Preston North End 1-1 Fulham (Preston won 16-15 on penalties)
Fulham 1-1 West Ham Utd
Too often Fulham have slipped quietly out of the League Cup (now branded Carabao Cup). That certainly was not the case at Deepdale last Tuesday evening.
Against Preston Marco Silva fielded an illustrious second string with Reiss Nelson making his full debut. A scrappy initial period saw North End showing the greater purpose. Steven Benda made a spectacular one-handed save from Kaine Kesler after which Nelson, Harrison Reed, Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon besieged the home goal. Yet it was Preston that took the lead when Sander Berge's aimless clearance allowed Ryan Ledson to score from outside the penalty area.
The Whites took their time to equalise. Around the hour mark Sessegnon fastened onto Tom Cairney's pass and cut the ball back for Nelson to open his account. In a quest for the winner Silva called on Emile Smith Rowe and then allowed Raoul Jimenez to partner rather than replace Muniz. There was no end product and sadly the Brazilian sustained an injury that forced him to retire. Added time could not provide a decider.
Penalty shoot-outs no longer terrify Fulham. One felt that Jimenez, Sasa Lukic, Berge, Alex Iwobi and Sessegnon could surely sew this up. Yet their impeccable penalties were equalled by their Preston counterparts. The remaining five outfielders had their turn. Timothy Castagne, Smith Rowe and Issa Diop netted but Freddie Woodman saved from Jorge Cuenca. Preston's Kesler could not take advantage. That left Martial Godo, 21 years of age and with limited experience, to calm our nerves with a confident goal. The keepers knew what worked and despatched their respective kicks with ease.
The Whites' five openers repeated their success but so did the North End quintet. The luckless Castagne became the only player of the twenty-two to shoot off target and Ledson finished off the match. This defeat was disappointing not least because it will reduce the competitive games available to this ample squad. I never expected a shoot-out to go on longer than the one I watched at Aldershot in 1987. We lost that one too!
A point against the Hammers
Fulham supporters, whenever the visiting side makes a substitution, greet the announced name with a chorus of 'Who?'. This harmless taunt can rebound, especially when the new arrival causes trouble for the Whites. In the 82nd minute of Saturday's home game against West Ham Julen Lopetegui sent on Danny Ings. The veteran striker is scarcely unknown at the Cottage as he has plagued us often in the past and he confirmed his reputation by depriving the Whites of two points in the final moments of the game.
Marco Silva had promoted Raul Jimenez and Joachim Andersen to the starting line-up replacing two regulars. The blend seemed to be working as the Whites quickly took control of the action, Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore in particular catching the eye. There was some fierce tackling on both sides but the referee Tim Robinson booked no-one until the 20th minute. Traore dribbled the ball into the penalty area only to be shoved over by Maximilian Kilman. The officials saw no foul and it was Marco Silva who received a yellow card for his overreaction. In other years penalty kicks were awarded for minimal contact. That is no longer the case and I have frequently praised Mr Robinson for his leniency so it would be unfair to condemn him now.
Traore continued to press but still lacked accuracy. Four minutes after Silva's booking. Emile Smith Rowe ran onto Andersen's pass beating the offside trap and crossing for Jimenez. The Mexican outpaced Konstantinos Mavropanos and flicked the ball into the net. He had earlier tested Alphonse Areola with a nifty backheel but he needs to do still more to be certain of his first team spot.
Fulham remained dominant without increasing the lead. After the interval a disappointed Lopetegui brought on Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville and the match became tighter. Bernd Leno, wearing the captain's armband, made an important save at close quarters when Mohammed Kudus released Jarrod Bowen. Nonetheless Fulham should have doubled their advantage, Traore fluffing another header.
Statistics show that during the match the home side made 21 efforts to score but Ariola was not overworked. The lack of goalmouth action tempted a number of fans to leave early, confident of three points. The rest of us waited nervously for the final whistle, all too aware of what can happen to a slender lead in the closing moments.
Almost the last period of play saw Vladimir Coufal take a quick throw near the Fulham penalty area. The defenders were in position but their thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Possibly they believed that it was a Fulham throw. Coufal found the unmarked Bowen who crossed to Danny Ings. The striker's low drive escaped the fingers of Bernd Leno, landing in the corner of the net.
Amazingly there was still time for a Fulham winner but Calvin Bassey's spectacular header proved no more accurate than his colleagues' earlier attempts.
The players were understandably miffed by the result. They need to remember two basic maxims: 'Play to the Whistle' and 'It ain't over till it's over''. At Deepdale, admittedly, the end was a long time coming.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
