Bristol City beaten in League Cup success

Jimenez's volley and an own goal see the hosts get through Round 2

The League Cup returns! There’s something very satisfying about Fulham having the quality to beat teams in second-gear. Bristol City, though a Championship side, are a decent outfit and in previous years might not have found stealing a result an improbable task. Silva has taken our football to a higher level, though - despite City’s vision on the ball, Fulham had the tactical nous and clinical timing to execute the right response to claim victory, an own-goal and a Jimenez volley enough to see us through to the 3rd round.

First Half

Fulham’s 4-2-3-1 was given an attacking tweak tonight, as Silva sought to let his squad enjoy themselves. Sessegnon had the freedom to attack down the left, with Smith-Rowe given similar flexibility to tuck around the pitch, operating along the wings, as an explosive maestro with Wilson in the centre or as an architect from deeper. With Cairney pulling the strings from midfield, Reed alongside him as his midfield enforcer, Traore ready to storm down the right at the launching of a long ball and Jimenez putting himself in all the right places to connect offensive moves, Fulham breezed into City’s final third.

This tactical positivity with the formation generated the pressure that forced the goals. After getting the ball from Reed, Castagne looped the ball over the backline for Traore. The winger outmuscled McCrorie, creating space away from the wingback and crossing the ball into the box, where Jimenez’ presence unnerved Tanner and forced the centre-back into an own goal. Not long afterwards, Fulham’s possession forced a second - winning a corner through a long passing sequence, Reed’s driven set-piece went straight to Jimenez, removed from any defenders. As a comically mistimed leap from Dickey saw him sail past the striker, Jimenez took a touch, swivelled and volleyed the ball beyond Lumley, doubling the lead.

The first half wasn’t all Fulham, of course. Bristol City’s B-team, lined up in a 3-4-2-1, were adventurous and brave, keen to get on the ball and target the high Fulham defensive line. Bell, Armstrong, and early substitute Mehmeti were keen to exploit this - Armstrong’s explosive pace was dangerous, attempting to exploit the empty channel Sessegnon left in his forward runs, and with Knight and Bird pinging long-balls over our defence the centre-backs weren’t starved of action. With a little fortune, a few of their chances might have come closer - Armstrong’s eagerness took him beyond the defence but couldn’t restrain his wild strike from flying over, whilst a tight offside erased Mehmeti’s goal, a smart shot daggered diagonally beyond Lecomte.

Second Half

It was Fulham’s night though, one we were happy to cruise through, and whilst Lady Luck had at least reminded us Bristol City were competitive there was a confidence in the side that allayed much of the fear of a comeback. The ability of a team to eat time out of a game is a priceless skill - Fulham have players that are happy on the ball, and as a consequence don’t feel the trepidation some sides might have against City’s pressing. Indeed, our chances were the main ones of the opening spell. Traore had our closest openings; one saw him get the ball from Wilson, cut inside and force Lumley to react quickly and palm away. Another, constructed by a smart Cairney pass down the wing, was smacked hideously high by the winger.

Still, City hummed around, hunting for a goal. They’d sought goals in the first half but substitutes in the second signalled a stronger direction, introducing first-teamers in Sykes and Randell, and spirited runners like Mayulu and Roberts, focusing Bristol’s play in our territory and pumping long balls and crosses into the final third. Silva, perhaps realising Sessegnon and Castagne’s advanced positioning was inviting City to score, made changes of his own, as our Premier League regulars entered the fray to cool the game.

In doing so, our formation changed dramatically. Bassey joined Diop and Cuenca to make a trio of centre-backs whilst Iwobi’s arrival turned he and Traore operate as wingbacks - this created a back-five, pinned back by City’s wave of attacks and unable to retain the ball as smoothly as Fulham had in the first half. As is often the case, stacking the team with defensive players in defensive positions had an adverse effect, and let City dictate the terms of the closing period.

A mix of fortuitousness and fine defending kept Fulham afloat for the rest of the game. With our passing radar askew, and City eager to dispatch Mehmeti, Mayulu and Armstrong at the kick of a ball, timely interventions from defenders were all that kept our clean sheet intact. Diop shone in this department, aerially commanding, physically impressive and attuned to the game to be in the right place enough of the time. This was important, as the wealth of set-pieces our visitors earned kept City an active threat across the half. Mayulu had the energy to nip into the box repeatedly, and the few times he did break away from the defence were nail-biting. A loopy cross from Sykes was met first by the striker but headed over, whilst late in the game City’s advancing troops, camped around Fulham’s box, pulled players away from the forward - a curled effort beat Lecomte but struck the post, falling kindly for Fulham’s defence to scramble away.

Bristol City - out of our league?

The comeback never came, or really started - Fulham’s quality was enough to ensure City’s efforts couldn’t quite break through the barrier, probe Fulham’s defence with the extra edge to defy the keeper, cause a real upset for the hosts in the wider context of the game. The obvious caveat is in the difference between the two sides, of course - Bristol City are not a Premier League club and certainly don’t have the resources around their squad to match our B-team - but enough failures have struck Fulham in similar circumstances to be taken for granted.

There’s no reason several of the players can’t be happy with their efforts, either. Cairney demonstrated his leadership, rolling back the years with Reed to command much of the midfield action, Smith-Rowe showcased how slick he can be as he danced around defenders and Jimenez’s elegance shone for both the goals, showing the smarts a striker needs to push Fulham ahead in the game. A critical lens might be had for Traore - whilst his pace is known to all, and he did set up the opener, his accuracy left a lot to be desired, and we might have had a goal or two extra if he’d kept sharper in the second half. These are small tidings, though - Fulham scored their chances, did enough to keep City out and won, which is ultimately all that matters.

Bristol City shouldn’t be despondent, though. I thought they played with coherency and nous, identifying where Fulham were vulnerable and targeting it, sticking to an attacking approach with the ball despite the superior opposition and coming close to taking a goal or two off us. Armstrong was a livewire all match and looks really promising - once he polishes his finishing, his pace will contribute to a lot of goals. Mehmeti and Bell got involved frequently and kept popping up around our backline, Knight ran the heart of the team nicely and as a consequence City never looked listless or beaten at any stage of the match. If this is what a second-string XI can take to us, there’s no reason they can’t make a serious run for the play-offs again in the Championship.

But it’s us through to the next round, overcoming the first hurdle in relative comfort, and though our realism might weigh it down, the first whispers of “cup run” will have started in the Fulham camp. We’ve seen that the team is capable of making the latter stages before - if the Khans can be proactive in the transfer market, make a few signings and bolster the squad, there’s no reason we can’t sprinkle a little cup optimism into the season…