Tribal Football

Fulham bounce back with comfortable win as Leicester continue to languish

Fabio Duarte
Fulham's Emile Smith Rowe celebrates scoring the opening goal
Fulham's Emile Smith Rowe celebrates scoring the opening goalAction Plus
Leicester City suffered a seventh consecutive Premier League (PL) defeat – the worst run of any side in the division this campaign – falling to a 2-0 loss against Fulham at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy confessed to a new low during his time in charge following their latest PL defeat to Crystal Palace.

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However, a positive start for the Foxes proved there was still life in the relegation-threatened side, as Jordan Ayew fired at Bernd Leno in the opening minutes. 

The Fulham shot-stopper had to be on high alert again soon after, with Timothy Castagne inadvertently deflecting Jamie Vardy’s cross towards his own net.

Victor Kristiansen was next to come close for the Foxes, but after skipping past a couple of white shirts, he could only bend his effort wide of the post. 

Fulham eventually grew into the contest as the first half wore on, clipping the crossbar via Alex Iwobi’s fanciful attempt before Antonee Robinson drilled a follow-up shot into the side netting. 

Visiting fans would be excused for feeling underwhelmed by the first-half performance, but any frustrations were eased by a quick restart in which Fulham broke the deadlock.

 

 

Collecting a searching pass to the back post, Harry Wilson hooked the ball back across goal for Saša Lukić, who nodded into the path of Emile Smith Rowe for a stooped headed finish. 

Despite the opener, the contest remained wide open, with Stephy Mavididi and Harry Winks each forcing stops from Leno.

 

Traore goal
Traore goalIzzy Poles / Zuma Press / Profimedia / Opta by Stats Perform

 

However, with just over 20 minutes remaining, the Cottagers landed a decisive blow as HT substitute Adama Traoré guided Wilson’s cross into the net with a cultured first-time side-foot.

That goal appeared to knock the stuffing out of Leicester, who were unfortunate not to score earlier in the match but had little in the way of a response late on, ultimately marking the fifth match in seven in which they have failed to score.

Yet another defeat leaves the Foxes 19th in the league standings, albeit just two points from safety for the time being. 

Meanwhile, Fulham’s nine-game unbeaten streak may have come to an end with a midweek defeat to West Ham United, but a fourth successive H2H win here lifts Marco Silva’s side to ninth and within touching distance of the European spots.