Wilson to the rescue as superb free-kick earns Fulham comeback win

Brighton beaten 2-1 by second half goals from Chukwueze and Wilson at the Cottage

Is there a better player at Craven Cottage right now than our number 8? There has seldom been a game this season untouched by the marvellous feet of Harry Wilson, who has once again inspired Fulham to a victory in the Premier League with his talents. Today’s heroics, a stoppage-time free kick scored to give Fulham a comeback over a promising Brighton performance, give Marco Silva yet another reason to cherish his maestro, as the team continue picking up points in 2026. We’ve often said our club lack the “superstar” in attack to deliver goals from nothing - Wilson might just be the man that earns the title through his efforts this season.

First Half

A slow start to the game wasn’t too great a surprise - Brighton, like us, are a side content to play the long game, happy to work through phases of the game patiently, and subsequently weren’t deterred by our early passing moves. We had the brighter start of the two, easing through the opening minutes and settling into a decent rhythm. The return of Iwobi contributed to this - he gelled nicely with the team and contributed to several passing sequences.

This didn’t really produce a flurry of chances, though. 20 minutes of Fulham being the “better side” only concretely delivered one major opportunity. A smart run from Wilson let him dagger through their team, driving menacingly into the box. He slipped it through to Jimenez, the poacher wiggling away from Dunk to get into shooting distance, but slammed his shot into Verbruggen, who denied Raul a goal. Beyond this, it was slim pickings. The build-up play was decent, a few clever long balls from Robinson letting our wingers surge forward, but Kevin’s run was diverted out for a corner by van Hecke and Wilson couldn’t put a decent ball into the box when he managed to escape Boscagli. Cuenca’s header from one of the Welshman’s few successful deliveries flew comfortably over, and a Castagne cross from the right led to a volley from Jimenez fired straight into van Hecke.

Raul’s volley seemingly marked the end of our energy and presence in the game. Whilst we weren’t dominant, we’d played confidently and been the more productive side in the opening phase of the half - yet Brighton, without having to do too much, had their opener by the 30 minute mark. Mitoma and Groß had their eye on Castagne and had thrown a few runs down Brighton’s left to try and advantage our right-back. These probes were dangerous, and we failed to read the looming danger. Passes between Mitoma and Boscagli worked it to Ayari, who cruised between the languid covering of Wilson and Iwobi and moved into position. His shot was fierce, a missile that flew into the top left corner of the goal. Some will argue Leno should have stopped it, and his hands certainly were soft, but softer was the ease in which Brighton, the second-best side for a good stretch of time, were able to move into our territory and take the lead.

The rest of the half was Brighton’s to toy with Fulham in. Ayari’s goal had the weight of ten, dragging our legs to the floor and killing any energy for attack in the process. We almost conceded straight away, a Dunk pass over the top finding Mitoma completely unopposed on our right. He needled into the box and drilled a shot goalwards, needing a strong leg from Leno to save. The German’s fine block didn’t end the danger though - Gomez had tracked the ball and headed it down towards the open net. Thankfully Castagne, caught out by Mitoma’s initial chance, had made it back to the box to deny the chance on the goalline, sparing Fulham’s blushes.

It was a troubled watch for us. The effect of Brighton, tails lifted, passing nice triangles all over the pitch, shattered the fluidity of our game, as our composure on the ball dissipated entirely. Some really hideous passes from Castagne and Robinson meant we continually gave Brighton easy options to keep themselves in charge of game. These nerves rebounded around the team - a tame volley from Baleba turned into a panicked push wide from Leno, trying to prevent a corner. The keeper being off his line gave Groß a chance to curl the ball in from a tight angle, needing Berge to head it away. Such interventions were crucial - Baleba devoured anything in the middle, and the advancement of Brighton’s team into our half meant the ball bounced around our final third continuously. By the time our lacklustre ripostes managed to must up a chance (which even then was just Dunk making a slightly risky chested-deflection from a Iwobi ball into the box) the half had ended, and Brighton maintained their lead.

