Ryan Sessegnon felt Fulham should have beaten Cardiff once he had put the Whites ahead against the Championship leaders – but the teenager believes there were plenty of positive signs for Slavisa Jokanovic’s side despite the disappointing finish.
The 17 year-old, who was deployed as a left winger due to a number of injuries in the build up to the game, slotted home his first goal of the season past former Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge after Floyd Ayite’s effort was blocked but familiar frailties returned to haunt the home side when substitute Danny Ward headed in an equaliser eight minutes from time. Speaking to Fulham’s official website, Sessegnon was in no doubt that the hosts should have seized all three points:
I thought we dominated the game and probably should’ve won. But we will take a point and move on from there.
We knew going into the game that Cardiff were going to be physical and we were working throughout the week on their game-plan and I think we showed today that we frustrated them for the most part of the game, up until their goal. Kenneth Zohore is one of their target men, and we were working in training to stop that threat and I thought we did well.
He was quite happy to fulfill a more offensive role for Fulham, given that it is a position where he has starred for the England youth sides:
It was good today playing left wing, it was good to get a goal and I thought I did alright, I tried my best to help the team and wherever the gaffer asks me to play I am comfortable playing.
Sessegnon was characteristically modest and understated about his crucial role in giving Fulham the lead:
Kamara played the ball in behind, into Floyd [Ayité], and then Floyd wriggled his way through and tried to get a shot off, but it just fell to me and I just hit it. I was just waiting for anything to drop off, a little bounce on the ball or just anything to hit the ball and thankfully it fell to me and it went in.
The youngster was full of praise for French winger Yohan Mollo, who enjoyed a lively debut after arriving on a free transfer on deadline day:
A lot of new players came into the side today and everyone is trying to impress the head coach to get a starting place in the team but I thought the new boys did well. Mollo is a very good player I think, he’s very skilful, someone who likes to beat players one-on-one and he showed his class today. I think with all new players you have to give them time but today he [Mollo] showed you don’t need to give him that much time to fit in to our team.
Fulham will be looking to record their first home win of the season against Hull City at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening, although Sessegnon isn’t taking anything for granted – even after Leonid Slutsky’s side slumped to an embarrassing defeat at Derby on Friday night.
Hull pose an attacking threat, they have a lot of attacking players in their team but again we must focus on ourselves and hopefully get the win. Whenever you get beat like that you want to show that it was just a one off day so they will be coming for us.