Goals from Adrion Pajaziti, Matt Dibley-Dias and Samuel Amissah secured a superb win for Fulham’s under-21s at West Ham United at Rush Green this evening.
Hayden Mullins’ side produced the perfect away performance at Rush Green to inflict only the Hammers’ third league defeat of the season and move within two points of the second-place side. The young Whites were indebted to a vital save from goalkeeper Alex Borto, who crucially denied Divin Mubama in the game’s first chance, before they took the lead through a well-worked goal in the fifth minute.
Kiwi midfielder Dibley-Dias intelligently spread the play out to the right from where Devan Tanton crossed for Pajaziti to nod past Jamie Knightbridge at the near post. The Albanian under-21 midfielder’s emphatic header continued his excellent goalscoring form after the stunning hat-trick that powered Mullins’ men to a 7-1 victory over Reading in their last outing. Pajaziti then made the second goal that gave the visitors a comfortable cushion seven minutes later.
A set-piece move transplanted from the Motspur Park training ground completely flummoxed the West Ham defence. Pajaziti’s well-weighted ball found Dibley-Dias unmarked ten yards from goal and the midfielder volleyed clinically into the net. West Ham continued to see more of the ball for the remainder of the first half with Ryan Battrum particularly impressive on his first start at this level, but the closest Steve Potts’ side came to getting on the scoresheet saw a cross from George Earthy deflect into Borto’s arms.
The hosts spurned a huge chance to get back into contest just before the hour mark when Kamarai Simon-Swyer shot over after Ryan Battrum beat two Fulham midfielders before feeding the rampaging Junior Robinson along the right flank. Borto then smothered a shot from Simon-Swyer after the striker had been released by a brilliant ball from Lewis Orford.
Knightbridge kept the Hammers in the game with a superb save to prevent Josh King from wrapping up all three points, but the home keeper was beaten four minutes from time when Amissah met Pajaziti’s precise corner with a thumping header to round off the perfect evening in Romford for the Cottagers.
WEST HAM UNITED UNDER 21s (3-4-3): Knightbridge; Laing, Luizao, Casey; Orford, Battrum (Moore 78); Mubuma, Simon-Swyer, Earthy. Subs (not used): Tarima, Terry, Rigge, Akpata.
BOOKED: Battrum, Casey, Luizao.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Borto; Tanton, Slade, Amissah, Araujo; Dibley-Dias, McCoy-Splatt (Gofford 88); S?ekularac (Olyott 90+3), Pajaziti, King (de Jesus 88); Osmand (Loupalo-Bi 67). Sub (not used): McNally.
GOALS: Pajaziti (5), Dibley-Dias (12), Amissah (86).
REFEREE: Callum Walchester.
