Raul Jimenez and Alex Iwobi each scored twice as Fulham thumped Nottingham Forest 5-0, inflicting on the visitors a fourth straight Premier League defeat and increasing the pressure on head coach Steve Cooper.
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How the match unfolded
Andreas Pereira nearly opened the scoring for the hosts in the 27th minute when his free-kick hit a post, but the opening goal came just three minutes later from a fine counter-attack.
Calvin Bassey drove forward out of defence before poking a pass to Jimenez. The Mexican found Willian to the left and the Brazilian cut inside before curling a well-weighted cross to the back post, where Iwobi coolly sidefooted home from close range.
Fulham’s lead was doubled just a few minutes later with another great move. The industrious Joao Palhinha won back possession before finding Iwobi on the right. The former Arsenal man played a nice ball forward to Pereira, who found Jimenez with a cute pass inside, and the Mexican fired into the top-right corner.
The Cottagers came close to grabbing a third with seconds remaining of the opening period, Iwobi curling what would have been a stunning goal just wide from range.
Fulham started the second half with the same swagger that they finished the first, Jimenez latching onto a ball over the top of the Forest defence, outmuscling his marker and rounding Odysseas Vlachodimos before cheekily backheeling the ball into the empty net.
With 17 minutes left, Harry Wilson found Iwobi at the back post with a searching ball and the Nigerian lashed home his second of the match and Fulham’s fourth.
Tom Cairney made it five late on. Forest substitute Ryan Yates gave possession away cheaply with a loose backpass, which was intercepted by Peirera, who played Cairney through on goal to slot past Vlachodimos for his first strike of the season.
The result sees Fulham move up to 12th position with 18 points, just three points shy of West Ham United in 9th who they play on Saturday. Meanwhile, Forest's fourth defeat in a row sees them slip down the table into 16th with 13 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
Next five Premier League fixtures
Did you know?
Willian made his 300th Premier League appearance tonight, becoming the first Brazilian player to reach this landmark. The Fulham man marked this achievement by providing an assist, his first of the season.
Raúl Jiménez has now scored three goals in his in last four Premier League appearances, the same amount as he managed in his previous 47. His brace tonight was his third in the Premier League overall and his first since January 2020.
Fulham have now scored 3+ goals in three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time (3 v Wolves, 3 v Aston Villa & 5 v Forest).
Morgan Gibbs-White came off the bench to make his 50th Premier League appearance for Nottingham Forest, becoming the 15th player to hit a half-century of appearances in the Premier League for the club and the first since Chris Bart-Williams in September 1998.
