How much further could Fulham extend their run of victories?
Wayne Rooney's team came out fighting and they looked the better side in the early period. Paulo Gazzaniga, replacing an unwell goalkeeper Marek Rodak, found himself much busier than in his previous appearances and he showed the necessary mixture of good luck and heightened anticipation, especially against Derby's captain Tom Lawrence.
Tim Ream and other defenders made last minute interventions to avoid conceding but Fulham's attack was barely visible apart from Fabio Carvalho. With no Aleksandar Mitrovic in the middle (with many of his other teammates also missing due to illness) the ball usually ended up in the hands of keeper Kelle Roos. How refreshing to see someone catch the ball instead of palming it away. Jean-Michael Seri however was unlucky to hit the post.
Marco Silva made no changes at the interval, presumably expecting Derby to wilt as Peterborough had done earlier this month. He delayed making a substitution until the 66th minute and his chosen players (Josh Onomah, then Antony Knockaert) made little difference. Rooney seemed to have settled for a draw.
The final 10 minutes were frantic though that adjective rather exaggerates the slowness with which Fulham played the ball forward. County withstood everything and richly deserved their point.
Silva made no excuses. Twice in the second half Carvalho had come close and Rodrigo Muniz's overhead kick had almost brought the last gasp victory that the manager was hoping for. He will have been comforted by news that Bournemouth had also dropped two points.
Pointless
Previously on Saturday, Barnsley arrived at the Cottage desperate for points and intent on upsetting the promotion hopefuls.
Despite their finest efforts they departed with one goal scored and four conceded. The northern side had begun promisingly when our former striker Cauley Woodrow set up Romal Palmer on the edge of the penalty area. Rodak needed to be at his acrobatic best to deflect Palmer's attempt.
Fulham took nearly 20 minutes to threaten. Surprisingly it was Michael Hector who led the way, hitting the post from outside the area. The true ignition came in the 23rd minute when Kenny Tete's centre was nodded in by Mitro, who had evaded two defenders taller than he.
Shortly afterwards Mitro's pass enabled Fabio Carvalho to weave through the opposing defence and double the lead. Oddly the scorer chose to celebrate in front of the visiting supporters. Though Harry Wilson fluffed two opportunities, his manager Marco Silva will have been pleased with the team's first half display.
During the interval the fans gave the warmest of welcomes to Geoff Eckhardt, who spent seven seasons at the Cottage (the troubled years of 1987-94) and never gave less than 100 per cent. He must have reflected on the vast differences between then and now.
The second period began with Tom Cairney hitting the bar, but Fulham appeared to be easing off with Mitro attempting two half-hearted efforts at goal. Even so the supporters were singing about being top of the table – a reasonably safe prediction as Bournemouth were not playing until the next day.
Unexpectedly, both Fulham and Barnsley raised their game for the final 20 minutes. Harry Wilson, already featuring in the list of the Championship's 'top assists' created a simple goal for a delighted Neeskens Kebano. In retaliation, Woodrow hit the post and Victor Adeboyejo slammed the rebound past Rodak.
Marco Silva had made the crowd wait 80 minutes for Seri to make his appearance and the Ivory Coast player made an immediate statement with an immaculate pass to Harry Wilson, who competed the afternoon's scoring.
The manager felt a trifle miffed that his team had conceded a goal but we less-demanding fans were content to see three names on the Fulham scoresheet in addition to that of the fiery Serb. This was an encouraging sign, as was Derby County's defeat of Bournemouth the following day – but the latter event was also a warning that no Championship team was unbeatable.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.
