Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi grabbed the goals to secure a 2-1 win for Fulham over Leicester City at Craven Cottage.
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Iwobi’s goal 20 minutes from time on Saturday saw Marco Silva’s team clinch their first victory of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
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.
Smith Rowe's goal v Leicester
Perfect start to Cottage life. 👌 pic.twitter.com/HmsylhHBwC
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 24, 2024
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.
#FULLEI – 38’ VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) August 24, 2024
Faes’ goal was disallowed on-field due to Vardy being in an offside position and in the goalkeeper’s line of vision. The VAR recommended an on-field review and deemed Vardy wasn’t in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper. The referee… pic.twitter.com/rDylS2hpOX
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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Spurs
TOT
|
3 | +3 | 4 |
| 11 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
3 | +2 | 4 |
| 12 |
Fulham
FUL
|
3 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 |
West Ham
WHU
|
3 | -1 | 3 |
| 14 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
3 | -3 | 3 |
| 15 |
Leicester
LEI
|
3 | -2 | 1 |
Club reports
Fulham report | Leicester report
What the manager said
Marco Silva: "Very important win, and I have to say big win for us, the first home game of the season is always important. I have to say that we deserve the three points. I think the best team, in my opinion, won the game."
Steve Cooper: "I would have liked us to have made more of it, in terms of more attempts on goal, and hopefully that will come as we integrate new players and players get stronger. We’ve been punished, on both goals, for that moment where you’re not quite right tactically in the game."
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Key facts
Fulham’s Emile Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League in 32 games, 857 days since netting against Chelsea in April 2022. Indeed, against no other team has he scored more goals (2) in the competition than against the Foxes.
Leicester have lost 11 of their last 16 Premier League away games in London (W2 D3), conceding at least two goals in all 11 defeats in this run.
Rodrigo Muniz had seven shots against Leicester without scoring, the last Fulham player to have more in the Premier League without scoring was Aleksandar Mitrovic with 10 against Everton in October 2022.
Leicester’s Wout Faes has scored in two of his last three Premier League appearances, having failed to score in his first 30 in the competition beforehand.
