By kick-off last Saturday, the morning rain had given way to fine Autumn sunshine. It was the perfect accompaniment to the latest tussle between Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.
Marek Rodak was back in goal and apart from Harry Wilson the starting 11 had a familiar pre-Marco Silva look, with Tom Cairney on the subs’ bench after a very long absence.
Both West London clubs have begun the season well, minus the occasional stumble. The Whites in their eagerness to atone for the Coventry debacle launched themselves at Rangers from the start and in the 10th minute an immaculate centre from the unmarked Denis Odoi reached Aleksandar Mitrovic, who turned adroitly and sent a low shot beyond the keeper’s reach.
To reinforce the message that he had regained his best form, Mitro nearly increased his tally from Wilson’s corner kick by drawing a double save from the goalkeeper Seny Dieng. The visitors struggled to penetrate a defence marshalled by Tim Ream though they came close to equalising when Chris Willock hit the post Despite an early injury to Ivan Cavaleiro, which led to his replacement by Bobby DeCordova-Reid, the Whites continued to control the game.
Marco Silva must have warned about overconfidence but nine minutes after the break Denis Odoi carelessly yielded possession to Willock. His pass enabled Lindon Dykes to outfox the Fulham goalkeeper and equalise. Attempting to block Dykes’s shot on the line, Joe Bryan crashed into the upright and needed to be replaced by Antonee Robinson.
After a nervous quarter of an hour that that evoked memories of the Coventry match, Neeskens Kebano sent over a looping cross allowing Mitrovic to score with another of his tricks, the angled header. Then the influential Jean-Michael Seri put Bobby DeCordova-Reid in the clear for a classy individual goal.
Five minutes of added time were sufficient for Antonee Robinson to complete the rout though his shot would not have reached the net without a crucial deflection.
QPR supporters must have been disappointed by their team’s performance, but as they trudged home I heard them in friendly discussion with their Fulham counterparts. Maybe it was the early kick-off, maybe a realisation that the clubs really are neighbours. During the match Rangers’ Stefan Johansen, our former stalwart, had saluted the Hammersmith End during a pause in play even if, being Stefan, he followed it up with a dubious tackle.
Cardiff bring the rain
What a change in the weather for Wednesday night’s home game against Cardiff. Drenching rain made it an uncomfortable experience for players and spectators alike (some of whom will have noted which seats not to buy when the new stand opens).
Fulham began full of confidence only to find the visitors in equally adventurous mood. It is a mystery that no goals resulted in the first half. Kebano and Cardiff’s Kieffer Moore each hit the post and Neeskens also wasted a tempting free kick. Harrison Reed also came close to scoring and must have been disappointed to be replaced at the interval by Tom Cairney, who was making his first appearance of 2021.
Twelve minutes into the second period Harry Wilson made another foraging run, the ball ran loose in the area and Tom Cairney’s left foot gloriously thumped it beyond the reach of Alex Smithies – cue the wild celebrations around the Cottage. Shortly afterwards, Bobby DeDordova-Reid seized on some calamitous defending to enable Mitrovic to increase his remarkable goal tally.
For the remaining half hour, City tried desperately to save the match (and their manager’s job) but Marek Rodak preserved a clean sheet. This victory raised the team to second place and reflected very well on players and management. Jean-Michael Seri, who has contributed so much this season, enjoyed a well-deserved love-in with the fans when the game concluded.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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