Murphy 22

                                                                                  Duff 75

A toothless Manchester United crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season against Roy Hodgson’s confident Fulham side at a disbelieving Craven Cottage.

Fulham fans were singing “we want four” in the closing stages of an extraordinary afternoon, which saw United’s defensive injuries finally take their toll.

United were once again forced to field midfield players in defence, and this left them exposed elsewhere, as well as under-equipped to deal with the West Londoners’ much-maligned but currently in-form striker Bobby Zamora.

The champions will be grateful that the other half of Manchester grabbed the headlines, as they failed to close the three-point gap on leaders Chelsea.

And they never looked like doing so after Danny Murphy’s 25-yard shot midway through the first half flew past keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

Zamora and Zoltan Gera had already combined for the latter to produce a right-foot volley which brought the best out of Kuszczak when Murphy dispossessed Paul Scholes and side-footed the ball past the United keeper’s right-hand.

And Zamora could have doubled Fulham’s advantage when he headed Gera’s right-wing cross wide from six yards on 31 minutes.

It took 22 seconds after the break to make full amends, Damien Duff crossing with his weaker right-foot to the far post for Clint Dempsey to nod the ball back to Zamora, who half-volleyed the ball into the roof of the net from eight yards.

The expected United surge never materialised, with the near-invisible Michael Owen only one of many under-achievers in red.

And Zamora turned provider on 75 minutes, when his chest control on the edge of the area and deft pass allowed Duff to volley home emphatically.

Zamora could have granted the crowd’s wishes for a fourth goal late on, but Kuszczak was equal to his right-foot shot and the champions, described by Fulham boss Roy Hodgson as “a very wounded Manchester United”, avoided further embarrassment.