Following his match-winning strike at Craven Cottage on Sunday evening, Lisandro Martinez now has as many Premier League goals as Rasmus Hojlund this season.

The centre-back's second goal of the campaign was enough to seal a narrow 1-0 win for Manchester United over Fulham and secure a second victory in the space of just four days.

Martinez also played a key role in the 2-1 win over Rangers just 72 hours prior to the trip to the capital, sending over a peach of a cross for Bruno Fernandes to connect with and score a dramatic 92nd-minute winner.

READ MORE: Manchester United have developed an unexpected attacking threat in Ruben Amorim's system

READ MORE: Manchester United 'make final Patrick Dorgu transfer decision' as imminent action planned

Though Martinez's effort had a huge slice of fortune about it, nobody of a United persuasion was going to complain. He tried his luck when others were seemingly too afraid to.

Ruben Amorim recalled Rasmus Hojlund at Fulham. He failed to register a single shot, stretching his run of games without a goal to 11.

Hojlund's deputy Joshua Zirkzee is not faring much better, currently on a run of nine appearances without scoring. He last scored when United were beaten 4-3 by Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on December 19.

Zirkzee was joined on the scoresheet that evening by Amad and Jonny Evans. Since then, United have scored 10 goals in their last nine games, regularly finding themselves relying on the same faces to get them out of trouble.

After going three games without a goal over Christmas, United's goal drought ended when Martinez crashed in a brilliant effort at Liverpool. Just like London buses, a second goal soon arrived via Amad.

In between the goals that saw Martinez give United the lead at Anfield and the Argentine score the winner against Fulham, only Amad and Fernandes have got their names on the scoresheet. Between them, the trio have scored nine of United's last 10 goals, with only Jack Butland's own-goal in the win over Rangers being added to United's tally.

Amad has scored four of United's 10 goals so far this calendar year and was incredibly unlucky not to have claimed a fifth against Fulham, only to be denied by VAR for the narrowest of offsides. Fernandes has three and Martinez has two.

With neither Hojlund or Zirkzee showing any signs of ending their respective droughts in front of goal, as well as the absence of anyone else stepping up and scoring, Martinez, Amad and Fernandes are doing all of the heavy lifting between them.

As well as scoring nine of United's last ten goals, they have also created two of them. Their contributions at the start of 2025 have been vitally important to say the least.

United no longer have a box-crashing midfielder in the same mould of Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford has been frozen out, Alejandro Garnacho is without a goal since November 28 and neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are good enough to lead the line.

With McTominay having not been replaced, Rashford banished, Garnacho still adjusting to a new role and the team lacking a dependable No.9, it is a good job United have been able to rely on Amad's contributions, Fernandes' recent upturn in form and Martinez's willingness to venture into advanced areas of the pitch.

Without their goals since the turn of the year, United would find themselves six points worse off in the league, leaving them hovering incredibly close to the relegation zone. They would also be out of the FA Cup.

Hindsight can often be a wonderful thing but United and Amorim are now consistently relying on the same three players to get them out of trouble. It is great that Martinez, Amad and Fernandes are in-form and scoring goals, but their teammates need to try and ease the load on their shoulders. United are becoming too reliant on the same trio.