After three October matches which yielded just one point, Fulham were in serious need of victory against Aston Villa. To suit Amazon Prime, this home game was played on a Thursday evening!
Sixty years ago, when the club installed floodlights the joke was that Tosh Chamberlain's performance would improve because he could not sleep with the light on.
Perhaps the illuminated display that preceded Thursday's match ensured that the home players were fully awake for the kick off. From the start Villa found themselves under pressure, with the game concentrated in their half of the pitch.
They repeatedly failed to track Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andreas Pereira's free kicks and corners caused panic in their defence. Wilian was also in lively form, though not always on Mitro's wavelength.
Goalkeeper Martinez coped magnificently but not even he could reach Harrison Reed's 36th minute thunderbolt from the edge of the penalty area.
Though the Villa showed a little more determination after the interval there was never a doubt about the final outcome. And the visitors endured three setbacks only too typical of a team in trouble.
Luiz sees red
An exchange of pleasantries between Mitrovic and Douglas Luiz led to the two players bumping into each other chest to chest like padded circus clowns.
VAR indicated that Luiz had inclined his head forward, catching the Serb in the face, and a red card followed. The Brazilian left the field waving cheerfully to the Villa fans, but he had destroyed his team's faintest hope of a point.
Then Matty Cash handled the ball (though it was unintentional and unavoidable) and Mitro scored from the spot. Martinez anticipated the shot but somehow the ball slipped under his body.
The final blow came when Neeskens Kebano's low centre led to a Tyrone Mings own goal.
Three points, three goals and a clean sheet completed a most satisfactory evening for Fulham. It also terminated Steven Gerrard's spell as Villa manager.
Mitro returns
The previous Saturday, Fulham supporters had also hoped for victory. Especially with Mitro's swift return from injury, the striker was to play a key role against Bournemouth. So too was the rangy Issa Diop.
Four years ago, Issa had been West Ham's record signing and he headed his first Premier League goal against the Whites (well he was marked by the diminutive Ryan Sessegnon).
He had to fight for his place in the Hammers' team against Ryan Fredericks and later Craig Dawson, two names only too familiar to Fulham fans. Issa arrived at the Cottage for the start of this season.
Since the 9-0 disaster and the departure of Scott Parker, Bournemouth had played five matches without defeat and they were determined to outwit the team that outperformed them last season. It took barely a minute for Dominic Solanke to penetrate a Fulham defence making its usual dozy start. Receiving a measured pass from Philip Billing he flicked the ball casually past Bernd Leno.
Shaking off their lethargy the shame-faced Whites equalised with an unconventional Diop header from Pereira's corner. The home defence still looked vulnerable on the flanks and Solanke, operating on his right wing this time, enabled Jefferson Lerma to restore the visitors' lead. They could have scored again when Leno fumbled Lerma's powerful header.
The goalkeeper redeemed himself with a spectacular one-handed save as Adam Smith followed up. Despite the score line Fulham dominated possession, but they managed few efforts on target.
Remembering the injustices of the previous match, the crowd regularly bayed for the referee to consult VAR. When he did so, it was to see if Tim Ream had brought down Fredericks. Tim was cleared.
After the interval, Scott Parker's ghost seemed to permeate the play. Bournemouth fell back on defence (and indulged in tedious time-wasting) whilst Fulham displayed copybook passing movements in their own half of the pitch.
The introduction of Tom Cairney, Harry Wilson and Wilian brought some improvement but still not enough urgency. Though statistically the Whites were in charge, Bournemouth's unbeaten run looked secure.
Ironically, it was the arch-villain Fredericks who provided the Whites with an equalizer. He fouled Mitrovic and, as Pereira's free kick came over, the Serb appeared to be dragged to the ground by Lerma. It was almost a carbon copy of the previous week's incident at West Ham and the officials came to the same conclusion – penalty. Marco Silva relished the award, Mitro enjoyed the spot kick.
Thirty-eight minutes remained of normal time, but Fulham could not break through again. Despite the improvement on previous performances, they scarcely deserved three points though they might have won if Mitrovic had exploited his best chance from open play just before the final whistle.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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