Match Report
Fulham (1) 2-1 (1) Nottingham Forest
Premier League Match Day 25 24/25 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 15th February 2025 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)
|
A dominant Fulham performance saw us dispatch high flying Nottingham Forest 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The Whites had all of the play in the opening 45 minutes, only to go into the break level after Chris Wood had cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe’s opener.
But a similarly positive display in the second half saw us claim all three points, with Calvin Bassey’s first goal of the season proving the difference.
The first 10 minutes passed without any real incident, and when Bernd Leno’s goal was threatened, he had his near post covered as Neco Williams dragged a shot wide.
That prompted a reaction from Fulham who went straight up the other end with Adama Traore, who stood up a lovely cross for Raul Jimenez to attack and glance a header marginally the wrong side of the upright.
If that Adama cross was good, his next was exceptional, after beating Williams, he swept a wicked deep delivery in on his weaker left foot, taking out the entire Forest backline and leaving Smith Rowe with a simple header from four yards.
The Reds couldn’t live with Adama down their left side, with his latest attack on 25 minutes seeing him knock the ball 15 yards beyond Williams and catch up with it at the byline. He then swung over another pinpoint delivery, but this time Raul’s header was saved by Matz Sels.
That was a fairly routine stop for Sels, but his next one was sensational, just about managing to tip Raul’s volley with the outside of his boot round the post at full stretch.
Most of our attacks had come down the left, but we switched things up in the 32nd minute, with Alex Iwobi bending a cross from the left flank onto the head of Sasa Lukic, who couldn’t quite get over the ball and sent his effort off target.
Forest had offered next to nothing going forward, so their equaliser was a punch to the gut when a long ball towards Wood took a fortuitous nick off his ankle, and then an even more fortuitous deflection off Bassey to take the striker’s shot away from Leno and into the corner.
The Whites responded with a well struck Iwobi volley after a corner was only half cleared, the winger got plenty of dip on his effort, but just ran out of pitch as it sailed a yard over.
Iwobi’s next attempt was even more audacious as he sent a flying flick through his legs from Lukic’s delivery, but Sels was alert and made the save.
Finishing the half strong, Raul was next to try his luck from distance, drawing a good sprawling stop from Sels, made all the more impressive by the ball bouncing just before the keeper got palms to it.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Notts Forest |
| Goals |
(1) 2 |
1 (1) |
|
| Scorers |
Smith-Rowe 15 |
Wood 39 |
|
Bassey 62 |
- |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
24 |
8 |
| On target |
10 |
2 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
42% |
25% |
| Possession |
56% |
44% |
| Passes |
438 |
339 |
| Passes Success |
88% |
85% |
| Corners |
8 |
4 |
| Tackles |
7 |
10 |
| Tackles Success |
100% |
60% |
| Saves |
1 |
8 |
| Fouls |
13 |
8 |
| Offsides |
1 |
1 |
| Yellows |
0 |
0 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Some intricate link up playing down the right between Adama and Timothy Castagne four minutes into the second half led to a half chance for the latter, but he cut under the ball with his volley and sliced over.
Adama was in the thick of it again as we approached the hour mark, cutting in on his left and rifling in a goalbound shot that deflected wide off Elliot Anderson.
Sels was enjoying a fine game, with his latest save demonstrating brilliant reactions as he saw Lukic’s left footer late as it flew through a raft of bodies.
There was nothing he could do about the following corner, though, as Raul met Lukic’s delivery with a clever run, flicking on to Bassey at the far post who sent his header back across goal and into the net.
Despite Fulham’s dominance, a third goal would have been a welcome cushion, and fans thought it might have arrived when Smith Rowe fizzed in a shot after gliding into the box, but it just missed its range.
With quarter of an hour to play, Forest had little choice but to go more attacking, and there was cause for concern when Aina switched the play to substitute Callum Hudson Odoi, but thankfully he sent his shot straight at Leno.
Adama’s performance had deserved a goal, and he was so close with seven minutes to play, getting a firm first time connection on Antonee Robinson’s cross, but Sels just about managed to get a hold of the ball to prevent it squirming through his legs.
Just as five minutes of stoppage time were held up, two good chances to settle the tie were made for Fulham substitutes. First, Rodrigo Muniz was denied by Sels, who then kept out Harrison Reed’s followup.
Thankfully, it mattered not, as the boys saw the added time through without incident, to complete an impressive double over the third placed Reds.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva said:
"Well deserved three points. Great performance from us from the first minute to the last. We were by far the best team on the pitch.
"We controlled the game. The way we circulated the ball, the way we managed the ball, and the way we were always really well prepared to lose the ball."
"We expected them to play with five at the back and with three midfielders, we knew that the spaces were going to be out wide definitely," he said after Fulham racked up 24 shots - 10 on target - and an xG of 2.24.
Adama Traore terrorised Neco Williams down the right while Raul Jimenez dropped off the front line at times to allow runners to move beyond him. A combination of the two led to Emile Smith Rowe heading in the opener.
"The first goal is something that we have been working on to arrive in that spot with the pocket player there plus the winger to create some superiority," explained Silva of Smith Rowe's movement to arrive at the back post to meet Traore's in-swinging cross.
"Even if Raul (Jimenez) was not there where normally he should be, the move from Emile and the great assist from Adama is something that we have been working on. You see throughout the game more moments like that one, Sasa Lukic had one as well in the first half to arrive in the same spot.
"We knew that they have big boys there with three at the back but if you do the right move in the right moment and the ball comes quick, it's a really difficult spot to defend and we exploited it."
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Lukic (Reed 83), Berge, Traore (Sessegnon 90), Smith Rowe (Pereira 82), Iwobi (Willian 90), Jimenez (Muniz 76)
Unused substitutes: Cairney, Benda, King, DiopCairney, Benda, King, Diop
Goals:
Smith Rowe 15 (SMITH ROWE HEADS IN!
What a cross from Traore!
The winger beats Williams on the right by cutting inside and then delivers a perfect cross with his left foot for Smith Rowe.
The midfielder pulls off his marker at the back post and nods in past Sels.
Forest's watertight defence has been breached!)
Bassey 62 (BASSEY PUTS FULHAM BACK IN FRONT!
Fulham make their pressure count!
Jimenez flicks a corner on at the near post and Bassey arrives at the far post to head it back across goal and into the right corner.)
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Morato (Hudson Odoi 68), Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina, Gibbs White, Danilo (Sangare 63), Anderson (J Silva 85), Williams, Wood, Elanga
Unused substitutes: Hennessey, Domínguez, Moreno, JYates, Sosa, Boly
Goals:
Wood 37 (GUESS WHO?!
It's simply brilliant from Wood!
The striker outmuscles Bassey and then shrugs off Robinson before placing a shot into the bottom left corner for his 18th league goal of the season.
Fulham have been hit completely against the run of play!)
Referee:
Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)
Attendance: 27,164
Fulham are next in action at 15.00 on Saturday 22nd February when they face Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.