Brighton 0-1 Fulham
Even before last Saturday’s win at Brighton there were Fulham fans singing: “We’re all going on a European tour”. Marco Silva keeps stressing that his top priority is to avoid relegation and now can largely guarantee that outcome.
Doubtless the manager would not object to a Wembley FA Cup Final and/or qualification for Europe – but he knows the difficulty of achieving those aims.
After his team’s performance at the Amex Stadium he acknowledged: “We didn’t play at our best level”. Anyone reading a report of the match or watching TV highlights is bound to ask how Brighton managed to lose.
Before the World Cup break, Aleksandar Mitrovic showed the doubters that he could penetrate Premier League defences. With Mitro nursing his hamstring the manager gave Harry Wilson the chance to play behind Bobby DeCordova-Reid. Neither of these talented footballers really shone in what proved to be a one-sided match.
Brighton, on an unbeaten run, made a confident start with Solly March sending a swirling shot just wide of the goal. After Tim Ream had chested away a fierce drive by Joel Veltman, Bernd Leno’s well-timed interception got the better of Evan Ferguson. Not much else occurred in a drab first half.
Second half
Leno’s quick-witted agility was again in evidence after the interval to prevent Kaoru Mitoma from putting the home side ahead, then Lewis Dunk headed wide from a promising position.
The scariest moment for Fulham was Antonee Robinson’s desperate tackle on Joel Veltman. From one angle it looked worthy of a penalty, but fortunately there was enough evidence to show that it was within the rules.
A rare Fulham attack almost misfired when Solly March broke away; Leno saved again, this time from Alexis MacAllister. Facundo Buonanotte did finally beat the keeper but Deniz Undav had passed the ball from an offside position.
As Shane Duffy warmed up on the touch line the Brighton fans greeted him with generous applause.
But instead of Duffy, the manager turned the match round with two other substitutions, calling on Carlos Vinicius and Manor Solomon. A rare error by Kenny Tete necessitated an intervention by Tim Ream, which put Vinicius in the clear.
The Brazilian’s clever pass released Manor Solomon to race through and score with a shot even more impressive than his effort the previous Saturday. This happened two minutes before the end of normal time. Now I know why Fulham have the number ‘88’ on the front of their jerseys.
After the match, Joel Veltman was asked whether he should have been awarded a penalty for Robinson’s tackle. The Dutchman responded with noteworthy honesty.
“No, I was hoping for it and in your mind you leave your foot there but it was nothing.”
Manor Solomon’s goal stirred mixed feelings in Brighton’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Both men had been with Shaktar Donetsk last year when the Russians invaded Ukraine: “I’m sad for the result but I’m happy for him. We stayed seven months together and we will remember that moment until the end of our lives.”
Whilst De Zerbi was left to rue his players’ fruitless attempts on goal I suspect that some Fulham supporters were checking their passports and opening savings to cover the cost of travel and tickets.
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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