Scott McTominay responds to five-word Manchester United banner amid ‘relentless’ fan support
Scott McTominay has hinted that a Manchester United fan banner inspired them to a late and crucial victory at Fulham.
Erik ten Hag's struggling side were 1-0 victors at Craven Cottage thanks to Bruno Fernandes' goal in second-half stoppage-time and the unwavering support of visiting fans.
Much of the build-up to the match addressed the pressure on the manager as United have already lost eight games this season.
And prior to kick-off, a banner that read 'PLAY LIKE YOU MEAN IT' was visible in the away end in west London.
The performance wasn't pretty but United won all three points, and McTominay addressed the fans' support despite their recent woes.
Speaking to TNT Sports at full-time, he said: "We saw the banner before the game and a few of us said, 'You know what, the fans pay good money to come and watch us every weekend.'
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"The support is relentless towards us every single week and we just want to repay them as best as we can. Things aren't going the best at the moment but like you say, it's building blocks, step by step.
"The manager, the coaching staff, we trust them a lot, we trust the players and I feel like we can go on and kick on and do better."
Ten Hag also hailed fans for their support and said the players were keen to repay with with a victory.
The United boss told talkSPORT: “We are connected, the team and the fans, they are behind us.
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"Also in bad moments they always supporting us and we want to pay back today we did it, but of course it’s the first step, we want to continue this.”
Asked if the win will take the pressure off, Ten Hag replied: “Ah, that doesn’t bother me. I focus on my team, I focus on the performance, that’s the only thing that counts.”
McTominay thought he had given United the lead early in the first-half as he tapped in from close-range.
However, after a lengthy check from VAR, Harry Maguire was deemed to be in an offside position and the goal was ruled out.
Fulham had many chances themselves to open the scoring but were lacking in any sort of threat in front of goal.
This came back to bite them in the dying moments of the game amid a series of lacklustre attempts to defend their box.
Fernandes capitalised on their inability to the clear the ball by taking aim from the edge of the box and firing into the bottom corner.
Questions over United's chances of competing for trophies this season will still linger but for now, the pressure may well have eased.