Second Half

At least Fulham had the energy conserved to make a charge on Brighton’s advantage? We started the second half with gusto, Wilson fizzing off the right and drilling a deflected shot at goal for Verbruggen to stop. Unfortunately our defending was still vulnerable to Brighton’s smart play, and the second they had the ball back the pressure switched back to our half. Our midfield was faltering, and defensively too many mistakes let attackers access our final third - Robinson was the greatest offender here, his radar completely switched off to the game around him. Cuenca was busy here, blocking a shot pumped into him by an advanced van Hecke and repelling some dangerous crosses from Groß. The two he couldn’t reach should have been converted by Dunk - one flew wide, and Groß’s quick pass back into the box saw a Dunk smack a header off Gomez and out of play.

Fulham tried to turn up the tempo. Jimenez, who had grafted around the pitch to some effect, worked a nice ball from the wings to Wilson, who in turn gave Iwobi the pass in a patch of space in front of goal. He could only put his effort into Dunk though, and again the clear shooting chances eluded us in the box. Kevin, deprived of the ball for much of the first half, tried to muster up some energy of his own, using his pace to take on Kadioglu - a long pass from Leno flew over the pitch and almost worked to the Brazilian’s favour, but Verbruggen was well-placed to stop his touch earning an equaliser.

Yet these forays forward left us vulnerable at the back. A quick set of passes let Groß work Mitoma through on the left, miles ahead of Castagne and with a clear route to Leno’s goal ahead of him. Bursting into the box, he had the chance to double the lead, yet chose to try and find Welbeck, dragging a heavy cross to the touchline. Our defence was panicked and depleted though, and Brighton worked it around again - through Kadioglu’s cross, the ball swung from the right into the box, finding the Japan international lurking in its left-zone. He headed it across, which this time found Welbeck successfully, but the striker couldn’t steer it goalwards, and Brighton’s chance to double the lead was blown.

Silva had seen enough, and made the first changes of the game to try and swing things our way. Kevin was a little unfortunate to be the man withdrawn, Chukwueze making his first bout since AFCON - Robinson could have no complaints, having been a liability for much of the match, and Sessegnon took over on the left. It was a bold change, introducing a new approach for our left, and signalled our intent to rescue the match in the attacking energy added. Long balls were a potent strategy, Cuenca playing a killer ball to Wilson on the right on one such occasion. Yet Brighton still stood firm - Baleba was playing well, hoovering up chances with diligence in the centre, denying our somewhat slicker passing the chance to carve a way directly into the goal and creating counter-attacks in the process. It let them play long balls of their own - Dunk lifted it over our team to Kadioglu, needing some alert tracking back from Sess to put it out for a corner. Another intervention set Welbeck away, the striker dispossessing Berge and cruising through our midfield, before being pulled down by Berge to terminate the move.

Once again, Brighton had withstood our offensive turn, shifting the game back into our half with their smart play. We were struggling to keep things coherent on the ball, and found ourselves never more than a few Brighton passes away from an opportunity for the visitors. Ayari tried to replicate his long-ranged shot in the first half following an Iwobi clearance, but lifted his ball over the bar. This signalled the second major change - Smith Rowe, who had been removed from the action entirely, departed for Tom Cairney, with the hope of consolidating some possession and turning the game our way.

Was it a coincidence that our goal came shortly afterwards? Brighton didn’t appear deterred initially, and continued purring around our half with menace. It was the other, earlier change that had made the key difference. Chukwueze had the vision to spot Andersen’s long ball forward, placed on the right wing to meet his bending pass, and strode past a stumbling Boscagli, pacing into the box. He took a single touch, placed himself in the right trajectory and then had the precision to slot the ball under Verbruggen from a tight angle. 1-1, and what a way to lift home spirits by the returning man.

If the game had started as neat passing sequences and limited chances, the next few minutes ensured this theme was over entirely. Quickly dispossessing Brighton, Fulham moved the ball through a wide-right Jimenez and Wilson cutting inside to find Cairney in the box. He had time, and the lead in his eyes - but Dunk, heroically sliding into his path, let the ball thump into his chest. Kadioglu’s clearance was timely, and it fell straight to Welbeck, ever alert to an attacking opportunity. He collected it really nicely, and fed the effervescent Mitoma, who skipped past Castagne’s missed tackle and glided through our depleted team. He contorted Andersen and slipped the ball through Welbeck, wrongfooting Cuenca and leaving the striker the time away from a trailing Sess to pass the ball through a downed Leno’s open legs. From elation to disaster - Brighton had their lead restored.

