Fulham v Leicester, 2024/25

Another former Arsenal player – Smith Rowe, a summer signing from the Gunners – opened his Fulham account when he broke the deadlock in the 18th minute.

Wout Faes headed home an equaliser before half-time, but the hosts’ dominance ultimately paid off when Iwobi raced through to finish underneath Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Leicester have one point from their opening two games, and sit 14th, three places behind Fulham in the early standings.

How the match unfolded

It was a fast start from Fulham with Hermansen forced to push wide Adama Traore’s left-footed strike before collecting Iwobi’s low shot inside the opening 10 minutes.

And Fulham were rewarded for their positive play when Traore led a swift attack and found Smith Rowe in space. The midfielder duly charged purposefully into the penalty area and struck firmly beyond Hermansen.

Despite the hosts’ impressive first-half showing, though, Leicester were able to draw level before the interval when Faes rose highest from a corner to head past Bernd Leno. The goal was initially disallowed on-field for offside, but was awarded after a VAR review.

But Fulham continued to dominate proceedings following the restart and after missed chances from Rodrigo Muniz and Kenny Tete, Iwobi made no such mistake.

Antonee Robinson’s pass found Iwobi in-behind the Leicester defence, and he cooly squeezed the ball beyond Hermansen for the winner.

Smith Rowe makes his mark

Despite an opening day defeat at Manchester United, Silva decided to name an unchanged starting line-up. That meant no debuts for new signings Sander Berge from Burnley or Joachim Andersen from Crystal Palace.

There was though a home bow for Smith Rowe, and after he was on the receiving end of a blow from Faes, he regained his footing and netted the opening goal with a confident finish.

Smith Rowe has arrived from Arsenal with lots of promise and the home faithful will have been delighted to have seen him get off the mark so early in his Fulham career.

A lack of cutting edge from then on in may concern Silva, but Iwobi ultimately came up with the goods.

The Cottagers have recruited well following the departures of some key players, and should be looking for more than just mid-table and safety this term. In the likes of Smith Rowe, they have players befitting a European charge.

Foxes come unstuck

Manager Steve Cooper also decided to keep trust in the same XI that held Tottenham to a draw on the opening weekend of the season meaning his new signings, Jordan Ayew and Oliver Skipp, also had to settle for places on the bench.

Despite being indebted to their goalkeeper and determined defending, with only Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s long-range effort testing Leno in Fulham’s goal, the Foxes stunned Craven Cottage with a surprise equaliser before half-time.

It came from a set-piece when Faes met Facundo Buonanotte’s corner, an avenue which could be key for them this season.

Jamie Vardy was in an offside position but after a VAR review, the referee decided the striker was not interfering with play and the goal was allowed to stand.

Vardy, at 37, was again tasked with leading the line but had few opportunities to test Leno as the Foxes failed to create chances all afternoon.

The introduction of Ayew with half-an-hour remaining couldn’t change their attacking fortunes as Leicester suffered their first defeat since arriving back into the Premier League.

Club reports

Fulham report | Leicester report

Match officials

Referee: Darren Bond. Assistants: Darren Cann, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Leigh Doughty. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton.