Fulham handed Nottingham Forest their second defeat in three Premier League games as they triumphed 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
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Calvin Bassey popped up at the far post to head home a corner that was nodded on by Raul Jimenez in the 62nd minute to hand Marco Silva’s side a deserved victory.
Chris Wood had scored against the run of play to equalise for the visitors eight minutes before half-time. Fulham went ahead through Emile Smith Rowe, who arrived behind Morato to head in a delightful cross from Adama Traore to open the scoring for Fulham only 15 minutes in.
A change in shape midway through the second half saw Forest assert some control in the game but Fulham held on to register their third win from four league matches.
Forest, third with 47 points, now have Manchester City only three points behind them after their win over Newcastle United. Fulham, meanwhile, climbed up to eighth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
25 | +36 | 60 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
25 | +29 | 53 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
25 | +12 | 47 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
25 | +17 | 44 |
How the match unfolded
Fulham made a blistering start to the game as Traore got the better of Neco Williams before firing dangerous crosses into the box – one of which was headed home by Smith Rowe for the opener.
Visiting goalkeeper Matz Sels then had to make two good saves to keep out Jimenez’s efforts from distance before Wood battled Bassey and Antonee Robinson to score his 18th goal of the season with a deflected finish.
However, it was the Cottagers who were on the front foot in the second half too, as Selz was forced into another stop by Sasa Lukic before Bassey restored the hosts' lead moments later.
Callum Hudson-Odoi made Bernd Leno work with a fierce strike only minutes after being introduced on one of the rare occasions the Fulham goalkeeper was tested by Forest.
Silva’s side, on the other hand, created plenty of chances and Forest had Selz to thank for avoiding a heavier defeat, with the 'keeper also making a double save from substitutes Rodrigo Muniz and Harrison Reed in second-half stoppage time.
Fulham do the double over Forest
Fulham’s bid to secure European football has been hampered by their poor home form, having not won any of their past five Premier League matches at Craven Cottage.
But Silva said ahead of the game that Forest will have a tough task to beat a confident Fulham, and his players backed up the manager’s claims with a brilliant performance against the high-flying Forest.
Jimenez headed wide in the 12th minute before Smith Rowe’s opener three minutes later as Traore created havoc with his pace and trickery down the right-hand side.
The Mexican also produced a display that reminded of his days under Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolverhampton Wanderers with his effort from the edge of the box tipped behind by Selz at the half-hour mark while the Forest 'keeper also had to get low to save another of his strikes.
Jimenez, who also scored the winner in the 1-0 win against Forest at City Ground earlier in the season, bagged the assist for Bassey’s winner late on. Fulham's bid for European football will get a boost with Jimenez getting closer to his previous best, with Crystal Palace up next.
Another off day for Nuno’s Forest
Saturday’s visit to London provided Forest with a chance to consolidate their chances of a top-four finish with fourth-placed Chelsea losing at Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday, and Man City and Newcastle, below them, facing each other in a simultaneous kick-off.
Nuno persisted with his three-man defence that had given him the 7-0 win against Brighton in their previous outing, but the visitors were under the cosh with Fulham on the ascendancy right from kick-off.
It was one-way traffic up until the 37th minute when Wood, like he has done many times this season, gave Nuno’s side a lifeline as the score stayed level at half-time despite Fulham having 11 attempts, compared to Forest’s two.
However, a comeback did not materialise for the visitors in the second half and a shift to four at the back in the final half-hour wasn’t enough to inspire the Forest side.
Having also suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Bournemouth on 25 January, Nuno's challenge to keep his side in the top four only gets tougher with games against Newcastle and Arsenal to follow this month.
Club reports
What the managers said
Marco Silva: It was tight just in terms of score, because everything else it was not tight at all. Football can be unpredictable but it was clear today the best team on the pitch won. Until the 35th minute of the game we were leading 1-0 but it should have been 2-0 or 3-0. One team creating, one team dominant, one team controlling. We had more chances to score a third than they did to equalise."
Nuno Espirito Santo: "It was a competitive game. We tried to the end but it was not possible [to equalise again]. They played good and won the game so we have to learn and go again. I think we started the second half well but a couple of set-pieces put us down. Then it was about reacting and the boys tried hard until the end."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Fulham have won their three Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest by an aggregate score of 9-1, only against Norwich City (4/4) do the Cottagers have a better 100 per cent home win rate in the competition.
Nottingham Forest have lost two of their last three Premier League games (W1), more defeats than in their previous 10 matches in the competition (W8 D1 L1).
Fulham’s Jimenez has been directly involved in five goals (4 goals, 1 assist) in his last seven Premier League games. The Mexican had seven shots against Nottingham Forest, his most attempts without scoring in a match in the competition.
Nottingham Forest’s Wood has scored eight goals in his last seven Premier League games, while he’s reached 20 goal involvements in a single campaign in the competition for the first time (18 goals, 2 assists).
