Player Ratings: Fulham 1-0 Hull City

Our first three points of the Arbeloa era! Here’s how the boys got on.

A win! A 1-0 scoreline isn’t usually described as convincing, but this most definitely was.

From the first minute Fulham signalled their intent in this game and if it wasn’t for the same old profligacy, we’d have won this by a much more impressive margin.

It must be said that Hull were atrocious. It was one of the worst performances I’ve seen at the Cottage by a Premier League team in a long time; but you still get three points for beating them.

Does it allay my concerns around the state of Fulham? A bit. But a win against that Hull team is most certainly not a panacea. I’m still uneasy, there are still worries, but this morning, the most important thing is that we are no longer winless, and we are no longer bottom.

Bernd Leno

The easiest Premier League game he will ever have had for the Whites. To not even have to make a save is quite remarkable. It also makes it quite hard to rate him, given he did nothing wrong, by virtue of not having to do anything. 6.5/10

Timothy Castagne

Interesting to see him thrown straight back in after being benched for Tete at Ipswich. Given the expectation that Fulham would control this game, I assume he was preferred due to his superior offensive skills.

I actually didn’t notice him much, which is not a bad thing. He went about his business tidily, linking up nicely with Oscar Bobb and Josh King. His licence to kill has definitely been revoked, and is now more of a licence to maim; it makes us much more balanced. 6.5/10

David Affengruber

What a difference he’s made. He was rarely made to do defensive work, but when required he was so assured.

He’s capable of being both the front footed, aggressive defender, as well as more of a sweeper, tidying things up. With Bassey being capable of doing the same, it meant the Hull forward line didn't get a sniff.

He's also so comfortable on the ball, demonstrated by having the most touches and no one completing more passes than he did. 7/10

Calvin Bassey

I could probably copy and paste Affengruber’s review for Calvin. He looked so comfortable, absolutely bullying Hull players, on and off the ball, marked by his 10 defensive contributions more than any other Fulham player.

You could see how much it meant to him at full time, and while he is only captain when Tom Cairney isn't on the pitch, you can see how much importance he places on being the leader of this team. 7/10

Antonee Robinson

One of the few weaker performances today. Jedi looked largely uncomfortable in possession, frequently giving the ball away.

While he got into good positions, it was a familiar story, where he was unable to execute the killer final pass; none of his crosses found a teammate. 5.5/10

Sander Berge

Another performance where it felt like he was everywhere, covering a lot of ground, and controlling the game from the base of midfield.

I think the only criticism is that he gets into really threatening positions but doesn't seem to either have the ability or the confidence to capitalise on those situations.

He frequently receives the ball in the half-spaces, just on the edge of the box. A scenario that is screaming out for either a smart cross, or an effort on goal. Sander tends to choose the safe option, which is usually an unthreatening pass out wide or back into midfield. The only gripe of a player who is starting win over some of his critics I think.

That being said, he notched only his second ever assist for Fulham, which is great to see. Still waiting for a goal. 8/10

Shea Charles

Silky Shea is back in town. We’ve needed a player like him for so long. He’s got a lovely balance of technical ability and physicality, bringing a much needed balance to the team.

That duality is probably best depicted by his interception in the second half, strength to hold of his man and then awareness to lay it off for Josh King, who should score. A fantastic signing. 7.5/10

Oscar Bobb

So much of our play, particularly in the first half, went through the duo of Bobb and Josh King.

His close control and balance meant he was able to deal with the way Hull congested their defensive third. He had the most touches in the opposition box and created the joint most chances.

The final moment is still eluding him, but other than a killer final ball or finish, I thought he was excellent. 7.5/10

Josh King

The best player on the pitch, again. I can’t believe how good he is at times.

On the half-turn, there really can’t be many better. It was almost like a cartoon, with Hull’s giants, dumbfounded, watching little Josh King twist them in knots before running through their legs.

His turn and ensuing cross in the second half that leads to Iwobi’s chance is elite, and was a snapshot of a player who is going right to the top.

If he buries his chance, which is the one part of his game that still needs polishing, I would be considering a perfect 10. 9/10 - man of the match

Alex Iwobi

I said last week that Iwobi polarised opinion with his performance, and I think he’s done the same this weekend.

My instinct during the game was that he was a bit sloppy, and the weakest performer of the three behind Garcia.

However, you look at the numbers - three chances created, including a delectable cross to Gonzalo Garcia, just four misplaced passes, and of course, the winning goal.

This Fulham team has gone through several evolutions since he joined, but one thing has remained constant: the importance of Alex Iwobi. 8/10

Gonzalo Garcia

The archetypal performance of a striker low on confidence. The header onto the crossbar is what will be remembered, however there was also a really poor touch following a killer ball from King, that should have seen him through on goal.

Those chances, and his general lack of contribution were the bad bits.

However, there was some good as well, most notably the really smart knock down to Iwobi in the second half. His movement is also largely good, stretching the opposition defence, but I do wish he wouldn’t drift so far wide, leaving a big hole up front.

I see a player there, but Fulham are in desperate need of a reliable front man right now, not just in the future. 5.5/10

Substitutions and manager

Tom Cairney

Oh baby. That was vintage TC. No competitive football since May, and yet, rather than taking time to adjust to the pace of the game, he made the game adjust its pace to him. The perfect three point securing cameo. 8/10 (That feels very high for 12 minutes of work, but I enjoyed it a lot.)

Ryan Sessegnon

The biggest negative of the day is undoubtedly losing Sess for three matches. I thought he was unfortunate to lose his starting spot, but it was nice to see him come on further forward, in what was the possibly the most Fulham double sub in my lifetime.

Executed his job well, dragging us up the pitch to relieve pressure. It probably is a red, but it’s a challenge made with such little malice, that it feels harsh at the same time. It’s also a stupid challenge to make, given the referee was about to blow up, so I am disappointed in him. Will be missed. 5/10

Cesar Palacios came on too late to be fairly rated.

Alvaro Arbeloa

He needed a win to save his job and he delivered. It does not remove all pressure and it certainly won’t have silenced his doubters (me being one of them), but that was a very good performance.

A totally dominant display, and if we had won it by three or four goals, as we probably should have done, the discourse would have been even more different to last week. That’s the horrible thing about being a manager, he can’t make King, Iwobi, or Garcia bury their chances, but he’s judged on outcomes directly related to those moments.

After slamming him for his subs last week, I really appreciated the fact that he waited so long to make a change in this game. I liked it because the starting 11 were in complete control and there was therefore no need to change it.

He then makes a double change that, as Jack Collins said on the Quick Take, is perhaps the safest double substitution anyone could make at Fulham, bringing on everyone's two favourite players.

The only question mark is around finishing the game with no recognised striker, which conceptually I understood, but I still think it would have made more sense to bring on Muniz. Firstly because I thought we lacked a central threat from that point, and secondly because we were already dwarfed by Hull, so bringing on Muniz at least gives you a bit more aerial strength should we have needed to defend any set pieces. I also think that with every passing game he is alienating our second choice striker more and more, which is a dangerous move given our starter isn’t scoring any goals.

I’m not going to comment on his display of appreciation towards the fans after the game, because it’s a massive can of worms and this is already a long article.

The reaction from the players at the final whistle didn’t look like a group that don’t approve of his methods, as reports suggested midweek. That gives me hope.

Positive signs, needs to back it up against Coventry. 7/10