Manchester, England – It wasn't an ideal start to Manchester United's Premier League campaign.
After title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City picked up three points, the Red Devils were bested by Everton in a 1-0 match at Goodison Park on Monday, suffering their first opening day defeat in eight years.
Shinji Kagawa enjoyed an impressive debut with the Reds, but United, as a team, struggled to unlock an organized Toffees defense.
The second-half introduction of striker Robin van Persie, who signed for United a few days prior, also failed to spark a comeback as the visitors were held scoreless.
But even with a visit from Fulham looming, Manchester United defender and captain Nemanja Vidic is refusing to press the panic button.
"We knew it would be a hard game [against Everton]," Vidic told Manchester United's television outlet. "They did what they're best at - playing long balls and focusing on set-pieces. They had a few chances and in the end deserved to score, but we're never happy when we concede from a set-piece. We had some possession but we weren't clinical. When you go away from home you expect the home side to have some chances, but we need to be more clinical.
"It wasn't a great game but we're already looking forward to the next one. We've lost our first match [of the season] in the past and finished well so hopefully we can win our next game and go on a long run."
Fulham certainly pose a legitimate threat to United's hopes of claiming maximum points at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Cottagers got off to a cracking start this season, cruising to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City despite the absence of Clint Dempsey. The American appears to be on his way out of the club and is unlikely feature for Fulham at Old Trafford.
Fulham's fiercest rival, reigning European champion Chelsea, is also off to superb start in league play, sitting atop the table with six points from two games.
The Blues built upon their 2-0 defeat of Wigan at the weekend with a 4-2 win over Reading on Wednesday. But Roberto Di Matteo's side will face its toughest test of the young season when it welcomes Newcastle United, fresh off of its 2-1 win over Tottenham, to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Spurs, meanwhile, also faces a stern test Saturday as the club welcomes West Bromwich Albion to White Hart Lane. The Baggies will be flying high after their 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool last time out.
Also on Saturday, Swansea City looks to build upon a strong opening match when it hosts West Ham United at the Liberty Stadium, Aston Villa hosts Everton at Villa Park, Norwich welcomes QPR to Carrow Road, Southampton takes on Wigan at St. Mary's and Reading heads to the Stadium of Light for an intriguing tilt with Sunderland.
Sunday's action should prove to be quite appetizing for spectators as it features three Premier League heavyweights.
Arsenal, which was held to a scoreless home draw by Sunderland at the weekend, will be searching for its first goals of the season when it faces Stoke City at the Britannia.
And finally, Manchester City will face Liverpool at Anfield as manager Brendan Rodgers looks to help the Reds bounce back from a humiliating defeat at the Hawthorns last time out.
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