After our recent performances Fulham gave us something to be nervous about going into this game but they stepped up to a man to get the job done in great fashion, what a fantastic evening and a brilliant way to go into the Bournemouth game on Saturday. We may be Premier League now but let’s finish as champions!
Marek Rodak: A commanding performance typified by a brilliant save early in the second half. He tipped an excellent curling effort onto the crossbar to save us from any nerves in the second half. 8
Neco Williams: He seemed to have a relatively quiet game and wasn’t tested too much, equally he didn’t drive forward as much as we’ve seen in previous games. Still a solid performance and the clean sheet shows how organised the entire backline were (aside from one nervy moment in the opening minutes). 7
Joe Bryan: Best performance of the season for Bryan last night. It was so good to see him back on form, he was excellent at both ends of the pitch making some brilliant tackles including one down the left flank which allowed him to progress further before slipping Mitrovic behind for the opening goal inside 10 minutes. 8
Tosin Adarabioyo: At this stage in the season we all know he loves pinging the ball about from the back and he did it so well yesterday with some lovely switches and balls over the top, he was also organised and solid at the back although Preston didn’t offer much threat! 8
Tim Ream: We’re so lucky to have Ream in our squad, whilst Cairney is the club captain Ream does a lot of the talking and is clearly a role model. If you watch the EFL behind the scenes video from last night he can be heard in the background saying “it’s not over yet”, this team wants the title and fully deserve it and Tim Ream is a massive massive part of that. He was organised and commanding from the centre back position last night and if his future is away from Fulham then he’ll definitely be missed. 8
Harrison Reed: Part of the reason the defence had so little to do is down to Harrison Reed who once again was brilliant at the base of the midfield and gave Preston very little room to play. It’s no nonsense and no fuss from him and he’s giving himself a very good chance of being in our starting midfield in the Premier League. 8
Tom Cairney: We lost complete control at Derby when Cairney was taken off so it was no surprise to see him start today, since he came back from injury he’s been instrumental in controlling the tempo and keeping possession whilst choosing his moments to move the ball forwards and last night was no different. Whilst he wasn’t directly involved in any of the goals, he was key to our dominance in midfield. Once again when he came off we lacked some creativity but it was the right decision given the scoreline and a big game against Bournemouth on Saturday. 8
Harry Wilson: A lively if not emphatic display from Wilson today, he stretched the Preston defence and got himself into some great positions, he was unable to capitalise on a number of occasions but found Mitrovic when it mattered, he drove forward and slipped Mitrovic in for his second and Fulham’s third. 7
Fabio Carvalho: Let’s start with the goal, what a lovely finish as the ball popped up after Kebano’s cross was blocked, Carvalho stuck a leg out and lifted it over the keeper into the far corner. Once again he was in and around the area and getting involved in the attacking play throughout the game. He was given plenty of space to turn from deep and carry the ball into dangerous positions but he’ll be upset he didn’t score two after he put a guilt-edged chance wide following some lovely build up play. Let’s enjoy watching such a gifted youngster whilst we still can. 8
Neeskens Kebano: It felt like we had Kebano back last night. He was full of confidence, taking on players with skill and pace, he was also involved in our second goal as his cross deflected into Carvalho’s path and should definitely have had a second assist late on in the game but his pass in the area was poor and intercepted. Following his hamstring injury before the international break he had struggled to find form and he’s been a key key player for us so without that trickery and pace on the wing we’ve lacked some creativity which has been reflected in the relative shortage of goals and points up until last night. If we’re to lift the title then he’ll need to keep up his form in the final four games. 7
Aleksandar Mitrovic: It looked like the goals had started to dry up for Fulham and Mitrovic alike so it was important to start hitting the back of the net again not only to secure promotion but also to try and finish as champions and help Mitrovic break the 42 goal record. With two goals last night he’s now just three away from breaking it with four games to play. How sweet it would be if he did it at Bournemouth, unfortunately whilst Parker’s side haven’t lit the league alight with attacking football, they have been solid at the back so it would be tough to get a hat-trick down there but let’s not rule anything out! Aside from his goals, his general build up play was good and he was full of confidence with a couple of very neat flicks to put us on the front-foot. He’ll be gutted not to have scored a hat-trick last night with two very good chances early in the second half but overall it was a brilliant display. 8
Substitutes:
Jean-Michael Seri: The game was done and dusted when Seri came on but he did well to continue controlling the midfield and the tempo of the game after he was brought on in place of Cairney who does that job so well. 7
Bobby Decordova-Reid: Not a huge amount to say here, nothing wrong with the performance but he had limited opportunities to impact the game. 6
Rodrigo Muniz: I can’t recall anything particularly impressive about his performance apart from his willingness to run and close down defenders but at 20 years of age with some of his goals this season there’s definitely a player in there. The question is whether or not he’ll get many opportunities in the Prem. Regardless of that, it was great to see him so heavily involved in the celebrations with the players and the fans! 6
