Goals from Raul Jimenez and Jay Stansfield in the first quarter of an hour ensured Fulham eased into the third round of the League Cup at the expense of League One Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s this evening.
Marco Silva made eleven changes from the side that recorded their first win of the campaign against Leicester City on Saturday but the Premier League outfit ended any worries about a potential banana skin with a lightning quick start in the second city. Jimenez sent Ryan Alsopp the wrong way from twelve yards after Alex Cochrane handled Tom Cairney’s goalbound drive from a short corner before Stansfield, who scored thirteen goals for Blues on loan last season, reminded everyone of his finishing ability by springing a shaky offside trap to reach a raking pass from Joachim Andersen and curled confidently beyond the stranded goalkeeper.
That took much of the intensity out of the contest as a combination of new arrivals and old faces were able to get competitive minutes in their legs. Ryan Sessegnon and Andersen made their second debuts, whilst Jorge Cuenca kept a clean sheet in front of Steven Benda on their first Fulham outings, with Sander Berge paired alongside Harrison Reed and Tom Cairney in central midfield. Timothy Castagne tiptoed back to his goal-line to prevent Keshi Anderson from bringing Chris Davies’ men back into the contest. Benda was beaten by a ferocious free-kick from Willum Thor Willumsson but the Icelandic’s 20-yard effort thundered off the crossbar and away to safety.
The sharp Stansfield made the most of his opportunity to impress, despite operating off the left flank, with a series of intelligent runs and plenty of defensive work to support Sessegnon at left back. To their great credit, Blues continued to push in the second half with Ethan Laird drilling an effort wide and Cochrane catching a drive wonderfully – forcing Benda to parry his shot behind – as space had opened up in the Fulham midfield. The former Swansea stopper was extended again when substitute Tyler Roberts rifled goalwards and pulled off a fine reaction save to prevent the stretching Cuenca from turning Koji Miyoshi’s cross into his own net.
Fulham always looked as if they had another gear were it necessary and there was an encouraging cameo off the bench from the club’s latest academy graduate. Seventeen year-old Josh King belied his age and build with a performance of real authority after replacing Berge in the engine room. The teenager roamed from his midfield role to make telling contributions at either end of the field and was unlucky not to mark his excellent debut with a late goal when Adama Traore was correctly adjudged to have carried the ball beyond the byline before presenting the youngster with a tap-in.
There were plenty of signs of rust and a lack of familiarity between a side that had barely trained together before this week but Silva will have been pleased that his charges followed last season’s template rather than a repeat of the Crawley debacle two years ago. The predatory instincts of Jimenez and Stansfield both ended any worries about another giantkilling and offered a timely reminder for Silva of the striking resources he has in reserve to Rodrigo Muniz.
BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-2-3-1): Allsopp; Laird (Sampsted 73), Cochrane, Klarer, Bielik; Seung-ho (Jutkiewicz 82), Leonard; Anderson (Yokoyama 62), Willumson, Hansson (Miyoshi 62); May (Roberts 61). Subs (not used): Peacock-Farrell, Davies, Khela, Hall.
BOOKED: May.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Benda; Castagne, R. Sessegnon, Andersen, Cuenca; Reed (Smith Rowe 87), Berge (King 65); Wilson (Traore 87), Stansfield (Iwobi 78), Cairney (Lukic 78); Jimenez. Subs (not used): Leno, Tete, Bassey, Muniz.
BOOKED: Reed, Traore.
GOALS: Jimenez (pen 10), Stansfield (14).
REFEREE: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).
ATTENDANCE: 11,949.
