Chukwueze inspires Fulham as Jimenez grabs win over Sunderland

A 1-0 victory at the Cottage gives Silva's men vital boost following the international break

1-0 is never the most exciting scoreline to read, but few at Fulham will care - today’s win against Sunderland has arrived at a crucial moment in the season, Marco Silva’s men needing a response following numerous disappointments and mounting pressure before the international break, and Raul Jimenez’s goal in the second half lifted a massive weight off everyone at Craven Cottage. There’s a lot of time left in the season but a second half resurgence, inspired by Samuel Chukwueze from the bench, took us past a well-drilled opponent, and has given us another propulsion away from a feisty relegation zone.

First Half

We’ve generally been stronger at home and the opening stages followed a similar pattern - after an early flash of energy from Traore saw his cross narrowly miss striker Isidor, Fulham got onto the ball and spent most of the half controlling the play, moving the ball smoothly around Sunderland’s team to sculpt attacks out. Their team had a strong defensive shape, a 5-4-1 with decent athletic capabilities and a well-organised structure, and it meant our better moments in the half never quite exposed any critical faults.

There was a lot of attacking promise for Fulham, though. Iwobi playing meant Sessegnon and Kevin had a nice architect on the left, and several crosses fizzed into the box through targeting Hume at right wing-back. King had Xhaka and Sadiki to contend with yet took the game to them, driving the ball forward with his positive dribbles and linking with his teammates in tight positions. Wilson, fresh off guiding Wales into the World Cup play-offs, was also eager to take the ball into dangerous territory. Our possession let the team spark into life, troubling Sunderland and almost threatening to restore the energy Fulham’s best football under Silva has produced.

Not for the first time though our profligate finishing left the goal count blank. Early chances, like an Iwobi overhead kick or Jimenez’s volley into a crowded box from a corner, are thrilling if they’re scored, but hardly begrudged for missing. Decent chances have a similar quality, but frustration compounds when you miss them. These were scattered throughout the play: Wilson, taking us through a scattered defence on a counter attack and wriggling away from Hume to bend a shot just wide; the Welshman playing a nice one-two with King to fire a shot at goal that Xhaka had to block; King’s own acrobatics from a Kevin cross nipping just wide of goal; powerful drives from midfield by Berge, also on a World Cup qualification high, that gave the Roefs pause for thought a few times.

What really frustrates me is when we’re presented opportunities that really ought to be scored by an established Premier League side, and when they largely fall to your record signing. Kevin had the pace to beat Hume, and a few of his crosses were electric, but his decision-making in the critical moments faltered several times. It feels harsh to spotlight a header from a good Berge cross on the right, aimed straight at Roefs for an easy catch, but two one-on-ones Kevin received were squandered by the Brazilian. Both were hindered by his dithering - one resulting in a shot Roefs didn’t have to make too strenuous a save for, the other stopped midrun by Mukiele. Though Sunderland didn’t have many concrete chances in the half - Traore’s swift dribbles producing a sweeping block and a comfortable save Leno - there was a clear risk of the visitors punishing us for our complacency in the second half.

Second Half

And what a risk it was! Within seconds of the restart a long ball from Roefs sailed straight to Le Fee, who skilfully plucked the ball from the air, cut away from Tete on our right and struck the ball just wide of Leno’s far post. Sunderland had ebbed away at our energy reserves over the half, and though it would be a stretch to say we were exhausted at this point it was clear Fulham weren’t quite so secure on the ball. Our passing, whilst enough to win the odd corner, wasn’t threatening Sunderland in quite the same way, and spurred by their early chance started moving their pieces forward into Fulham territory.

It’s not too surprising to see Sunderland’s bright start on today’s evidence, and until the first substitutions their tactics were putting us under pressure. Mukiele, a versatile defender, had the pace and intelligence to step forward from attack, moving into midfield positions and making runs down the right wing to put pressure on Sessegnon. Xhaka, the midfield general, prowled around menacingly, recycling possession and keeping Sunderland active in their hunt for the opener. Le Fee’s guile kept the ball dangerous at any moment, supplying the pace and runs of Isidor and Traore with quality link-up play, and our frantic defending to try and clear the ball saw Sunderland easily able to maintain control of our half, parking Geertruida and Ballard on the halfway line and shutting down our escape from the danger.

It was clear Fulham needed something to change, and Silva decided to make a move - King, starting to tire under the pressure of the physical challenge, and Kevin, unable to take the game to Sunderland, departed for Smith-Rowe and Chukwueze. The pair had an instant impact, restoring the quality of our play to the levels seen in the first half with slick touches and quick, aggressive runs into enemy territory. This, combined with Sunderland’s substitutes Talbi and Brobbey unsettling the rhythm their attack had previously enjoyed, swung the game back into Fulham’s control, allowing our attacking shape to define the game and put pressure back on Sunderland’s defence.

