Second half strikes from Emile Smith Rowe and substitute Adama Traore helped Fulham bounce back from the disappointment of their self-inflicted defeat at West Ham in midweek as Marco Silva’s side inflicted a seventh straight league defeat on struggling Leicester City at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes put in a workmanlike performance and could have taken the lead in the very first minute but for Bernd Leno beating away a close-range effort from Jordan Ayew, but Leicester were largely listless up from and succumbed meekly once Smith Rowe had stooped to head the Londoners in front just minutes in the second period. Traore, on as a replacement for Alex Iwobi at half time, powered home an excellent first-time finish from Harry Wilson’s wonderful ball and the home fans were chanting against the board and condemning van Nistelrooy’s substitutions long before the final whistle.
Fulham had the better of a first period where quality was in short supply but they were fortunate to escape without punishment from a sloppy start with Ayew shooting over the bar shortly after Leno had made a fine reaction save just seconds into the match. The German goalkeeper then did well to deny Jamie Vardy, but it was Silva’s side who stitched together the most sustained period of pressure. Iwobi saw a shot blocked as he darted inside and Wilson also had his follow-up blocked by Wout Faes, before Smith Rowe bent an effort wide from the edge of the box after lovely link-up play between the former Arsenal midfielder and the Welsh winger.
Fulham were furious when referee Michael Salibury missed a clear foul on Timothy Castagne and the Foxes flew forward with left back Viktor Kristiansen shooting wide when well placed. Iwobi’s swirling cross nearly caught out Jakub Stolarcyzk, with the Leicester keeper forced to turn the ball onto the crossbar and, after more probing football down the left side where both Smith Rowe and Wilson failed to the pull trigger, former Foxes centre back Calvin Bassey drilled an effort across the face of goal. Antonee Robinson ruffled the side netting with a fierce drive from the left after Faes had slid in to stop a surging run from Serbian midfielder Sasa Lukic.
Silva sent Traore on for Iwobi at the start of the second period and his side immediately upped the intensity. They took the lead just three minutes after the resumption as Wilson floated a ball in from the right and Smith Rowe nodded home from inside the six-yard box following Lukic’s flick on. Raul Jimenez came close to doubling the lead shortly afterwards but his header from Wilson’s whipped corner flew wide of the far post.
Leicester posed questions of their own as they sought a route back into the contest. Stephy Mavidi’s angled drive was palmed aside by Leno, who then did well to hold a low shot through the crowded Fulham penalty area by Harry Winks. But Fulham always threatened a second which arrived in the 68th minute when Wilson found Traore in acres of space on the right side of the box, with the Spaniard side-footing superbly past Stolarcyzk and into the bottom corner of the Leicester net.
Both sides had penalty appeals waved away by Salibsury, with Boubakary Soumare tumbling under a challenge from Joachim Andersen whilst Traore felt he had been pulled down in the box as he accelerated away from Leicester defenders. Fulham might easily have extended their lead with substitute Rodrigo Muniz, on for the excellent Jimenez, somehow slotted wide of the goal after latching onto a lovely Lukic cross. That glaring miss proved academic as Leno got his angles right to deny Vardy at his near post late on and keep a clean sheet on his hundredth Fulham appearance.
LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Stolarcyz; Justin, Kristiansen, Faes, Vestergaard; Soumare, Winks (Skipp 64); Ayew (Buonanotte 71), Mavididi (Daka 71), El Khannouss (K. McAteer 64); Vardy. Subs (not used): Iversen, Coady, Okoli, Thomas, De Cordova-Reid.
BOOKED: Vestergaard, McAteer, Faes.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, A. Robinson, Andersen, Bassey; Lukic (Diop 90+1), Berge; Wilson (King 90+1), Iwobi (Traore 45), Smith Rowe (Cairney 80); Jimenez (Muniz 71). Subs (not used): Benda, R. Sessegnon, Reed, Pereira.
BOOKED: Lukic.
GOALS: Smith Rowe (48), Traore (68).
REFEREE: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 31,500.
Good to see a smile on ESR’s face.
Finally ESR showing glimpses of quality. Still too little to justify his price tag, hopefully he will hit a patch of good form
I won’t be getting too carried away by that performance,we are still too slow with our build up play and we aren’t clinical enough we miss too many chances we had 17 shots but only scored 2goals and why don’t we have anyone who can score from distance instead of trying to pass the ball in all the time. It’s like watching paint dry.
Great to get 3 points and keep a clean sheet. BUT we were up against an awful Leicester side, lacking quality in every department and we could so easily have gone behind because of a dreadful start when we struggled to string passes together.
Smith Rowe definitely upped his game today, apart from the goal. Good to have some clarity from Silva as to why he has been a major disappointment thus far.
Sander Berge makes such a difference in midfield.
Overall, nowhere near our fluent play of earlier in the season but it was enough to see off a guaranteed for relegation side.