Match Report
Fulham (0) 3-1 (1) Middlesbrough
Emirates FA Cup 3rd Round 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 10 January 2026 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Lewis Smith (Lancashire)
|
Fulham turned things around against Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage to secure their progression to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round.
The Championship promotion hopefuls had pegged us back through Hayden Hackney’s opener, but second-half goals from Harry Wilson and Emile Smith Rowe saw us get back on top.
And in the dying embers of the tie, Kevin netted his first Whites goal to add some gloss to the scoreline and make the result safe.
Marco Silva – serving a touchline ban after picking up three yellow cards – made seven changes to the side that beat Chelsea in midweek, including a first start for Bayern Munich loanee Jonah Kusi-Asare.
Two of those changes linked up for the first sight of goal – with Adama Traoré’s ball across the box met by Kevin, who couldn’t quite get the proper connection to guide his effort on target.
Shooting towards an impressive away following in the Putney End, Fulham continued on the front foot. Traoré played some neat passes with Timothy Castagne, and the full-back’s cross was headed on target by Kusi-Asare, although the striker couldn’t generate the power needed to trouble goalkeeper Sol Brynn.
Harrison Reed, wearing the captain’s armband for the day, was next to register a shot – but his first-time strike from 20 yards out flew over the bar. At the other end, Alex Gilbert lofted a cross to the far post that Hackney couldn’t quite get on the end of, with Benjamin Lecomte covering his angles regardless.
Still the Whites ploughed forward on a chilly afternoon in SW6, but Reedy couldn’t tuck home Ryan Sessegnon’s excellent delivery from the left, and Castagne got too much power on his piledriver a couple of minutes later.
For all of Fulham’s dominance, it was the away side who took the lead with half an hour played. Sam Silvera slalomed his way into the box, and Hackney poked past Lecomte to open the scoring.
Searching for an equaliser before the break, Kevin capitalised on some pinball in the box and forced the Boro defence into making a good block. Moments later, when Reed whipped in a corner, an excellent goalline clearance from Luke Ayling prevented Jorge Cuenca from levelling things up with a clever finish.
Wilson was introduced early in the second half alongside Raúl Jiménez and Cairney, and took no time at all to make his mark. Picking the ball up on the 18-yard line, the Wales international expertly curled into the bottom corner with his trusty left foot.
After battling so hard to get back into the contest, a lapse at the back almost saw Boro immediately retake the lead. Thankfully, Tommy Conway’s shot was a few inches too high, clipping the crossbar on its way over.
On 70 minutes, Wilson almost turned provider when he threaded a pass through to Kevin – but the Brazilian’s shot whistled just past the far post. When our number eight searched for the bottom corner again, Brynn pushed the ball away and gathered when Antonee Robinson tried to tap home the rebound.
The turnaround was complete with a quarter of an hour left, when Cairney slotted the ball through to Smith Rowe, who turned quickly and fired underneath the goalkeeper to make it 2-1.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Middlesbrough |
| Goals |
(0) 3 |
1 (1) |
|
| Scorers |
Wilson 60 |
Hackney 30 |
| Scorers |
Smith Rowe 77 |
- |
| Scorers |
Kevin 90+3 |
- |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
19 |
7 |
| On target |
9 |
3 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
47% |
43% |
| Possession |
57% |
43% |
| Passes |
562 |
425 |
| Passes Success |
89% |
86% |
| Crosses |
18 |
7 |
| Crosses Success |
39% |
29% |
| Corners |
3 |
2 |
| Tackles |
18 |
12 |
| Tackles Success |
61% |
75% |
| Saves |
2 |
5 |
| Fouls |
9 |
8 |
| Offsides |
0 |
2 |
| Yellows |
1 |
2 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
|
source: SkySports |
A scary moment followed when Morgan Whittaker found himself one-on-one with Lecomte, but under pressure from the Fulham shot-stopper, the Boro striker fluffed his lines.
And, having taken the sting out of a tie that had at one point looked dangerous, there was still time for Kevin to finally get his goal. Wilson (shock) was involved again, prodding a ball across for the winger to stab home a third.
Cupset avoided, Marco’s men will now turn attention to protecting their unbeaten Premier League run with a trip to Leeds next weekend.
Fulham manager Marco Silva
"It is always tricky when you come from (Premier League) games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Chelsea, which do not demand a lot of mental work from me on the players because the motivation is always there.
"Even if the FA Cup is always special, and you play at home, it is always tricky to go from Liverpool and Chelsea to play a Championship side, albeit a very good side.
"And we did not want to underestimate them or think that our place in the next round was guaranteed. We had to be at our best level and we were in the second half."
Fulham: Lecomte, Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon (Robinson 66'), Reed (Cairney 56'), Lukic, Traore (Wilson 57'), Smith Rowe (Berge 86'), Kevin, Kusi-Asare (Jimenez 56')
Unused substitutes: Leno, Andersen, Amissah, Ridgeon
Goals:
Harry Wilson 60 (left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kevin with a cross.)
Emile Smith Rowe 77 (right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Tom Cairney.)
Kevin 90+3 ( left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Harry Wilson with a cross.)
Yellow Card: Jorge Cuenca (68,f),
Middlesbrough : Brynn, Browne, Ayling (Fry 80), Malanda, Targett (Hansen 86), Morris, Hackney (Nypan 80), Silvera, Gilbert, Whittaker (Ibeh 81), Conway (Burgzorg 63)
Unused substitutes: Hamilton, McLaughlin, McCormick, Kante
Goals:
Hayden Hackney 30 (right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sam Silvera.)
Yellow Card: Gilbert (26), Burgzorg (68,f),
Referee:
Lewis Smith (Lancashire)
Attendance: 20,675
Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough F.A. Cup 3rd Round highlights
Fulham are next in action at 15.00 next Saturday, 17th January, in the Premier League when they travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United.