Match Report
Luton Town (1) 2-4 (2) Fulham
Premier League Match Day 38 23-24 Kenilworth Road
Sunday 19th May 2024 KO: 16:00pm
Referee:
Matt Donohue (Manchester)
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Fulham rounded off the season with a 4-2 win at Luton Town in an eventful affair at Kenilworth Road.
Three goals in a six-minute spell at the end of the first-half saw us go
into the break with a 2-1 advantage. Adama and Raul Jimenez scored either side of a Carlton Morris penalty, before Jimenez doubled his tally shortly after the break.
Alfie Doughty's free-kick gave the hosts some hope, but a Harry Wilson screamer saw us restore our two-goal lead and take the points back to SW6.
Head Coach Marco Silva made six changes to the side that lost to Manchester City last weekend. Among them, Jimenez made his first Premier League start since January, Tim Ream came in to captain the team, while there was also a start for Kenny Tete after his contract was extended earlier this week.
Starts for Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson and Adama made up the rest of Marco's changes.
On an afternoon where he became one of just a handful of Premier League players to play every second of action this season, Bernd Leno made a stunning save to deny Carlton Morris after 15 minutes, with our shot-stopper raising his right hand to keep out the striker's chip.
Down the other end, Wilson was sent through by a searching Alex Iwobi ball, with the Welshman bending a shot just past the post after cutting in onto his dangerous left foot.
Calvin Bassey made an important block to nod away Jordan Clark's well-hit half volley, before Daiki Hashioka fluffed his lines when a cross fell at his feet in acres of space at the far post.
The offside flag came to Fulham's rescue on the half hour mark as Leno spilled Chiedozie Ogbene's driven effort, with Morris squaring the rebound to Tahith Chong to tap home, but Morris was standing in an offisde position.
Leno was determined to complete a fine individual campaign in style, this time saving smartly with his feet to keep out Elijah Adebayo.
Jimenez had to be patient in his wait for his first chance of the afternoon, although the striker should have hit the target with his header from a few yards out, with Adama picking him out with a deep cross.
Adama was in the mood on his first start of the season and he gave Fulham the lead a few minutes before the break. Wilson spread the ball out wide to the forward and his rasping shot from the edge of the box was too powerful and sailed beyond the reach of Thomas Kaminski.
But our lead was short lived, as Morris calmly converted from the penalty spot after Bassey tripped Ogbene in the box.
In a crazy ending to the first period, we responded immediately as Jimenez finished a neat move down the right hand side, sweeping the ball into the bottom corner after Wilson teed up the Mexican.
Jimenez found the bottom corner again shortly after the break. His glancing header from a whipped Reed free kick kissed the post on its way in, as we extended our advantage to two goals.
The Hatters fought back on 55 minutes as Doughty took the low road from a free-kick. The free-kick was given after Antonee Robinson fouled Ogbene, with Doughty's shot rolling along the surface and beyond Leno.
The crossbar denied us a fourth goal on the hour mark, as Reed laid the ball off to Wilson from a free-kick, with the 27-year-old rattling the woodwork with a fierce strike.
Wilson wasn't to be denied again as he picked out the top corner with a sweet shot with just over 20 minutes to play. Adama raced forwards on the counter-attack, but instead of shooting, he set up Wilson who wrapped his foot around the ball and gave Kaminski no chance.
Fulham continued to search for more goals as the game reached its latter stages. Tom Cairney was denied by substitute goalkeeper James Shea, before Bobby De Cordova-Reid was on the end of a training ground corner routine, only to be denied by the side netting.
The win means Fulham have finished the season in 13th in the Premier League table.
Luton Town: Kaminski (Shea 76), Hashioka, Mengi, Osho, Ogbene (Townsend 76), Sambi Lokonga, Clark (Mpanzu 70), Doughty, Morris, Adebayo (Woodrow 76), Chong
Unused substitutes: Krul, Onyedinma, Johnson, Piesold
Goals:
Morris 45+1 pen ( converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner. Penalty conceded by Calvin Bassey (Fulham) after a foul in the penalty area.)
Doughty 55 (from a free kick with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.)
Booked: Lokonga (34,f), Clark (49,f), Morris (73,arg), Johnson (75,f), Doughty (59,f)
Fulham : Leno, Tete, Ream, Bassey, Robinson (Ballo-Toure 78), Reed (Cairney, 75), Palhinha (Castagne 90+1), Wilson, Iwobi, Traore (De Cordova-Reid 79), Jimenez (Muniz 90+1)
Unused substitutes: Rodak, Broja, Pereira, Willian
Goals:
Traore 43 (right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Harry Wilson.)
Jimenez 45+3 (right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Harry Wilson.)
Jimenez 49 (header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Harrison Reed with a cross following a set piece situation)
Wilson 68 (left footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Adama Traoré.)
Booked: Reed (22,f), Robinson (54,f), Traore (73,arg), Cairney (88,f)
Referee:
Matt Donohue (Manchester)
Attendance: 12,027