Just when it felt like Fulham would take three points home from Turf Moor for the first time in 73 years, super-sub David Datro Fofana came off the bench to inspire a brilliant Burnley fightback with two goals in twenty minutes. Marco Silva’s side appeared to be cruising after two goals in the space of four minutes from Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Muniz but the visitors squandered several great chances to kill the game in the second half before some distinctly dodgy defending gifted the Clarets a route back into the contest.
Silva made three changes to the eleven that had drawn with Everton in midweek but opted to introduce deadline day signing Armando Broja from the bench. Muniz replaced the injured Raul Jimenez up front, whilst Tim Ream returned at the heart of the defence for Issa Diop, who also tore his hamstring on Wednesday. Harrison Reed added bite to the Fulham midfield in place of club captain Tom Cairney.
Burnley, who brought in Lorenz Assignon and Aaron Ramsey to the side that had been beaten at his former side Manchester City in midweek, began brightly with Lyle Foster to the fore. The striker pinched possession high up the pitch and looked to have put Wilson Odobert in the clear only for the covering Ream to intervene just in the nick of time. Sander Berger, a scorer in Burnley’s surprise success at Craven Cottage before Christmas, then tried his luck from long-range again but Bernd Leno managed to stop the Norwegian’s low drive this time.
Fulham’s first opening arrived when Andreas Pereira’s cross from the right was headed wide by Timothy Castagne but the visitors went in front from a corner moments later. Pereira’s delivery into the near post was perfect and Palhinha guided a header past James Trafford at the near post having easily eluded Odobert. Muniz scored his first Premier League goal with an impudent chip over Trafford having been played onside by Vitinho as he chased a forward ball from Antonee Robinson.
The home side looked rampant at this point. Only Trafford’s fingertips denied Pereira a third when the Brazilian playmaker latched onto another pass from Robinson and the home side’s only riposte saw Odobert screw a shot wide from a tight angle after the winger profited from a ricochet in the Fulham box having sneaked in down the left flank. To Kompany’s fury, Reed was only cautioned for a late lunge over the ball that left Odobert on the turf in agony and his side at least began the second half with more of a sense of adventure.
Vitinho advanced along the left flank and his cross was initially scuffed goalwards by Josh Brownhill. The midfielder’s effort was diverted on target by Ramsey but lacked the power to really trouble Leno. The hosts were nearly the architects of their own downfall at the other end when Brownhill threw the ball straight to Muniz, but Berge read the danger superbly to bail out his team-mate. Trafford then kept his side in the game by making three vital saves. He turned aside a low drive from Willian, tipped over Tosin Adarabioyo’s header from a corner and thwarted Muniz at his near post.
Those stops became vital when two of Kompany’s January signings combined to halve the deficit. Assignon burst down the left flank and whipped in a cross that Leno came for but failed to collect, allowing Fofana to head his first Burnley goal into the unguarded net. The Clarets pushed for a late leveller but had created precious little until the start of stoppage time when Kenny Tete made a mess of a routine clearance and Fofana beat Ream to bundle home Odobert’s low ball at the near post. There was a VAR check to adjudicate on whether a touch off the Ivorian forward’s hand was decisive – but the goal stood to the delight of the home fans.
The Clarets poured forward in search of a third but Kompany will be delighted with his side’s determination to battle to the end. Fulham’s capitulation from a commanding position was compounded by the sight of Tosin Adarabioyo limping off with what looked like a hamstring strain which will leave the Whites short of centre backs when Bournemouth come to Craven Cottage in a week’s time.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Trafford; Assignon (Massengo 90), Vitinho (Bruun Larsen 87), O’Shea, Ekdal (Esteve 45); A. Ramsey (Gudmundsson 64), Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Amdouni (Fofana 64), Foster. Subs (not used): Muric, Al-Dakhil, Cullen, Trésor.
BOOKED: Berge, Fofana.
GOALS: Fofana (71, 90+2).
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Palhinha, Reed; Willian, De Cordova-Reid (Cairney 74), Pereira (Tete 85); Muniz (Broja 74). Subs (not used): Rodak, Ballo-Toure, de Fougerolles, King, Lukic, Sekularac.
BOOKED: Reed, Pereira.
GOALS: Palhinha (17), Muniz (21).
REFEREE: Darren Bond (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 20,203
That was absolutely gutless. Only Fulham could throw away such a dominant possession like that.
It all came about from a dreadful bit of goalkeeping from Leno, which gave Burnley some belief.
Had a horrible feeling when we failed to get the third that they would come back – initially based on the fact that it was Turf Moor.
The collapse was so catastrophic that had we played any longer I think Burnley would have won. I suppose this is what you get when you fail to invest following success and try to muddle through with a wafer-thin squad.
Our defence was awful again especially Leno who can’t handle crosses as he proved last week as well when flapping at corners perhaps that’s why Arsenal sold him. We have to change our tactics we are far too slow coming out of defence and we give the ball away far too often we have gone back to Parker ball with sideways and backwards passes and Silva needs to sort this out.,we won’t get many easier teams to pick up 3points than Burnley and some of our players need to take a good look at themselves for a lack of composure, why isn’t Cairney starting ? I’m starting to doubt Silvas selections and not just Cairney.
Such a disappointing result today given how well we played for the best part of 70 minutes. Thought Muniz did really well up front, running and competing for everything, and took his goal really well.
Should really have been out of sight but we failed to take a host of chances – especially in the second half. The goals were very avoidable as others have said – Leno flapped at the cross after Pereira had put in one of the most non-committed tackles I’ve ever seen.
Not sure why Silva sent Tete on and shifted Castagne, who was playing well at right back, further forward. Could easily have replaced Pereira with a midfielder but Tete’s terrible attempt at a clearance let Burnley in again down the left.
We’ll have to dust ourselves down and get ready for a pair of very testing home fixtures – but this one will sting for a while.
Rooting for South Africa at AFCON. The sooner we get Iwobi and Bassey back the better.