Though Sunderland were hardly despondent, Chukwueze’s pace and creativity on the left, supplemented by Smith-Rowe dipping into the wide channels and linking play with his own deft touches, forced them into a defensive reaction. Hume had suffered a few close calls from Kevin earlier in the game but Chukwueze’s composure added an extra degree of danger, forcing Talbi to keep a closer eye on the left channel and reducing the pressure on Sess at LB. This let him move back into attacking positions too - a delightful through ball from the academy-man saw Wilson fire a shot just wide of goal from one such venture. As the half continued the chances started to arrive thick and fast. Chukwueze was far too quick for Hume, even with the extra support, and his talent was becoming the route to goal for us. Jimenez, on the periphery before-hand, finally had some service to work with, bringing his contests with Ballard in the box back into the game. Smith-Rowe and Sessegnon had extra space to take chances of their own - the former slicing a volley wide of post, the latter receiving two delightful passes from the Nigerian that he put into Xhaka and, after squeezing into the box, lashed across the face of goal.

And finally, with but a few minutes of regulation time remaining, the pressure buckled. Berge, under no pressure in the face of an overwhelmed Sunderland side, spread the ball wide to Chukwueze, hugging the touchline away from Hume. The wing-back was slow to close the space down, giving Chukwueze his opportunity - a magnificent cross arched into the box ahead of the defence, just the right distance between the keeper and the centre-back. Ballard, who had enjoyed a strong showing for large parts of the game, was finally caught out - Jimenez finally had his opportunity, predicting to near-perfection the path of the ball and sticking his leg out to tap the ball goalwards ahead of the centre-back, wrong-footing Roefs and finding the back of the net. It was a truly jubilant moment, one that lifted everyone’s mood whilst putting the sword to Sunderland, and the pleasure - combined with some extra help from defensive substitutions Reed and Castagne - guided Fulham to the full-time whistle.

Raul’s Well That Ends Well

Let’s be positive about Fulham, because we haven’t had the chance to for a while! There were clear examples of our quality in possession throughout the day - despite how many defenders we had to contend with, we consistently used the ball in a manner that moved them out of the way, using the channels to travel into goal-scoring positions. No one did this better than Chukwueze, whose outstanding acumen with the ball was on full display today - he added to Kevin’s pace and promise with a composure that elevated the whole team, and in my view should be considered the MOTM.

It wasn’t just him though. I think we should give significant praise to Emile Smith-Rowe, who at times is made to look a bit of a pariah but was critical to the performance as well. King is a fine player and has earnt a starting berth in the team but we forget how talented Smith-Rowe is at times; his passing and movement had a diamond-like sheen today, and the energy he put into his darting runs into the final third were a major component of disrupting Sunderland’s organisation at the back. This is the player we want to see more regularly for Fulham; the talent the man has is unquestionable! Let’s extend these good thoughts to Raul Jimenez, a man playing through injuries and fatigue every week for club and country - he might not be the powerhouse Wolves enjoyed a few years ago, we might wish Rodrigo Muniz was leading the attack, but no one can fault the commitment Jimenez gives to the team, putting himself through tough contests across the pitch today. His goal is a nice reward for what must be a pained effort at times.

Wilson was decent on the right and though he might regret not scoring today he has a spark worth keeping around the team, even when he’s not on top form - he and King also have good chemistry in these moments. Iwobi had a quieter game, and perhaps struggled to replicate the general bullishness Xhaka and Sadiki had in the middle, but his versatility really can’t be questioned too greatly - he plugs any hole he’s asked to for Fulham. Berge was more suited to the conditions, happy to get stuck in around the pitch and far more encouraging in his attacking moves today as well.

Let’s also praise the defence - there were a few lapses in concentration here and there, but the key moments Sunderland had in the box were largely cut out by Andersen and Bassey, who should be proud of their clean sheet. Tete had his hands full with Le Fee but saw him off, and Sessegnon continued to deputise very admirably for Robinson, playing another match without a serious error (though Traore did run him close a few times). It all meant Leno had little to do - a couple of Traore moments to handle and a comfortable Xhaka header to catch were all I could recall him really being involved with. Never a bad thing for any Premier League side!

Stern Sunderland

Sunderland will find themselves really tested over the next few months - the internationals ending mean the games start to mount, and without wanting to patronise our visitors the charm of a good start in the opening weeks fades for a real grind through fixtures against rivals expecting to pick up points off a promoted side. There’s evidence they’ve got a few things to work out, too - even in their best moments today, Isidor was never quite able to get a shot at goal for Leno to deal with, and they may need to work out how their 5-4-1 can produce more goals in the long-term.

These are harsh criticisms though - Sunderland kept Fulham, a team with several years more experience in the Premier League, level for almost a full match, and whilst it’s not unfair to say we were the stronger game on the whole, there were moments of quality from key players that will keep them going nicely through the season. Le Fee is a gem of a footballer and is the calibre of attacker that makes our sport the beautiful game. Xhaka has been praised by many this season and his determined approach in midfield clearly lifts the spirits and attitude of everyone around him. Mukiele’s energy and tactical understanding gives Sunderland defensive adaptability that elevates them above quite a few teams across the division and Roefs looks a steady hand in goal, something you can never take for granted.

They are also a few points ahead of Fulham thus far! We are still too close to the relegation zone for anyone’s liking, and we’ll need our own squad to dig into their strengths to pull Fulham into a truly safe position. Given how many teams are around the drop zone, it may take some time to realise - we need to trust that Silva can guide the squad to capture the energy we exuded in the second half today, and back the team through perhaps their biggest challenge of our return to the Premier League so far.