- Fulham secured a 2-1 victory over Leicester City at Craven Cottage
- Nigeria’s Alex Iwbi nets the winner for Fulham
- Fulham move up to 10th in the Premier League ahead of their match against Ipswich Town
In a tightly contested match at Craven Cottage, Fulham secured their first win of the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday. The game was marked by a dramatic 70th-minute assist from Antonee Robinson to Alex Iwobi, whose finish ensured all three points for the home side.
The Cottagers started brightly, with Emile Smith Rowe opening his Premier League account for Fulham in the 18th minute.
The young English midfielder, making his home debut, slotted a composed finish into the net to give the hosts an early lead.
However, Fulham's advantage was short-lived as Leicester equalized before halftime. A misplaced pass from Calvin Bassey allowed the Foxes to apply pressure, leading to a corner in the 38th minute.
Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte delivered a precise inswinging corner, which found Wout Faes, who headed the ball powerfully into the bottom left corner.
Initially, Faes' goal was ruled offside, but after a VAR review, referee Darren Bond overturned the decision, concluding that Jamie Vardy had not interfered with Bernd Leno's ability to make a save.
The equaliser injected more morale into Leicester, but despite this, they struggled to create meaningful chances at the final third for the rest of the match.
The second half saw Fulham regain control, and they eventually found the breakthrough in the 70th minute. Antonee Robinson, showing his versatility, pushed forward from his left-back position and delivered a pinpoint cross to Alex Iwobi, who calmly finished to restore Fulham's lead.
The goal was historic for Iwobi, as it marked his 10th consecutive Premier League season with a goal, a feat previously achieved by only a few Nigerian players, including the legendary Nwankwo Kanu.
Leicester’s response to falling behind was lacklustre. The Foxes rarely threatened Fulham's goal despite fielding attacking options like Ayew, Mavididi, Fatawu, and McAteer. Steve Cooper, Leicester’s manager, will be concerned by his team’s inability to break down a resilient Fulham defence.
As the match drew close, Fulham held on for a well-deserved victory, bouncing back from last week’s defeat to Manchester United. The win lifts Fulham to 10th in the Premier League standings, providing a morale boost ahead of their next fixture against newly promoted Ipswich Town on August 31.
Owen Hargreaves, speaking after the game, praised Iwobi’s performances since joining Fulham. "Iwobi is a completely different player at Fulham compared to his time at Everton, at Everton, he struggled, but here, alongside Emile Smith Rowe and Pereira, he's thriving," Hargreaves stated.
Alex Iwobi fails to impress, new boy Zirkzee comes to the rescue for Manchester United
Previously, TheRadar reported that Joshua Zirkzee made an instant impact in his first appearance for Manchester United, scoring a late winner to secure a 1-0 victory over Fulham in the opening match of the Premier League season on Friday. Despite lacking full-match fitness after his recent £36.5m ($47 million) transfer from Bologna, the Dutch international came off the bench in the final 30 minutes and delivered the crucial goal in the 87th minute, poking home Alejandro Garnacho’s cross.
