Premier League - Tuesday 25th February 2025, 7:30 PM
Wolves1
(1)
-
(1)
2
Fulham
Attendance: 28708
Referee: Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Match events
1
Ryan Sessegnon
J Gomes
18
Bueno (f)
27
45
Lukic (f)
47
Rodrigo Muniz
53
Berge (f)
Larsen
65
Bellegarde
65
67
Willian
67
Traore
67
Iwobi
67
Lukic
72
Robinson
72
Sessegnon
72
Jimenez
72
Muniz
76
Bassey
76
Cuenca
Sarabia
77
Bueno
77
Doyle
77
Andre
77
94
Robinson (f)
Match review
Match Report
Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) 1-2 (1) Fulham
Premiership Match Day 27 24/25 at Molineux Stadium
Tuesday 25th February 2025 KO: 19:30
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Live on: TNT Sports 4
|
Fulham returned to winning ways with an excellent 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Tuesday night.
Just 58 seconds had been played when Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring, with a trademark Sess finish after running onto Andreas Pereira’s through ball.
Wolves than began to exert some control on proceedings, equalising through Joao Gomes’ unstoppable effort.
But the Whites started the second half as we did the first, needing just one minute to get on the scoresheet, this time through Rodrigo Muniz’s gorgeous chip, and that was the way things stayed.
Marco Silva shuffled his pack for the trip to Wolves, switching to a three at the back system and making five changes to the starting XI, with Issa Diop, Jorge Cuenca, Sessegnon, Andreas and Muniz all brought in from the off.
Ever since his return to the Club, every fan had been eagerly awaiting the first Sessegnon goal of his second spell, and we had to wait less than a minute for that wholesome moment.
Joachim Andersen fed the ball forward to Muniz who held the ball up well before finding Andreas. He poked a perfect ball through to Sessegnon, operating at wing-back, who coolly strode into the box before showing the composure we’ve seen countless times in front of goal to stroke beyond Jose Sa and inside the far post.
The home side responded well, and after Matheus Cunha’s free-kick had deflected over, Matt Doherty volleyed an effort a yard wide from the subsequent corner.
Another set-piece on 14 minutes led to Wolves’ next chance, as Cunha’s free-kick was cleared only as far as Andre on the edge of the box, but his volley was always sailing wide.
Their best opportunity arose moments later when a Jean Ricner-Bellegarde cross was flicked onto an unmarked Gomes at the far post, but he blazed wildly over.
Gomes made no such mistake next time, though. Again it was a move down the left that started the move, with another Ricner-Bellegarde delivery diverted into the midfielder’s path by Nelson Semedo, and he emphatically planted his finish beyond Bernd Leno.
It was now Fulham’s time to launch a response. Andreas was the provider once more, chipping over to Adama who saw his low drive on the angle repelled by Sa.
Buoyed by that, we put together a lovely move shortly after, that culminated in Sessegnon cutting back to Muniz, who saw his first time effort well blocked by Santiago Bueno.
A couple of long rangers from Wolves followed, but Leno was equal to Cunha’s free-kick, and Ricner-Bellegarde’s speculator was always rising.
The next Cunha attempt was also continually rising, but this one was threatening to nestle under the crossbar until the intervention of some Leno fingertips.
At the other end, our wing-backs combined to fashion a half chance, but Sessegnon’s header from a Timothy Castagne cross was claimed by Sa.
Adama had been lively on his return to Molineux, and almost ended the half with an assist when he countered before playing Andreas, who fired over from an acute angle.
There was still time at the end of a lively first half for some bad news, with Sasa Lukic picking up his 10th booking of the season, which rules him out of our next two Premier League games, against Brighton and Spurs.
| Match Stats |
Wolves |
Fulham |
| Goals |
(1) 1 |
2 (1) |
|
| Scorers |
Gomes 18 |
Sessegnon 01 |
| Scorers |
- |
Muniz 47 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
18 |
11 |
| On target |
5 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
28% |
45% |
| Possession |
60% |
40% |
| Passes |
570 |
387 |
| Passes Success |
88% |
85% |
| Crosses |
29 |
9 |
| Corners |
7 |
5 |
| Tackles |
10 |
20 |
| Tackles Success |
50% |
85% |
| Saves |
3 |
4 |
| Fouls |
8 |
15 |
| Offsides |
1 |
0 |
| Yellows |
1 |
3 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Having needed 58 seconds at the start of the first half to score, the 63 required at the beginning of the second seemed tardy by comparison! It was another gorgeous goal, with Adama bending a beautiful pass beyond Bueno to pick out the run of Muniz, who executed a deft chip over Sa.
