Raul Jimenez fired in a fabulous 30-yard free-kick as Fulham warmed up for the start of the Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt – but there was concern at Craven Cottage after Ryan Sessegnon limped down the tunnel having pulled up with an injury in the first half.

Sessegnon, who struggled for form and fitness during his four years at Spurs, stretched for a ball in front of the Johnny Haynes Stand and, although he was quickly helped to his feet, headed straight into the Cottage before being replaced by Sam Amissah. Any injury concern to Sessegnon, who had such a superb first season back with the Whites, would be a serious blow for Marco Silva ahead of the big kick off at Brighton and Hove Albion next weekend – especially as Antonee Robinson has yet to feature since having knee surgery in the summer.

Sam Amissah, a right-footed centre back, did well on the left of a back four having come on to replace Sessegnon but his afternoon also ended early after cramp forced Silva to send on Terrell Works, leaving his side to see out a narrow win over their Bundesliga visitors with Sander Berge operating as a third centre half. The Fulham head coach is known to be frustrated by the slowness of the Cottagers’ summer recruitment – and this afternoon’s developments will hardly have improved his mood.

The hosts looked hesitant in the early stages and Bernd Leno bailed them out within 55 seconds. Some sharp pressing saw Ansgar Knauff win possession off Calvin Bassey and Mario Gotze fed Fares Chaibi, whose low shot was palmed away by Fulham’s German goalkeeper. The ball broke for summer signing Kevin Burkhadt but the beanpole striker found his control sadly lacking to the relief of the Hammersmith End.

Fulham gradually began to put some of their fluent passing moves together after Joachim Andersen wasted a free header from a corner, with Kenny Tete and Harry Wilson resuming their right-wing combinations and Alex Iwobi forcing a save from Kevin Trapp after ambling in from the left flank. The deadlock was broken brilliantly by Jimenez, who found the top corner with a sumptuous set-piece from 30 yards out, in a carbon copy of one of his many magnificent free-kicks for Mexico over the years.

Wilson, who picked up his goal of the season award for his sensational strike against Brentford before kick off, almost made it two when he darted onto an intelligent ball from Iwobi, but Trabb anticipated the danger and saved smartly with his feet. Josh King delivered a delightful demonstration of how to play the number ten role in a display that can only heighten the clamour for the Wimbledon wonderkid to become a regular starter this season. The teenager ran the midfield with a modicum of fuss and might have made a second with a perceptive pass, but Iwobi somehow skewed a shot wide of the near post with only Trapp to beat. He should have scored himself from four yards out but a scrambling Trabb saved his toepoke and Fulham failed to profit from a serious goalmouth scramble.

Fulham were comfortable but not in control in the second period as Dani Topmoller rung some changes in the second half. One superb King run was crudely curtailed by a robust challenge on the byline, but with the England youth international crumbled in a heap against an advertising hoarding the referee pointed for a goal-kick. Eintracht almost equalised when Sander Berge blundered in playing a ball out from the back, but Chaibi clattered a curler against the crossbar from the edge of the box.

More lovely link-up play between King and Iwobi created a chance for Berge up the other end within a minute, but the Norwegian’s measured effort lacked either the direction or the power to seriously trouble Trapp. King gave way to club captain Tom Cairney, but the slender nature of Silva’s squad was underlined when Works was summoned to replace Amissah after the youngster had gone down inside his own box.

This was a win that delivered plenty of positives but the biggest questions will probably be answered by Silva himself in his post-match press conference.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, R. Sessegnon (Amissah 22; Works 89), Andersen, Bassey; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, Iwobi, King (Cairney 73); Jimenez. Subs (not used): McNally, Loupalo-Bi.

GOAL: Jimenez (35).

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (4-3-3): Trapp; Theate, Kristensen, Collins, Koch; Larsson (Hojlund 60), Gotze (P. Aaronsson 60), Chaibi; Knauff (Nkonkou 60), Bahoya, Bukhardt (Batshuyai 73). Subs: Obert, Smolcic, Buta, Maluze, Bekir Is, Doumbia.

REFEREE: Ruebyn Ricardo.