Yet VAR, so often the bane of our existence, came to the rescue. A hilariously tight offside was discovered - Welbeck’s right arm took him ahead of the line, and his excellent finish was scrubbed from the history books by the tightest of margins. The game was basketball for a few minutes - Chukwueze, still enjoying a stretch challenging Boscagli on the right wing, gave it to Jimenez in space, again intelligently positioned away from the backline, but he couldn’t control his touch and the shot dribbled wide of goal. Brighton had another riposte, working the ball to the left for Groß to swing into the box - Welbeck, seeking his goal back, leapt stupendously into the air, evading Cuenca and meeting the ball with fine contact, but his header was too central, and Leno thrust his hand into the air to parry it over the bar. Dunk’s header also found his arms, via van Hecke’s deflection, and equity remained.

The game was starting to tire Brighton’s players, and at the 81st minute Fabian Hurzeler made his first changes. But this had an adverse effect on his team. Gomez, whilst far from the flashiest player, had worked hard across the pitch at both ends to support Kadioglu, and Baleba’s interventions and graft kept Brighton ticking on and off the ball. Minteh was solely based in attack, and Milner, whilst a respectable veteran (and very close to breaking the PL record) doesn’t come close to his teammate’s intensity. This was compounded with the next set of substitutions the Brighton manager made - a triple sub removing Groß, Welbeck and Boscagli for De Cuyper, Kostoulas and Rutter, removing tactical structures for extra forwards. We started to get the edge, clawing our way through more physical battles and through our own change, adding King for Iwobi, consolidating the ball in Brighton’s area.

It’s amazing what can happen in a few moments. As the game crept into additional time, Fulham moved the ball ominously around their final third, needing the strong interventions of Dunk and van Hecke. Yet the substitutes weren’t attuned to the game, yielding a run of set-pieces for us towards the end of the game. The fatal error was Kostoulas’, sliding in recklessly on King, who’d been busy putting himself about the attack with his verve and guile. We haven’t scored many free kicks across our return to the top flight - up steps Harry Wilson, fast becoming our player of the year, to put the sword to Brighton. It was a fine strike, lashed with venom and purpose, curled around the wall brilliantly and just enough to Verbruggen’s left to make the keeping error costly, as the Dutchman could only palm the effort into his own net. 2-1 to Fulham, the crowd elated, and though Brighton put the ball forward it was in vain - we took the ball off them and kept hold of it long enough to see out a comeback victory at the Cottage.

Fulham: Faltering to Fantastic

It was a flawed performance from Fulham, quite poor in many departments, but the game’s result is all that really matters, and that hinges on our good work in critical moments. Silva has coached these players well - he has a tactic that produces chances, and whilst we were poor in much of the first half there were opportunities created for the team across large stretches of the game. The long balls from Andersen and Cuenca were fantastic, and got just rewards in Chukwueze’s goal, the movement from Jimenez did unnerve Brighton on a few occasions - Verbruggen did well to stop his effort in the first half - and by working the ball purposefully late into the game we earnt a late free kick that Wilson delectably scored.

If we’re being slightly harsher, we could argue the game was lost by Brighton more than won by Fulham, as Verbruggen could have stopped the shot, and Welbeck being a fraction earlier with his run gives them a goal to reverse the scoreline. This is silly though, and it could just have easily been Leno’s hands being a little stronger in the first half to deny Brighton a goal whatsoever! You have to look at the broader picture - whilst last minute winners can signal an element of fortune, they also are a staple of football, the reason we love the sport. Fulham worked hard across the game against a good opponent, one that consistently plays well against us, and we had the magic from two talismanic players to reverse their lead in entirety. Wilson and Chukwueze need to be in this team - even on a day where the Welshman was a little wayward at times, they are the players that make the sparks fly, and produce game-changing moments like today.

