Match Report
Fulham (3) 5-0 (0) West Ham
Premier League Match Day 16 23/24 at Craven Cottage
Sunday 10th December 2023 KO: 14:00
Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
|
Fulham followed up their thumping midweek 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest by thrashing West Ham by the same scoreline at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Marco Silva's men have now won their last three home games in succession, scoring 13 goals - the last 10 of which have come without reply.
Raul Jimenez headed the hosts in front after 22 minutes and it was 3-0 at the break thanks to a strike from Willian and Tosin Adarabioyo's header - his first goal since September 2022.
Second-half substitute Harry Wilson, however, scored the pick of the bunch, with his beautiful curling effort from 20 yards, and a late tap-in from Carlos Vinicius added the gloss on a marvellous afternoon for the Cottagers and a miserable one for their cross-city counterparts.
The win lifts Fulham to 10th, two points above west London rivals Chelsea and Brentford, while West Ham stay in ninth, three points further ahead, despite the end of their four-game unbeaten run.
With two in-form teams coming head-to-head in a London derby in SW6, the game had the potential to go one of two ways: a cagey encounter where chances came at a premium, or a runaway win either way. The first option was exactly how it began.
Then, midway through the first half, Fulham made the breakthrough. Jimenez's header was impressive and well-guided, but he might not have scored it had it not been for the ball of dreams delivered from the right by Joao Palhinha.
It was the fourth goal in five games for the Mexican, who had failed to score in his first 12 games in all competitions from the start of the season until November 12. That gave the hosts a huge lift and they smelled blood.
So it came as little surprise when the lead was doubled just past the half-hour. Alex Iwobi's shot was well-saved by Lukasz Fabianski, but the ball sprung free to Andreas Pereira, whose cross was missed by Iwobi and rolled home by Willian.
West Ham were barely able to break out of their own half and, when they did, their best chance was saved when Bernd Leno held Jarrod Bowen's shot on the turn. But it was, effectively, game over by the break anyway, with Adarabioyo climbing to head in Pereira's corner.
The three points were well and truly wrapped up, though, when Wilson took three touches to set himself after a ball over the top and floated an unstoppable trademark effort into the top left corner.
It was a case of damage limitation for the Hammers for the rest of the match, but they were not able to manage that either on a forgettable day all round. Vinicius completed the rout with two minutes of the 90 to play, slotting in after Wilson unselfishly squared to him, having controlled a long ball forward that ripped the Hammers defence to shreds.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva:
It was almost the perfect afternoon - but even better than the Forest win.
"It was a brilliant performance from us. We were also the best team on the pitch, not just because we won 5-0, but because of the way we performed from the first minute. The players understood the plan so well and they executed it really well; the way we could punish them and take the ball from them and control the game on the ball almost for 95 minutes.
"It was almost the perfect afternoon for us. In the last 25 minutes we just tried to control the game and we lost some balls that gave them the chance to counter-attack, but apart from that, we gave them almost nothing. We controlled well and it is not easy to control a team like West Ham with the quality they have up front.
"I have no doubts about it [that win was better than the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest]."
West Ham manager David Moyes:
"The first 20 minutes, we were fine. We let a terrible first goal in... and that changed the game because we were as much in the game as Fulham were at that time.
"I think it was the carry-over from the game [against Tottenham]; we used up too much energy in midweek. There's no excuse for the result, but it played a part. It was disappointing. We've had two difficult away games this week. Three points from the two games is not a bad result."
Fulham head north to face Newcastle on Saturday December 16, kick-off 3pm. They then visit Everton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday December 19. Kick-off 7.45pm.
Opta stats
David Moyes has now lost 238 games as a Premier League manager, the joint-most in the competition alongside Harry Redknapp. Indeed, only with Everton against Arsenal in May 2005 (7-0) has he suffered a heavier defeat in the competition.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
West Ham |
| Goals |
(3)5 |
0 (0) |
|
| Scorers |
Jimenez 22 |
- |
|
Willian 31 |
- |
|
Adarabioyo 45+1 |
- |
|
Wilson 60 |
- |
45-1
|
VinÃcius 88 |
- |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
14 |
9 |
| On target |
8 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
57% |
56% |
| Possession |
63% |
37% |
| Passes |
752 |
428 |
| Passes Success |
89% |
83% |
| Crosses |
17 |
18 |
| Crosses Success |
35% |
11% |
| Corners |
3 |
6 |
| Tackles |
22 |
10 |
| Tackles Success |
41% |
70% |
| Saves |
0 |
0 |
| Fouls |
5 |
10 |
| Offsides |
0 |
0 |
| Yellows |
2 |
1 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
This was West Ham's heaviest ever away defeat in a Premier League London derby, and their heaviest away Premier League defeat since a 5-0 loss to Newcastle United in January 2011.
Fulham have scored at least three goals in four successive top-flight league games for just the third time in their history, previously doing so in October 1959 and October 1961.
Fulham : Leno, Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson (Ballo-Toure 72), Palhinha (Reed 80), Cairney, Iwobi (De Cordova-Reid 79), Pereira, Willian (Wilson 45), Jimenez (Vinicius 72)
Unused substitutes: Rodak, Tete, Muniz, Lukic
Goals:
Jimenez 22 (Brilliant goal!
Jimenez with a header that flashes into the right corner but it was all about the cross.
Palhinha picks it up just to the left of centre midfiled and fizzes a cross towards the back post and it all it needed from Jimenez was a glancing header and it rockets into corner!)
Willian 31 (Willian started the move, feeding Iwobi for the initial shot, before Pereira picks up the follow up.
His low cross is missed by Iwobi but Willian is there at the back post to slam the ball home.)
Adarabioyo 45+1 (It's headed in from the corner!
A fantastic towering header from Tosin who nets with his first goal in over a year after an excellent delivery from Pereira.
He wanted it more than anyone and rose above Zouma to power a header into the back of the net!)
Wilson 60 (SCREAMER!
Trademark goal from Harry Wilson, brilliant first touch on the volley after latching on to a ball over the top, two touches to take it on to his left foot and he floats it into the top left corner. Unstoppable.)
Vinicius 88 (Reed plays a ball over the top that cuts the West Ham defence to shreds, and Wilson has the chance to slot home but he squares unselfishly for Vinicius who slots into an empty net.)
Booked: Palhinha (45,f), Ballo-Toure (75,f)
West Ham : Fabianski, Coufal, Zouma (Ogbonna 64), Aguerd, Cresswell (Mavropanos 45), Kudus (Mubama 64), Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Fornals (Emerson 45), Paqueta (Benrahma 65), Bowen
Unused substitutes: Cornet, Ings, Kehrer, Anang
Booked: Cresswell (18),
Referee:
Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Attendance: 23,988