Premier League - Saturday 26th April 2025, 3:00 PM
Southampton1
(1)
-
(2)
2
Fulham
Attendance: 28946
Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Match events
Stephens
14
45
Sasa Lukic
45
Sander Berge
45
Adama Traore
45
Andreas Pereira
Archer
66
Stewart
66
66
Emile Smith Rowe
66
Willian
Sulemana (f)
69
70
Raúl Jiménez (f)
72
Emile Smith Rowe
Dibling
78
Sulemana
78
Bree
86
Fernandes
86
86
Carlos Vinícius
86
Harry Wilson
86
Tom Cairney
86
Alex Iwobi
92
Ryan Sessegnon
Match review
Match Report
Southampton (1) 1-2 (0) Fulham
Premier League Match Day 34 24_25 at St Mary's Southampton
Saturday 26th April 2025, KO: 15:00
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
|
Second half goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Ryan Sessegnon saw Fulham come from behind to win in Southampton.
A frustrating first half had us behind to Jack Stephens’ header, but a dominant second 45 earned a deserved three points for the boys.
There was an element of fortune about the deflected finish from substitute Smith Rowe that brought us level, though not the wonderful touch that saw him collect Alex Iwobi’s pass.
And it was that man Sessegnon again who bagged the points in the most dramatic of scenarios, stooping home a precision header in stoppage time in front of a jubilant away end.
Marco Silva made two changes to the side that lost the SW6 derby six days earlier. Antonee Robinson missed out so was replaced by Willian, with Sessegnon moving to left-back, while Harry Wilson started a match for the first time in three months, at the expense of Saša Lukic. That meant Andreas Pereira dropped deeper into the eight, with Wilson right, Willian left, and Iwobi operating as a number 10.
The new look left-hand side of Willian and Sessegnon led to the first shot after 11 minutes. The overlapping run of Sess was used by the Brazilian as a decoy, instead shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an effort marginally wide of the far post from the opposite corner of the penalty box.
But just two minutes later, the hosts went in front. Ryan Manning whipped in a superb free-kick from the left, and Stephens timed his run and flicked header to perfection to send it past Leno.
The Saints captain's next intervention came at the other end, as he diverted a threatening Joachim Andersen header at a corner away from danger.
Southampton hadn’t seen much of the ball so were looking to make their attacks count when they were able to break, with Kamaldeen Sulemana stinging the palms of Leno with a low strike from the edge of the box in the 33rd minute.
Fulham threatened an equaliser from a free-kick of our own four minutes before the break, when Andreas’ in-swinger looked set to pick out Sander Berge for an easy finish at the back stick, but Stephens made a crucial last ditch intervention to divert the ball from his path.
Raúl Jiménez had a couple of chances come and go in quick succession before the half-time whistle. First, he dragged a shot wide after the ball had dropped his way in the area from a corner, before volleying over from a Kenny Tete delivery.
The first half had lacked umph from Fulham, and so Silva shuffled his pack at half-time by bringing on Lukic and Adama Traoré for Berge and Andreas, meaning Iwobi dropped a little deeper and Wilson went central.
| Match Stats |
Southampton |
Fulham |
| Goals |
(0) 1 |
2 (0) |
|
| Scorers |
Stephens 14 |
Smith Rowe 72 |
|
- |
Sessegnon 92 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
7 |
26 |
| On target |
3 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
43% |
19% |
| Possession |
36% |
64% |
| Passes |
315 |
533 |
| Passes Success |
78% |
88% |
| Corners |
0 |
13 |
| Tackles |
9 |
17 |
| Tackles Success |
44% |
58% |
| Saves |
3 |
2 |
| Fouls |
10 |
12 |
| Offsides |
1 |
2 |
| Yellows |
1 |
1 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
It took 10 minutes for us to threaten the home goal, as an off-target Wilson effort was followed up by a first time Willian strike that came back off the post after good work by Adama.
Saints then had a decent chance of their own when they won possession – after what appeared to be a foul on Willian – and Kyle Walker-Peters drew a full stretch save from Leno.
Willian then took aim from 20 yards, but a shove from Flynn Downes meant it didn’t find its range, with the Fulham players aggrieved that once again a free-kick was not awarded.
It was Southampton’s turn to hit the post midway through the half, though Cameron Archer’s clip from the byline was more likely a cross than a shot.
Willian may have felt aggrieved to have been substituted after an effective individual display, but his replacement did not need long to make his presence felt. Iwobi expertly scooped the ball over Smith Rowe’s marker to pick out his clever run, and the substitute killed the ball with a sublime touch before trying to bend one beyond Aaron Ramsdale, with a deflection off Jan Bednarek looping it over the Saints goalkeeper.
The Whites had our hosts pinned back as we entered the last 10 minutes, but neither Iwobi’s flicked header or Adama’s left footer could find the target as we added a couple to the shot count.
The next attempt was much closer, with Smith Rowe squeezing a strike inside the far post, but Ramsdale made a fine sprawling stop to push it behind for a corner.
Ramsdale was in action again with three minutes left to play when he caught a Raúl header, after the Fulham number seven was picked out by Adama at the end of a good run down the right.
Our pressure had been absolutely relentless and it paid off in the second minute of stoppage time. Sessegnon had been so attacking all game from left-back, but few would have expected him to have been the one getting on the end of another fine Adama cross eight yards from goal. He still had a lot to do, but he expertly guided his header away from Ramsdale and inside the far post. A worthy way of winning a football match.
Fulham boss Marco Silva speaking at his post-match press conference:
"From the first minute until the last, the reality is that we are the only team that tries to score goals or tries to play in an offensive way.
"In the second half, it was the same story again, one team trying to create chances to score, playing 90 per cent of the time in our offensive half.
"They sat back, they just tried to delay our goal or chances that you can create, and I think we did create enough to win the match."
Southampton: Ramsdale, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens, Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Manning, Fernandes (Bree 86), Sulemana (Dibling 78), Stewart (Archer 66)
Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Aribo, Smallbone, Wood, Welington, Robinson
Goals:
Stephens 14 SAINTS LEAD! Stephens heads in at a free-kick! Manning delivers a quality ball in, and Stephens gets across his man to glance a header home into the far bottom corner!)
Yellow Card: Sulemana (69,f)
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Pereira (Traore 45), Berge (Lukic 45), Iwobi (Cairney 86), Wilson (Vinicius 86), Jimenez, Willian (Smith Rowe 66)
Unused substitutes: Reed, Cuenca, Castagne, Benda
Goals:
Emile Smith Rowe 72 FULHAM EQUALISE! Plenty of fortune about the leveller as Smith Rowe has a shot inside the box, which takes a wicked deflection off Bednarek and loops over Ramsdale.
Iwobi clipped ball over the top for Smith Rowe who brought it down nicely before seeing his shot deflect into the net.)
Ryan Sessegnon 90+2 SESSEGNON HEADS FULHAM AHEAD IN STOPPAGE TIME! It's a cracking header! Traore puts in a cross which sees Sessegnon stoop low to head into the bottom corner!
It's a wonderful finish from Sessesgnon and Marco Silva celebrates wildly on the touchline!)
Yellow Card: Raúl Jimenez (70,f)
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Attendance: 28,946
Fulham are next in action at 12.30 on Saturday 3rd of May when we visit Villa Park to play Aston Villa