Match Preview
Fulham versus Brighton and Hove Albion
Premiership Match Day 14 24/25 at Craven Cottage
Thursday 5th December 2024 KO: 19:30
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Live on Amazon Prime
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Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion, two top-half Premier League teams, go head-to-head at Craven Cottage on Thursday night.
The Cottagers and the Seagulls meet for the first time since the beginning of March when the former beat the latter 3-0 on home soil.
Just over a week after suffering a heavy 4-1 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in North London last weekend that ended in eventful fashion for captain Tom Cairney.
The midfielder cancelled out Brennan Johnson's opener when he lashed home a brilliant leveller, before being sent off for a late challenge with seven minutes remaining. However, Spurs had no answer to the Cottagers' rearguard resolve with 10 men and were forced to share the spoils.
Marco Silva was left frustrated after the match as he insisted that his Fulham side "deserved to win" against Spurs. A draw means that they have slipped to 10th in the Premier League table, level on points with three other teams around them, while they are just four points behind Thursday's opponents Brighton in fourth.
Fulham have enjoyed facing Brighton in the Premier League, as they have won four and drawn four of their last eight meetings in the top flight, winning their last two on home soil by an aggregate score of 5-1; only against Norwich City (also eight) have they faced an opponent as many times without losing in the division.
However, success in midweek fixtures has been hard to come by, as they have only won one of their last six league games (D1 L4) played on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, having previously won their first four such matches following their return to the top flight in 2022.
After securing maximum points in back-to-back 2-1 victories over Manchester City and Bournemouth, Brighton were fancied by many to win a third successive Premier League game at home to basement club Southampton last Friday.
However, Kaoru Mitoma's first-half opener was cancelled out by Flynn Downes just before the hour mark, and the points were eventually shared in a 1-1 draw, as a goal from Cameron Archer was ruled out after Adam Armstrong was deemed to have been interfering with play by VAR.
Fabian Hurzeler admitted after the match that his Brighton side "only deserved a draw" - their fourth of the season at the Amex - as they lacked intensity and a clinical edge in the final third, with only five of their 22 shots registered on target.
Nevertheless, Brighton ended the day inside the top two of the Premier League for the first time in their history, and have since moved back down to fourth spot, level on points with Man City in fifth and just two points behind Arsenal in second place.
Before concluding 2024 with fixtures against Leicester City, West Ham United and Aston Villa, Brighton travel to Craven Cottage where they have failed to win any of their last four visits (D1 L3), while they have also failed to come out on top in any of their last nine away league matches in London, last having a longer winless streak in the capital between 1961 and 1967 (10).
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Brighton have never beaten Fulham in their eight Premier League meetings (D4, L4).
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The Seagulls have lost on three of their four top-flight visits to Craven Cottage, the exception being a goalless draw in December 2020.
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Last season, the Cottagers were 3-0 winners of this fixture with goals from Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traore.
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Fulham’s tally of 19 points is their joint-second highest after 13 games of a Premier League season. They made a similar start in 2022-23 and had 21 points in 2003-04.
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The Cottagers could equal a club record of scoring in 13 successive top-flight matches, set 65 years ago.
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However, they are looking to avoid conceding in 11 consecutive Premier League home fixtures for just a third time in their history.
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Fulham could both score and concede in each of their opening seven home league games for the first time since the 1950-51 campaign.
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Harry Wilson has scored two goals and provided two assists in his last four Premier League appearances against Brighton.
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Brighton’s 23 points is their best-ever tally after 13 matches of a top-flight season.
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The Seagulls are aiming to win a fourth away league game, which would equal their total for the whole of 2023-24.
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They could earn consecutive away league victories for the first time since September last year.
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Albion are the only team yet to lose when conceding the first goal in Premier League matches this season (W2, D3).
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Danny Welbeck is one short of equalling Pascal Gross as Brighton’s 30-goal leading Premier League scorer.
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Kaoru Mitoma could score in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBC Sports