Match Report
Fulham (2) 3-1 (1) Newcastle United
Premiership Match Day 05 24/25 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 21st September 2024 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
|
Fulham delivered a fantastic performance to defeat high-flying Newcastle United 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies would have gone top of the Premier League with a victory, but were blown away by the Whites in the first half, with Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe handing us control of the game.
But within half a minute of the restart, Harvey Barnes had reduced the deficit, leading to a real battle in the second 45.
It always felt like there was another goal in the contest, and thankfully it was Fulham who got it when substitute Reiss Nelson powered one home in front of the Hammy End in stoppage time.
An unchanged Fulham from our last Premier League meeting needed just five minutes to open the scoring, and it came seconds after Newcastle had a goal disallowed.
Joe Willock had strayed offside before teeing up Joelinton, and the Whites went straight up the other end to capitalise.
Raul fed the ball out wide to Adama Traore who picked out his teammate in the middle. There was still plenty to do though with his back to goal, but Raul used one touch to control the ball on his chest, and another to lash into the bottom corner following a nifty spin.
A buoyant Craven Cottage thought they had another goal to celebrate moments later when Smith Rowe opened his body up having collected Alex Iwobi’s pass, but his firm effort smacked the crossbar and looped over.
Iwobi was the creator again when he spotted a clever peel from Raul behind Dan Burn and sprayed a pass over, but Nick Pope was out quickly to push his shot behind for a corner.
Joachim Andersen saw his header blocked from that set-piece, with the loose ball dropping to Antonee Robinson who fired wide.
Iwobi then stung the palms of Pope from the edge of the box as Fulham continued their rapid start.
The second goal our rampant display deserved was imminent, though. A quick break saw us overload the left flank, with Iwobi and Smith Rowe playing an intricate one-two ending with the latter poking beyond Pope for 2-0.
The Whites were cooking in the September sun, and it almost got better when Raul met Sasa Lukic’s inswinging cross on the half volley. He caught it well but it was always rising and missed the target.
We hadn’t seen anything of the Magpies in an attacking sense since their disallowed goal, but Barnes made sure Bernd Leno was alert on 33 minutes, drawing a low stop from the Fulham number one.
But it was immediately our turn again to attack, with Pope using his feet well to turn Adama’s vicious strike from a tight angle around the post.
Andersen had another header blocked from that corner, but he almost brought about a third goal in sensational style a couple of minutes later, with Pope at full stretch to palm away his 35-yard curler.
Newcastle hadn’t been at the races in the first half, but flew out of the traps after the restart, with Barnes coolly placing a shot across Leno and inside the far post inside 30 seconds.
Iwobi, who had been brilliant in the first half, would definitely have thought he’d scored when he smashed a volley from Adama’s hanging cross, but Pope showed incredible reflexes to divert it behind with his knee.
Raul attempted a spectacular bicycle kick from the corner, and a deflection on its way through required another Pope intervention.
The boys had responded well to United’s goal, and Smith Rowe will have been disappointed to slice his effort just before the hour mark when an Andreas Pereira free-kick was cleared to him on the edge of the box.
The atmosphere was getting tenser in SW6, and Newcastle threatened thrice in quick succession with 20 minutes to play Leno denying Anthony Gordon at the end of a quick break, Jacob Murphy’s shot licking the top of the net, and Fabian Schar lashing into the side netting after picking Smith Rowe’s pocket.
A third goal for Fulham felt crucial and Kenny Tete threatened it with a barnstorming run down the right, only to pull his effort short of the near post.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Newcastle |
| Goals |
(2) 3 |
0 (1) |
|
| Scorers |
Jimenez 5 |
Barnes 46 |
|
Smith Rowe 22 |
- |
|
Nelson 92 |
- |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
22 |
15 |
| On target |
11 |
4 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
50% |
27% |
| Possession |
39% |
61% |
| Passes |
340 |
543 |
| Passes Success |
83% |
90% |
| Corners |
6 |
0 |
| Tackles |
17 |
9 |
| Tackles Success |
41% |
67% |
| Saves |
3 |
8 |
| Fouls |
8 |
16 |
| Offsides |
1 |
6 |
| Yellows |
6 |
0 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Iwobi then sent a volley over after being picked out by Nelson, but it was a difficult strike to take on.
Having conceded in the fifth minute of stoppage time a week ago, you can imagine the stress levels when six were put up by the fourth official, but Nelson erased any worries, rifling home emphatically after Magpies captain Bruno Guimaraes needlessly picked him out in the box.
A first Rodrigo Muniz goal of the season would have put the icing on the cake, but he drilled over first time from 19 yards following a pick out from fellow substitute Harrison Reed, meaning Fulham had to settle for just the three goals to go with our three points.
Fulham boss Marco Silva:
"It was a great goal from him [Jimenez]. It shows that when he's confident like now he's capable to do these situations.
"The turn, the rotation from him was top level and it was great. He also had a very good moment which was over the bar, it was tough for him to face big players like Dan Burn but he was fighting and helped the team.
"It was a good performance from him and it's important for a striker to be scoring the goals.
"It was a deserved three points, great work from the lads and it was a great reaction from ourselves
"We wanted to show a reaction because we were not fortunate last week and what a reaction it was from ourselves.
"The first half was very good with the way we started and were dominant."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe:
"Today was the worst we've played. Especially in the first half, the second half was better.
"In the other games it's not been perfect but there's been solidity. But today, defensively, we were not good enough and we're going to work to put it right.
"First half we were too reactive, Fulham played well but we conceded a poor first goal. It's difficult to go away from home when you give them help and that first half was tough.
"But second half we responded well and chased the game effectively until the end. We need to reflect and analyse that."
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Pereira (Reed 67), Lukic (Berge 45), Traore (Nelson 74), Smith Rowe (Diop 84), Iwobi, Jimenez (Muniz 74)
Unused substitutes: Cairney, Castagne, Benda, Sessegnon
Goals:
Jimenez 05; (Wow and the hosts immediately go up the other end and take the lead as Adama's ball in from the right flank is brought down in the box by Jimenez, who then turns and drills a low shot past Pope a slight suggestion of handball against the Mexican as he brought that cross down, but the VAR is happy with it.
FPL Assist: Adama)
Smith Rowe 22; (It is delightful, slick one-touch passing from the hosts as Iwobi and Smith Rowe again exchange passes down the left as the former feeds his one-time Arsenal team-mate in the box but Pope will be disappointed he did not do better with that low shot which the 'keeper somehow spills into his own net, although maybe he was caught out by the attacking midfielder's first time shot."
FPL Assist: Iwobi)
Nelson 92; (Oh dear, oh dear Guimaraes. What are you doing lad?
He's trying to play the ball out of danger around his own area, but his pass back to the top lands to the waiting Nelson.
He's unmarked and has all the time in the world to smash home Fulham's third.
The second goal today that Newcastle can only blame themselves for.)
Booked: Tete (f,21), Lukic (28,f), Traore (36,dis), Pereira (44,f), Reed (86,f), Leno (92,tw)
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier (Livramento 74), Schar, Burn, Kelly (Hall 45), Willock (J Murphy 45), Guimaraes, Joelinton (Tonali 74), Gordon (Osula 83), Isak, Barnes
Unused substitutes: Dubravka, Krafth, Almirón, Longstaff
Goals:
Barnes 46; (Wow, right from the kick-off Newcastle are back in this as Murphy intercepts, then drives forward and feeds Barnes in space on the left edge of the box and the England international does well to beat Leno with a low effort into the far corner.)
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Attendance: 0
Fulham are next in action on Saturday 28th when they visit Nottingham Forest.