George Tanner’s own goal and Raul Jimenez ensured Fulham eased into the third round of the League Cup by beating battling Bristol City at Craven Cottage this evening.
Marco Silva picked a stronger than expected starting eleven even after making nine changes from the side that drew with Manchester United on Sunday. The Whites’ sole summer signing, Benjamin Lecomte, started in goal whilst Issa Diop and Jorge Cuenca came into the centre of defence. Harrison Reed and Tom Cairney made their first starts of the season, with Adama Traore on the right wing. Traore started brightly buzzing down the right flank and was the source of the home side’s first goal.
Traore, perhaps spurred on by the prospect of Fulham signing a pair of wingers before the transfer deadline day, supplied a superb floated cross across the box and Tanner, terrified by the prospect of Raul Jimenez in the six-yard box, turned the ball past former QPR goalkeeper Joe Lumley. Jimenez soon made it 2-0 by turning home a corner from Harrison Reed, bringing down a cross and rifling a right-footed finish into the far corner.
The visitors had chances with ex-Rangers forward Sinclair Armstrong skiing a finish high into the Hammersmith End, whilst the excellent Emile Smith Rowe saw a shot deflected wide of goal from the edge of the box. Traore could have finished the contest within a minute of the second half, but Lumley palmed away a powerful shot that was heading inside the near post. Several second half substitutions disrupted the rhythm of proceedings, but Gerhard Struber’s side pushed for a route back into the contest with Anis Mehmeti’s effort bravely blocked by Reed.
Alex Iwobi produced a brilliant bit of skill on the right wing to start a flowing move but the Nigerian lashed a drive into the side netting. In stoppage time, Mark Sykes sent a brilliant ball across the six-yard box but there wasn’t a red shirt in front of Lecomte to touch the ball home. A couple of minutes later Fally Mayulu found far too much space in the box but cracked a shot against the far post as the Whites sealed a third round home tie against Cambridge United.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Lecomte; Castagne (King 70), R. Sessegnon (Bassey 64), Diop, Cuenca; Reed, Cairney; Wilson (Iwobi 64), Traore, Smith Rowe (Lukic 87); Jimenez (Muniz 69). Subs (not used): Leno, Berge, Lukic.
BOOKED: Castagne.
GOALS: Tanner (o.g. 8), Jimenez (21).
BRISTOL CITY (3-4-2-1): Lumley; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie; McCrorie (Sykes 45), Knight, Bird (Randell 60), Hirakawa (Roberts 64); Stokes (Mehmedi 14), Bell (Mayulu 60), Armstrong. Subs (not used): Thomas, Twine, Cornick, Riis.
REFEREE: Lewis Smith (Wigan).
ATTENDANCE: 11,749.
Thankfully, for most of the game, we were up against a very poor, timorous Bristol City team but, even then, we allowed them to come back into the game in the later stages and they could have scored.
It really was a cruise though, perhaps, stroll more aptly describes our performance.
I expected this exact selection to start but I thought (hoped) that there would be so much more urgency from players looking to make an impression.
At least we had it confirmed that we desperately need a couple of wide players with both Sessegnon and Traore having awful games.
Please God, this week, we will finally see two GENUINE wingers arrive.
Harrison Reed, IMO, was the only one who really tried to rise above the lackadaisical approach that others adopted, giving an all action performance from start to finish.
I lost count of the times we, somehow, managed to go from an attacking position to passing back to our own defenders, even our goalkeeper, quite often, literally, starting close to the corner flag of the opposition.
What it is about modern football that makes square and backwards passing a major feature is beyond me.
With a starting eleven that cost close to one hundred million pounds in total, Lumley never had a single shot of note to save, which is a pretty damning statistic.
At one point, Harry Wilson received the ball from Castagne -with not one Bristol City defender near him. Yet, instead of turning and moving forward, he passed it, immediately, back to Castagne.
Just don’t get it.
But we’re through (unlike some) and have another “easy” tie in the next round so that’s something, I guess.
Surprised Silva went as strong as he did with the derby coming up at the weekend. Plenty of people in that eleven with a point to prove and I think they did – because the game was done and dusted in the first twenty minutes.
Adama did well down the right and I really like Wilson in the number ten role, where he’s been so effective for Wales. Not sure we should ever try Traore at right wing back again. Good clean sheet for the defence, especially Lecomte on debut and maybe the manager can rotate a bit more against Cambridge in the next round.
Good to see us get through to the third round – even if we definitely took our feet off the gas in the second half. Reed was excellent in the midfield, do hope he stays.
Not sure we’re going to miss Pereira somehow. COYW!