Brodie Dair’s first goals for Fulham fired the under-18s to an impressive 4-3 victory over Arsenal at Motspur Park yesterday afternoon.
Ali Melloul’s enterprising side roared into a three-goal lead within the first half an hour as strikes from Bradley Slade, Macaulay Zepa and Dair put the hosts firmly in control of the London derby. But the young Whites had to show plenty of spirit to stay on top as Max Dowman and Dan Casey reduced Arsenal’s arrears to one before half-time. Dair’s second of a superb afternoon gave Fulham another two-goal cushion, but Casey found the net again to leave the result in doubt right until the final whistle.
Fulham began brightly and were rewarded for their adventurous opening in the ninth minute. French winger Zepa lifted a corner into a dangerous part of the penalty area, with left back Slade stretching out to prod home ahead of a host of red shirts. The goalscorer could easily have turned provider a few minutes later after a great run down the left back culminated with a dangerous cross but that eluded Fulham’s forward line.
Former Gunners youngster Zepa extended Fulham’s lead with a quarter of an hour played. He darted in field from the right on his left foot and produced a peach of a finish that left visiting goalkeeper Jack Talbot grasping at air. Zepa then won a penalty as another dangerous run saw him chopped down in the box, but Talbot saved skipper Jayden Quashie’s spot-kick superbly.
The hosts shrugged off that setback as an inspired Zepa dribbled all the way to the byline and sent in a low cross that Dair turned in at the far post to score his first goal in Fulham colours. Arsenal looked shell-shocked but Dowman did his best to rouse his side with an outstanding run across the pitch, although his eventual effort was smartly saved by Dino Kaiser. It was no surprise that the dominant Dowman did bring the away side back into it in the final minute of the first half, turning home his twelfth goal in his last six appearances after Kaiser had saved an effort from Louie Zecevic-John.
The Gunners grabbed another one in the second minute of stoppage time when Dowman played in Casey, who chipped a fine finish over the helpless Kaiser to take his league tally to seventeen goals for the season. Casey might have hauled Arsenal level early in the second half but he shot wide after surging infield, but Dair scored Fulham’s fourth at the other end. A defensive mix-up gave Aidan Evans a sight of goal and, although Talbot did well to block the Canadian’s shot, Dair drilled in his second of the afternoon via a deflection.
The former Falkirk forward could have completed a hat-trick a minute later but his clever curler crept just wide of Talbot’s goal. Casey then set up a grandstand finish as he finished over a brilliant Arsenal break from a Fulham corner – toepoking into the bottom corner of the net after latching onto a lovely ball from O’Neill. The visitors then upped the tempo in search of the equaliser that might have kept their title hopes alive. Kaiser made a magnificent stop to deny Dowman after the number ten had darted away from Slade before the attacking midfielder came close with a free-kick.
Fulham responded with chances of their own as Talbot made a superb stop to thwart Zepa and then saved an effort from Ruban Khan after the substitute combined smartly with Kyle Grant. Dowman curled a late effort against the stanchion and Fulham held on to record a thrilling victory and hand Southampton the U18 south title. The Whites’ will finish the campaign with a Wednesday morning trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Kaiser; Benchaita, Slade (Taylor 90+6), Cooke, Schutter; Quashie, Chingwaro; Zepa, Grant (De-Gale 90+10), Evans; Dair (Khan 75). Subs (not used): Mayer, Cavell.
BOOKED: Kaiser, Dair.
GOALS: Slade (9), Zepa (15), Dair (28, 56).
ARSENAL UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Talbot; Murisa, Ogunnaike, Ibrahim, Chapman; Julienne (Hashi 78), Marciniak (C. Ismail 69); O’Neill (Bailey-Joseph 69), Casey, Dowman; Zecevic-John (Oyetunde 78). Subs (not used): Tomlin.
BOOKED: Marciniak, Oyetunde, Ogunnaike.
GOALS: Dowman (44), Casey (45+2, 62).
REFEREE: Harry Yellen.
