Fulham’s under 21s completing a stunning stoppage-time comeback to stun Derby County as two goals in the space of four minutes in added time saw off the Rams at Motspur Park this evening.
Hayden Mullins’ side looked set to suffer a rare home Premier League loss after Derby centre forward Dajaune Brown nodded home a finish cross from winger Tony Weston midway through the second half. The visitors were unfortunate not to have put the game beyond Fulham when skipper Darren Robinson rattled the base of the post after a brilliant individual run.
The home side huffed and puffed for a leveller but remained frustrated until the third minute of injury time when substitute Callum McFarlane after Terrell Works had headed Jon Esenga’s ball back across goal. Centre half Sam Amissah – who also came off the bench with the young Whites chasing the game – then conjured up an astonishing winner with a venomous volley from the acutest of angles having been set up by captain Ollie O’Neill.
Fulham’s back four had something of a makeshift look about it at the start of the contest with Chris Donnell filling in for Devan Tanton, who is again on international duty with Colombia at right back, with midfielder George Okkas continuing to operate on the opposite side of the defence. Derby made the more confident start with Robinson denied an opening goal when Alfie McNally foiled Robinson’s far post header before denying the midfielder from the follow-up for good measure.
O’Neill. back in the side after injury, almost headed Fulham in front from an inviting Imani Lanquedoc cross on twenty minutes but his effort grazed the outside of the post. Kristian Šekularac, starting in the number ten role with Luke Harris now on loan at Exeter City, then bent a shot wide of the target after Aaron Loupalo-Bi had seized on a defensive mistake but the Rams remained a threat on the counter with cool defending from Donnell and the alert Idris Odutayo required after Brown had broken away down the left and drilled a low cross-cum-shot towards goal.
Josh King caught the eye again in the centre of the park and produced a peach of pass to put Loupalo-Bi clean through but the Fulham forward was thwarted by a superb save from Jack Thompson. Derby finished the first half on the front foot when Weston sped away down the right flank and fired just wide of the far post.
Jake Buxton’s side continued to ask the most pressing questions immediately after the interval as well. Brown sent a header onto the roof of the Fulham net shortly after the restart before McNally magnificently spread himself to prevent Weston from putting the Rams ahead as the winger powered a shot on goal. King fired fractionally wide after being found by O’Neill. but just as the Whites sought to step up a gear, Brown glanced in Weston’s cross to give County the lead.
The visitors were desperately unlucky not to make it 2-0 when Robinson rifled his shot against the woodwork after his wonderful run, but that was the cue for Mullins to turn to his substitutes. Winger Terrell Works helped set up McFarlane’s equaliser, with the striking making a telling contribution on his return to under-21 action after two months out injured. The striker eventually got his reward having looked threatening almost as soon as he came on – heading over Adrion Pajaziti’s floated ball – and then setting up Donnell, who was denied by another terrific Thompson stop.
Amissah, who had only entered proceedings ten minutes earlier as an another late substitute in place of Pajaziti, then crashed home his remarkable winner to spark scenes of delirium among the Fulham players, who had once again been rewarded for fighting until the very end.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): McNally; Donnell, Okkas, Esenga, Odutayo; King (Avenall 83), Pajaziti (Amissah 87); Lanquedoc (Works 74), O’Neill, Šekularac (McFarlane 74); Loupalo-Bi. Subs (not used): Varney.
GOALS: McFarlane (90+2), Amissah (90+7).
DERBY COUNTY UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Thompson; Oduroh, Moloney, K. Robinson, Bartley; D. Robinson, Fapetu; Weston (Richards 67), Gibson-Hammond, Wheeldon (Hawkins 90+5); Brown. Subs (not used): Shattell, Moore, Jeffcott.
BOOKED: Brown.
GOAL: Brown (66).
