial save to deny Kenny Tete’s dipping shot. Fernandes missed two significant chances, and Bernd Leno’s save from Mason Mount was particularly notable.

“We created a lot of chances and should have scored earlier,” Ten Hag said. “That’s my only criticism: we need to be more clinical in the box.”

Seeking a breakthrough, Ten Hag brought on Garnacho and Zirkzee. While United looked vulnerable, Fulham missed a chance to capitalize when Andreas Pereira’s poor pass allowed Alex Iwobi to go through on goal, but Lisandro Martinez made a crucial clearance.

Ultimately, Zirkzee’s toe-poke from Garnacho’s cross secured the win for United. Garnacho missed a late chance to double the lead, but the victory was enough to give Ten Hag the positive start he needed.