Ricner-Bellegarde twice tried to restore parity, his free-kick was repelled by the wall, but his follow-up was much more dangerous, with Leno securing the ball having initially parried.
Raul Jimenez was given a warm reception when he was introduced, and he almost wrapped things up with seven minutes to play when he sprung the offside trap to get on the end of a pass from fellow substitute Antonee Robinson, but his powerful strike was too close to Sa.
Our number seven was involved again soon after, starting a counter by swinging the ball out to Alex Iwobi, who immediately swept it onto Andreas, but the Brazil international’s shot was charged down at the expense of a corner, from which Raul headed over.
The former Wolves man had been busy since coming on, with another chance falling his way two minutes into seven added on, but he dragged just wide through a host of gold bodies.
Thankfully the missed opportunities mattered little, as – other than a late Rayan Ait-Nouri shot that was superbly blocked by Castagne – Wolves didn’t threaten, as Fulham held out to secure our first ever Premier League win at Molineux.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva speaking in the press conference:
"The last game for us was a difficult one. Performance-wise, it was not the best, and I knew that to come here, the game was going to demand some fresh legs inside.
"It's not easy when you change five players, one game to the other, at the level that we're playing in the Premier League."
Silva said: on Sessegnon: "First, he's a lovely boy. The last two, three years, they were really tough for him. A player who started at 16 years old in high level and I think all of us that we are here and probably everybody that loves football in this country and recognising that moment that he's going to have an amazing career because he was a top, top, top talent.
"Sometimes football is not always like that. He started to have a lot of injuries in a row and it took confidence from him. But the most important thing, it took from him the sharpness that he needed to be at this level.
"Of course, we took a decision to bring him back for our football club and we knew it and we had a plan for him that the first six, seven, eight months and until the end of the season, they are going to be crucial for him. You have to keep him as healthy as you can. He's doing a big effort.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Doherty, Bueno (Sarabia 77), T Gomes, Semedo, Andre (Doyle 77), Bellegarde (Larsen 65), Ait-Nouri, J Gomes, Cunha, Munetsi
Unused substitutes:Traore, Johnstone, Djiga, Pedro Lima, Pond, Mane
Goals:
J Gomes 18(The hosts are deservedly level as Bellegarde and Ait Nouri play a neat one-two down the left, before the former flashes in a wonderful cross that causes panic in the Fulham defence and after Semedo cannot control the centre, the ball drops invitingly at Joao Gomes's feet, with the Brazilian thunders an unstoppable shot past Leno and into the roof of the net.)
Yellow Card: Bueno (27,f),
Fulham: Leno, Diop, Andersen, Cuenca (Bassey 76), Castagne, Lukic (Iwobi 67), Berge, Sessegnon (Robinson 72), Traore (Willian 67), Pereira, Muniz (Jimenez 72)
Unused substitutes:Reed, Cairney, Benda, King
Goals:
Sessegnon 01 (The visitors lead inside 60 seconds and it is a lovely move as Andersen's pass finds Muniz on halfway and the striker then feeds Pereira, who turns and releases Sessegnon clean through on goal racing down the left and the forward keeps his cool to place a low shot past the advancing Sa! And after a brief VAR check for offside against Sessegnon, the goal stands as the man brought in for his first league start since re-joining the club scores in the Premier League in over two years.)
Muniz 47 (Fulham have done it again at the start of a half as Wolves give away the ball needlessly and then within the blink of an eye Traore's brilliant through ball releases Muniz - and faced with just the onrushing Sa to beat, the Brazilian chips the 'keeper for his eighth goal of the season, five of which have come in the Premier League.
And that goal came just 64 seconds into the second half, while that is a fifth assist of the season for Traore.)
Yellow Card: Lukic (45+2,f), Berge (53,f), Robinson (90+4,f)
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Attendance: 28,708
Fulham are next in action at 16.30 next Sunday, 2nd March, when they visit Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round.