Brentford 0-0 Fulham
With just two games left, Fulham supporters will have mixed feelings about the current season, which began with a visit to Everton back in August.
After all the summer talk of Saudi cash luring away Marco Silva, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian it was encouraging to see all three at Goodison Park. Yet Mitro was making his final appearance; inevitably he scored the only goal of the match.
His absence was keenly felt in the 3-0 home defeat by Brentford a week later. We wondered if Raul Jimenez, newly arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers, could really replace him.
Spirits were lifted by a 2-2 draw at the Arsenal and a penalty shootout victory over Spurs in the Carabao Cup. The Etihad proved a pitch too far as Fulham succumbed to a second half hat trick by the giant Erik Haaland.
Victory at Norwich took Fulham into the next round of the Carabao but in league matches the team lacked consistency. They showed little appetite for victory against Chelsea and two howlers by the popular newcomer Calvin Bassey allowed Spurs to leave the Cottage with three points.
Fulham seemed more positive in the Carabao Cup, beating Ipswich 3-1 (Unperturbed the Suffolk club went on to win promotion with a little help from our former favourite Sone Aluko).
After a defeat at Villa Park, Alex Iwobi, another new signing scored an early goal against Wolverhampton. Fulham's 3-2 win that day brought relief though the visitors had justifiable complaints about referee Michael Salisbury. The Whites also led 3-2 at Anfield with ten minutes left but Liverpool snatched a victory.
December bounce
Suddenly Fulham caught the public eye with two consecutive 5-0 home wins in December. Raul Jimenez, temporarily finding his touch, scored twice against Nottingham Forest and once against West Ham.
The Whites gave the fans a pre-Christmas present by beating Everton on penalties to qualify for the Carabao Semi-Finals. Though the actual holiday fixtures were both defeats Fulham ended 2023 gloriously by beating Arsenal 2-1.
The New Year began with an FA Cup win over Rotherham, but in the next round Newcastle proved far too strong. Similarly, Liverpool overpowered the Whites in the two legs of the Carabao Cup Semi-Final. The home tie will be remembered mostly for the dangerous overcrowding that made entry to the ground unnecessarily stressful.
We had to wait until the 10 February for the Whites to win a League match in 2024. Yet it turned out to be an exciting month that ended with the first win at Old Trafford for 21 years and saw the emergence of Rodrigo Muniz as a confident and stylish striker, after so many false starts. He fared well in March too, scoring in the home victories over Brighton and Spurs.
There was a slump in form between the international break and the end of April. Fulham lost to Forest, Newcastle and Liverpool and drew with Sheffield United and Crystal Palace. The only joy came with the defeat of West Ham. At least Fulham had ceased to be fall guys for the other London clubs.
West London derby
As the Whites dithered, their traditional rivals Brentford revived, and many people expected a home win when the teams met at the Gtech Community Stadium on the first Saturday in May. Would Ivan Toney regain his scoring form or would he (as Fulham fans hoped) be outshone by the Brazilian upstart?
It turned out to be a lacklustre match. Inevitably BBC Match of the Day showed it last, even placing it after a game that had been played over 24 hours before. Perhaps one day Fulham highlights will be shown during the programme's closing music and we will have to push the red button to watch it in a section of the screen.
For all that, there were some exciting moments. Brentford had the better opportunities in the first half, Fulham in the second. It was sad to see the normally reliable Willian aborting an attack and passing the ball to Toney. Bryan Mbueno's subsequent shot was diverted onto the crossbar by Calvin Bassey and Keane Lewis-Potter's follow up went straight to Bernd Leno.
Then Christian Norgaard almost got Toney on the score sheet and Lewis-Potter eluded Leno and Timothy Castagne only for Issa Diop to clear off the line. Alex Iwobi was the biggest threat to the home side, Muniz missing his sole opening.
Iwobi continued his good work after the interval, making chances that Andreas Pereira and Muniz failed to convert. Castagne was another player to veer off target. In the 64th minute Silva sent on Jiménez and Adama Traore, a ploy that almost succeeded. Adama outfought Yehor Yarmoliuk and put in a centre which Jimenez should most certainly have converted and then the Spaniard had a decent low shot saved by Mark Flekken.
This goalless match will at least have satisfied both defences. Fulham's Issa Diop outdid Calvin Bassey in the fans' poll for the best player. They and their colleagues will be busy on Saturday when Manchester City come calling.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