Jimenez I thought worked incredibly hard today and was very important in tiring out Brighton, popping up all over the attack (and defence!) and eating away at the stamina of their backline. Kevin did this too, and perhaps won’t get the credit given the exploits of the other wingers, but he was part of the second-half attacks that kickstarted our recovery in the game, and laid the groundwork for his teammates’ heroics later on. I liked seeing Iwobi back, as I think he had the stamina and versatility to be important at the start and end of a game in a way Lukic might have struggled, moving around to fit the changing personnel of the XI. Sess too was important, and it’s interesting to see him outclass Robinson in attack and defence over the 90 - hopefully this will give Antonee the motivation to restore his focus after today’s wobbles. On a lower rung, I thought Berge needed a bit of a kickstart after a slow first half, and Smith Rowe barely featured in the action at all.

Defensively we were quite shaky. Robinson, as has been said already, had a really poor game - whilst there were some nice passes early on, the man was a loose cannon for much of the match, barely able to string a pass together in his worst moments. If he had a sterner opponent than Gomez, he’d be in our focus more - instead my eyes turn to Castagne, who was blown to pieces by Mitoma on numerous occasions and looked out of his depth at the back again. You watch him start the game in an alright fashion and think he’ll manage to settle the flank down for a game, only for everything to implode and Brighton to have the luxury of a wing to themselves for over an hour. A wretched display, unfortunately. Cuenca was attuned to a lot of the balls coming into the box and probably nudges ahead of Andersen today, who did improve but had some nervy moments against Welbeck over the course of the game. If anything is positive, though, Leno amended his weak attempt to stop Ayari’s goal with some fine saves, showcasing his talents as a keeper and reminding us of why he is an automatic starter.

Mid-table troubles for Hurzeler

What about the visitors? I thought Brighton were very good, as they often are against us, and could easily have scored more than the one they did. As always they were easy on the eye, played progressive and encouraging football and never seemed to give up on the pursuit of the win, which is the sort of football that leads to promising things in the Premier League. They’ve had several managers play this style of football now and it’s not an unhealthy place to be - despite the result, much is well on the South Coast.

Buying Groß back from Dortmund looks a great move - he was everywhere, keeping possession effectively and linking nicely with Mitoma on the left to give Brighton the attacking drive in the game. Germany should consider him for their World Cup squad if this calibre of football continues from the midfielder. Ayari too had a good game, a fine strike complementing some nice positional play, and with Baleba as the deeper option the midfield were a good force across the match, particularly with Kadioglu and van Hecke stepping forward to supplement their passing options. Mitoma was a menace and made their left flank a pain to try and defend against, and Welbeck continues his evergreen existence as a marauding forward. It is no wonder his teammates have sung his praises across all his clubs.

Of course, they did lose, which suggests a few flaws in their team. The finishing, Ayari’s long-range effort aside, could have been sharper - Leno did well to stop a few of them but the abundance of chances created along the wings needed more venom to press home Brighton’s advantage. This meant that the second problem, the drop-off when Brighton ran out of energy and the substitutes couldn’t match it, was felt to a more severe degree. I also think Hurzeler got his changes wrong - the team lost their coherency at exactly the wrong time, as key men like Baleba left for aging veterans like Milner or nervy youngsters, one of whom conceded the free-kick that we won the game with. If they want to get back into Europe, the poor match management will have to be amended.

On that topic, Fulham find themselves on 34 points, incredibly just two away from the Champions League (which, if English sides continue to do well in Europe, may yield an extra slot to aim for). It’s almost fantastical to speak about trips to Barcelona, Milan and Munich just yet, but the truth of this bizarre season is that we sit near the top of a congested mid-table, where no sides, including the conventional big ones, have managed to pull away entirely. With our Nigerian contingent back, injuries clearing up and form looking good, there’s a real opportunity for Silva and the club to do something truly special. It’ll take a lot of work, and certainly need a little more than last-minute Wilson freekicks to be realised, but the dream of a return to Europe is not impossible, and if the players keep that in mind a whole lot is possible this year!