Phil Haigh
Published February 1, 2026 5:23pm
Updated February 1, 2026 7:03pm
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Marco Silva fumed at referee John Brooks on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)
Fulham suffered a dramatic, late defeat at Manchester United on Sunday and manager Marco Silva has vented his frustration at referee John Brooks.
It was a thrilling second half at Old Trafford as the visitors bounced back from two goals behind, only to be denied at the death.
Casemiro and Matheus Cunha had given the Red Devils a 2-0 lead and it looked like Michael Carrick’s men were going to cruise to a comfortable victory.
However, Raul Jimenez won and converted a penalty on 85 minutes before Kevin curled in a stunning equaliser in the first minute of injury time.
The joy of the travelling fans was short-lived, though, as Benjamin Sesko hammered in a winner for Manchester United even deeper into stoppage time, securing a memorable 3-2 victory for the Red Devils.
Silva was delighted with the efforts of his players, but not with the performance of the referee on Sunday afternoon.
After the game the Fulham boss was still seething about a penalty awarded to Manchester United in the first half by Brooks, which was overturned by VAR, but Silva said was a ‘horrendous terrible’ call.
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John Brooks initially gave Man Utd a penalty early on, but reversed his decision (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Top performance from ourselves. Second half, our team was better,’ Silva told Sky Sports. ‘The way we played and controlled the ball, they wanted to press us high but we never let them.
‘They scored when we switched off but we kept going and scored a goal that was disallowed. It is what it is. Difficult but we have to accept it.
‘The story of the game started with a horrendous terrible decision from John Brooks with the penalty he gave. Horrendous decision from that moment, big, big mistake. It was the first time we saw all the Premier League fans and us coaches and players. We have to take all this frustration to win the next one.’
Bruno Fernandes was ready to take a penalty before it was overturned (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester United were awarded a free-kick from the situation, with a foul adjudged to have taken place outside the box, and they scored their first from that free-kick.
On the decision, Silva said: ‘The penalty was given by the tackle. After, because the decision was so bad, they found a different foul.
‘I feel my players, I feel our fans but we have to respect and the people in charge. I know why the penalty was given. VAR went in a completely different direction to find something to find a free-kick that was not the reason why the penalty was given.’
Asked if he had spoken to the referee after the game, Silva said: ‘I don’t want get more cards because I want to be on the touchline. I don’t want to speak more.’
Benjamin Sesko netted a late winner (Picture: Getty Images)
There was no such frustration in the Manchester United camp, with match-winner Sesko thrilled to make the difference after coming off the bench.
The summer-signing has not started a match under Carrick yet, but showed his value to the team with the crisp late finish.
‘That was unbelievable,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘Scoring at home and scoring the winner is unbelievable.
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‘I’ve been dreaming about that and dreaming that I can do that. We all know as a team how important these results are.
"This is old-style Manchester United" Benjamin Šeško, WOW! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4XzEnIrTQp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026
‘We are on a really great run right now and we are just hoping that we can continue to work hard like that to win games. I’m really happy that I could help the team out. We can continue our streak now.’
Carrick added: ‘I’m just so delighted for him. He totally deserves it.
‘It’s a huge moment for all of us but for him especially. He deserves it. He’s been fantastic since I came here. He’ll remember that feeling for quite some time.’
Arrow MORE: Michael Owen singles out ‘struggling’ Man Utd star for praise after Fulham win
Arrow MORE: Benjamin Sesko praises Manchester United teammate after Fulham win – ‘he’s a legend’
Arrow MORE: Michael Carrick reveals the mistake Ruben Amorim made with Man Utd star who is ‘a joy to watch’
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