Player Ratings: Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Fulham (4-5 on penalties)

The player ratings are in after Fulham avoided a League Cup giant-killing.

Fulham made it five 90 minute games in a row without victory after having to come from behind to force penalties against League One Wycombe. Thankfully the heroics of Benjamin Lecomte in particular saved the Whites on what could have easily been an embarrassing evening for Marco Silva and his side. Nevertheless, we are quarter-final bound in a cup for the fourth consecutive season, but there are far more negatives to speak of than positives.

Benjamin Lecomte

A quiet 90 minutes as you would expect for a goalkeeper playing for a side dominant on the ball against lower league opposition. Lecomte got a finger to Woodrow’s long range goal but couldn’t prevent it and generally looked on the ball. His heroics in the shootout were vital to us avoiding a huge shock. Saving three from seven is extremely impressive, especially with the manor of the saves, and would never have happened a year ago had Steven Benda been between the sticks. For the penalties performance alone, he deserves huge praise and a high score. 7.5/10.

Timothy Castagne

Goodness me, normally fringe players use this sort of game to prove their qualities but I just did not see it here. He looked as much of a passenger as he does in Premier League games and there was a couple of counter attacks where he was caught out of position worryingly. Some of his first half crosses were shockingly bad and overhit, showing maybe Silva is right to not allow him to cross the halfway line in league games. 4.5/10.

Issa Diop

Just strolled it defensively and looked quite comfortably a level above his opponents when called upon, especially in the air where it looked like a man against boys with those aerial duals. Didn’t feel like the diagonal passes he was playing really ever came off, statistically proven with one completed from six, but that was good defending by Jack Grimmer on most occasions more than anything. His winning penalty was outstanding, and showed others who had missed how to take a penalty kick. Top corner, bosh. 7/10.

Jorge Cuenca

Felt quite harsh that he was subbed off at half time to facilitate more width at full back but maybe that’s Silva looking forward to the weekend’s game against Wolves. Made a really important defensive clearance from Wycombe’s first attack, clearing a ball over the bar that was struck dangerously across our six yard box. Looked a level above Wycombe’s squad in possession, never looking remotely stressed on the ball. 6.5/10.

Calvin Bassey

Don’t think he played well at left-back at all. Onyeminma stood him up on multiple occasions and got past him on the outside without breaking much of a sweat. Looked fare more comfortable on the left side of the centre back pairing but the confidence on the ball just isn’t there. There’s so much hesitation and more of a reliance on going backwards, it’s just not how he plays football and it’s hard to watch. 5.5/10.

Harrison Reed

Sander Berge should really watch the 70 minutes Reed played here and understand what Fulham need from their number six in most games. Every time Wycombe had the ball centrally or around the halfway line, he was there in seconds with a strong, energetic tackle. Any time he picked the ball up from deep, he progressed it forward, whether it be through a pass or a dribble. So much of what Berge is missing in his game of late was what Reed offered here. Lower league opposition yes, but I was mightily impressed. 7.5/10 – man of the match.

Tom Cairney

Good but not spectacular. Obviously he doesn’t pick where he plays but it feels like in games against lower league opposition, Cairney’s skillset could still be utilised well in the number 10 position rather than from deep. He had a couple of good efforts arriving at the edge of the box. One in the first half went narrowly wide, another in the second half was tipped over the bar. 6/10.

Adama Traore

I’m getting really wound up with how badly the fanbase scapegoat Adama. His end product is constantly shot down and yet our best chances when he plays often come from his crossing abilities which have massively improved on both feet over the last 18 months. His penalty in the shootout was taken with incredible conviction into the top left corner, proving many worried doubters wrong. His first half delivery to set up Raul was especially superb. 6.5/10.

Josh King

Genuinely don’t think there’s a better player in the Premier League on the half-turn. The amount of time he turns transitions in our favour or creates a shooting opportunity around the box from that singular piece of skill for such a young lad is insane. Cracking finish for his first senior goal but actually thought his end product was quite poor throughout. Quite often he took one touch too many and should’ve scored in the last minute of normal time but dragged one wide. Did love his Stef-Jo inspired challenge for his yellow card, it must be said. 7.5/10.

Kevin

I mean, it wasn’t perfect, but Kevin couldn’t have done more to try and win this game for Fulham. Seven shots, three on target, five key passes, four completed dribbles and two free kicks won, incredible numbers effort wise. The finishing left a little to be desired, with a couple of easy saves for the Wycombe keeper and a strike in the 94^th minute that should have won the game with a bit more conviction. Definitely more disciplined now in the way he’s playing, just need some better end product. Took a nice penalty in the shootout, especially after a dodgy stuttered run-up. 7/10.

Raul Jimenez

Bar a couple of deadweight headers in the first half that comfortably found the hands of Wycombe’s goalkeeper Norris, Raul didn’t really play much of a part in this one. The lack of intensity on and off the ball made him look tired and lethargic and the way he called to come off with 15 to play maybe suggests a knock was picked up. 5.5/10

Substitutes

Ryan Sessegnon

Played the second half on the left side of defence and instantly started pushing us forward 10 yards further than Bassey was and helped offer additional width on the left hand side with Kevin. Still not sure about him being the man we utilise long throws with and his penalty miss in the shootout wasn’t great but in open play he made a very positive contribution. 6.5/10.

Alex Iwobi

Came on for half an hour for TC in the middle of midfield and again looked promising in that role. He looks to have so much more creative freedom from the middle and looks to create angles that are harder for him to find from wider positions. Some of the passes he played in behind or between the lines were amazing and to have four key passes in just a sub cameo shows that. Really want to see more of Iwobi in that role next to one of Berge or Lukic. We’ll ignore how lucky he was to see his penalty cannon in off of Norris’ wrist. 7.5/10.

Sasa Lukic

Didn’t think he ever really got up to the pace of the game and losing Reed’s intensity for that final 20 minutes negatively impacted us. A couple of passes looked especially loose and he looked a tad lazy out of possession. Made up for it with a cracking low penalty to kick us off in the shootout. 6/10.

Jonah Kusi-Asare

No lack of effort in his twenty minute cameo in place of Raul. Reminded me of a raw, young Muniz in the way that there was a lot of throwing himself around in the air and trying to find good number nine positions, just not with any chances on the ball to make a difference in the final third. Shocking penalty in the shootout, but he never looked confident taking one and his run-up almost told the keeper exactly where he was going. 6/10.

Marco Silva

Genuinely worrying that the big concerns over Silva’s side in league football corresponded to a cup fixture against third tier Wycombe. Another game without a clean sheet. Another game where too much of our play is slow and in our own half. Another game where the attacking players show such little cohesion or conviction in the opposition’s half. The Sessegnon substitution did benefit us, but that’s as far as I can go in terms of praising the boss. I want so badly for him to change my mind, and let’s not pretend that four cup quarter-finals in consecutive seasons isn’t a good achievement, but things feel so stale and I’m not so sure he can turn that tide just now. This performance was borderline embarrassing. 3/10.