Tuesday’s opponents were Brighton, who have made a strong start this season. Neither side was seen at its best in the humdrum first half. Robert Sanchez frustrated Joao Palhinha and Bernd Leno also had one real save to make but otherwise the forwards made little impact.
If Brighton were aiming for a 1-0 win their plans came adrift three minutes after the interval when they left Aleksandar Mitrovic loosely marked on the edge of the penalty area. The irrepressible Neeskens Kebano found him with a long pass (or a misplaced shot) and Fulham were ahead.
Though referee Thomas Bramall got the usual opprobrium from the home supporters his decision – seven minutes after the first goal – to play advantage put Fulham further ahead, Andreas’s centre being deflected past Sanchez by Lewis Dunk.
As Brighton fought back, Bobby DeCordova-Reid conceded a penalty when VAR urged Bramall to watch on the screen his inadvertent collision with an opponent. This generated a frantic half hour’s play, but in the added time it was the Whites doing most of the attacking.
August has been good for Fulham, who have taken seven points from Wolves, Brentford and Brighton with a bonus point from Liverpool. While Marco Silva will hope to strengthen his squad further no-one could say it was ill-equipped for the Premier League.
Still outgunned
Four days after the Crawley Town debacle and just minutes after Liverpool had completed the demolition of Bournemouth, the Whites took the field against Premier League leaders Arsenal and gave a performance that can only have enhanced the West London club’s reputation.
The Gunners, buoyed by their 100 per cent record and by the enthusiasm of their fans, made a confident start, the wing play of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka putting Fulham’s back four under repeated pressure. Yet the defence held firm and it was not until the 14th minute that Arsenal had a clear opportunity, which Granit Xhaka squandered.
A rare Fulham attack saw Joao Palhinha similarly wasteful. When Aaron Ramsdale in the Arsenal goal was at last brought into action his clearance accidentally stunned Mitrovic.
Like his colleagues the striker had been giving tireless support to Tim Ream and the defence. It looked increasingly that Fulham would hold out until the interval. Furthermore, Andreas Pereira should have capitalised on an opening neatly created by Mitro and Neeskens Kebano. Generally, Andreas made less impact than expected in this high-octane match
The Gunners commenced the second half with a determined onslaught only to meet the same rebuff with Bernd Leno commanding his area. After Kebano had made a thrilling breakaway only to stumble and Leno had given further evidence of his ability, Fulham stunned the crowd by taking the lead.
Overconfidence led to Gabriel Magalhaes allowing Mitro to dispossess him and score his 100th goal for the club, an opportunist effort that silenced the jeers of the home fans.
The goal also mirrored what happened on Fulham’s last visit to the Emirates in April 2021 when Mario Lemina exploited similar slackness by Magalhaes to win Fulham a vital penalty. Mikel Arteka had then responded by sending on Eddie Nketiah to save a point. On Saturday, the manager again turned to Nketiah but with a slightly different outcome.
To hold out for thirty-four minutes plus stoppage time was asking a lot. The tension increased as the action swung from one goalmouth to the other and it was not long before Martin Odegaard’s deflected shot brought Arsenal level. Neither goal was a classic whereas Mitro’s superb header from Pereira’s corner would have been a worthy match-winner but for Ramsdale’s quick reflexes. Ben White blocked the follow-up from Bobby DeCordova-Reid.
The corner that did secure three points came from Martinelli. For once Leno was outmuscled and Magalhaes prodded home the loose ball. Both Arsenal goals needed checking and neither examination favoured the Whites. At least our disappointment was not compounded by a sense of injustice. And Fulham substitute Nathaniel Chalobah nearly saved a point with a lovely shot when Ramsden rescued the Gunners once more.
There was scant sympathy at the Cottage on Tuesday evening for Scott Parker, dismissed by Bournemouth after saying that the team was ‘ill-equipped at this level’. As a player he gave tremendous service to Fulham, but it is intriguing to consider how the club would have fared, and more particularly how Mitrovic would have fared in 2021-22, if Parker had stayed as our manager.
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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