Wolverhampton Wanderers must be sick of the sight of Ryan Sessegnon. The Roehampton raider has scored more Premier League goals against Wolves than anyone else and he followed up a stunning strike at Molineux last season with a goal inside ten minutes at Craven Cottage before Marco Silva’s side eased to a comfortable victory at a wet Craven Cottage to pile more pressure on Vitor Pereira.
Sessegnon, operating as a left back in the continued absence of Antonee Robinson, found himself through on goal after Santiago Bueno had stretched to intercept a forward ball from Calvin Bassey. Former Wolves forward Raul Jimenez deftly flicked the ball into space and Sessegnon scampered into the box to shoot past the best efforts of Sam Johnstone. It was just the start the home side required, after four straight league defeats,
Pereira, who attacked the Molineux regulars after watching his side lose to Burnley last Sunday, shook his head ruefully on the sidelines. Wolves had begun with a sprung in their step but suddenly looked every inch a side marooned at the bottom of the table. Harry Wilson almost surprised Johnstone at his near post, before Bueno blocked Kevin in the next of time as the Brazilian prepared to pull the trigger after Wilson had scorched away from Toti.
Nine minutes before the break, Emmanuel Agabou was shown a straight red card for taking out Josh King as the Fulham midfielder beat the Ivorian international. The dismissal – backed by VAR – gave Wolves a mountain to climb but they might easily have been level before the break. Jorgen Strand Larsen wasn’t far away from connecting with a Ki-Jana Hoever cross before Bernd Leno thwarted Ladislav Krejci.
Fulham emerged energised after the half time whistle with Kenny Tete peppering Johnstone’s goal with a plethora of drives from distance. The crucial second goal saw Wilson wonderfully rifling home from twenty yards after Sander Berge’s effort had been blocked. That superb strike settled any lingering nerves around Craven Cottage, with Johnstone superbly saving another curler after the Wilson had ventured inside.
Sessegnon played a big part in Fulham’s third goal after a precise pass from Alex Iwobi put him in a prime crossing position. Emile Smith Rowe sought to turn the ball home, only for Yerson Mosquera to beat Johnstone from close range. Samuel Chukweze hit the post with his first touch after replacing Alex Iwobi, and then drew a superb save from Johnstone. The travelling fans told Pereira he was being sacked in the morning long before the final whistle blew – whilst the Whites cruised to a comfortable victory.
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, R. Sessegnon, Andersen, Bassey; Berge, Iwobi (Traore 89); Wilson (Chukwueze 77), Kevin (Smith Rowe 72), King (Cairney 72); Jimenez (Muniz 82). Subs (not used): Lecomte, Castagne, Cuenca, Lukic.
BOOKED: Berge.
GOALS: Sessegnon (9), Wilson (62), Mosquera o.g. 76)
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (5-3-2): Johnstone, Hoever (Tchatchoua 45), Bueno, Agbadou, Toti Gomes (Mosquera 45), Hugo Bueno, Bellegarde (Arokodare 64), KrejcÃ, Munetsi, Strand Larsen (André 76), Arias (João Gomes 45). Subs (not used): Sa, Lopez, Moller Wolf, Hwang.
BOOKED: Toti, Bueno.
SENT OFF: Agbadou.
REFEREE: John Brooks
ATTENDANCE: 26,413
This was a much-needed victory. Silva’s right, the rest are sh*te!
It’s strange, isn’t it, that although you were at the game yourself, you nevertheless want to read what is written about a match. I therefore enjoyed this match write-up because it has so much detail that I hadn’t always noticed. Many thanks Hammy End! From me who sit in Johnny Haynes….
Sess, uncharacteristically, played some poor passes either side of his goal but, IMO, has done more than enough to warrant his starting place -even when Robinson is fully fit.
I can’t ever remember Robinson, a touchline hugger, ever getting into the sort of position that Sessegnon did for his goal -and I definitely can’t recall Robinson finishing the way that Sessegnon can.
It’s fair to say that, arguably, Sessegnon is the one player in the team most likely to finish well when one on one with a keeper.
He has, also, been performing well defensively.
For those fans who want to see Robinson back and Sessegnon pushed forward -where exactly?
Replace Kevin? That’s unlikely after we spent a record fee on the kid.
Left midfield? For all those who say Sessegnon is not a left back, he is not a left sided midfielder either.
If I were Robinson, I would be mightily concerned about ever getting back in. His injury seems to be dragging on and on and begs the question as to why on earth he was allowed to travel to the US in the first place. I wish him well, especially in a World Cup year but, for me, barring some sub par performances, Ryan is our left back.
Its a dilemma. Robinson when fit is one of the best left backs in the UK. He has been a loyal servant to our club. I still believe Sess is a winger better going forward than defending. He is a great option if playing as a wing back when five at the back. Kevin still has to prove himself