Positives and negatives: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Fulham
Tuesday night presented a big opportunity for the Fulham boys to bounce back after what was frankly a dire performance against Crystal Palace. After a ferocious opening to the match saw us take the lead within the first minute, we found ourselves pinned back with Wolves equalising by overloading the box too easily. In another sharp start to a half Fulham’s clinical kick offs saw us take the lead again, this time sealing the deal to clinch all three points and reignite that glimmer of hope for European football.
Positives
Sess’s scintillating start
Our homegrown talent Ryan Sessegnon marked the first minute of his first start of the season with a well-worked goal reminiscent of his peak in our promotion-winning Championship campaign back in 2017/18, a period we’ve always looked back to fondly in the hope that he can recapture that magic. The move, held up finely by Rodrigo Muniz and played directly to the feet of Andreas Pereira to set up Sess out on the left wing was clinical, and Ryan showed he’s still got an abundance of pace and finishing to get the job done.
A great reward for his work rate across the season and hopefully the first of many more if he’s given the time he needs on the pitch. Is anyone else desperate to see him play in a more advanced role so he drops the defensive play and pushes forward with runs like we saw today? I think there’s a lot of potential there if he’s given the chance to play in a more creative position. He hasn’t got the strength of most defenders or the pace of Antonee Robinson, but boy does he have an eye for positioning and can make great runs when needed to get the job done. I want to see more.
Money Muniz
Speaking of rare Premier League starts, Rodrigo Muniz repaid Marco Silva’s faith in him with an audacious chip that made José Sá look like he never left the changing room. A solid through ball by former Wolves man Adama Traore picked out another powerful direct run, this time from our Brazilian forward who will be making a case to take a starting spot in this Fulham squad.
I still think Raúl Jiménez is our main man for the remainder of this season, but Muniz is looking more than ready and may be the man to lead the line in our next campaign. Despite some moments of holding play not quite working out, the lay-off for Pereira to set up the first goal was mighty fine too, capping this off overall as a very strong performance from Muniz. We all love his endless enthusiasm and big smile too, and he reeled in the celebrations like a big kid. It’s well deserved – and don’t be surprised if he makes the cut and starts against Manchester United.
Rapid reactions
It would have been easy for this team to hang their heads after that performance last Saturday and lose motivation. It would have been easier to let Wolves continue bombarding us after the equaliser and try to soak up the pressure. But the reaction from the lads in this match was first class. In an opposite display from the weekend, the boys channelled their killer instincts and were clinical from the get-go of each half to kill the game off. This, along with shrewd defensive discipline brought those vital three points home.
The lads at the back were brilliant with Timothy Castagne putting his body on the line at the death to block the equaliser, and Joachim Andersen looking much sharper as part of that back three. But the show-stealer here was Issa Diop regaining his starting spot for the night, his strength and leadership proved far too much for Wolves on this occasion. We all felt it was harsh for Diop to lose his place as the season progressed, like many Fulham players under Silva, he’s matured like a fine wine and become a real asset. Sure there were times where Matheus Cunha was a handful and got the better of him, and of most players around the pitch, but ultimately he never made it through and was kept from scoring, which is another great achievement, halting an in-form striker with the world at his feet.
Negatives
Raul haunted by his ex
As a number one member of the Raul fanclub, tonight was a tough one to watch. The decision to start Muniz on this occasion was completely justified, given the short turnaround time since the Palace game, and Rodrigo’s excellent performance producing match-winning results. Sadly for Raul, the opposite was true, and tonight was a match to forget, even if it was just off the bench.
The two or three chances that fell to him were sadly wasteful, which you feel on any other day he would bury given the chance. The Mexican’s shot proceeding the one-on-one with Jose Sa, gravitated towards the keeper’s chest far too easily, it was a real surprise and I genuinely think the occasion got into his head. He has so many strong ties to Wolves and emotional memories, good and bad. I can’t help but feel this perhaps played a part in his appearance tonight, whether consciously or not. For me, Muniz starts against Man United. Raul can come back in for Brighton and hopefully puts that outing to bed with a winning goal that propels us above the Seagulls.
Lukic parks on the double yellows
Like so many other Fulham players, Saša Lukić started life at Fulham underrated and underperforming in the eyes of most Fulham fans, compared to the show-stealing tackles of one João Palhinha that led to jubilant applause when he ripped into an opposition player’s legs to break up the play. All the while Saša was slowly building up confidence in English football, confidence, and discipline, rapidly learning the importance of positioning and retaining possession to progress play as well as breaking play up when needed.
All of that hard work has shone through and now it’s hard to not imagine him in the heart of this Fulham midfield. As is apparent with many defensive midfielders, he’s stacked up double figures in yellows, and this tenth unwanted card brandished against him in our match with Wolves means that he now faces a two match ban. With the likes of Tom Cairney and Emile Smith Rowe potentially on the sidelines, it leaves us a little light in the centre of the park, perhaps when we need him most. Time shall tell.
The time for Fulham to prove their real worth starts now. Sitting on 42 points with 11 matches to play, these next few weeks sees us against the toughest of opposition. An environment surprisingly we seem to thrive in. It is mainly uncharted territory for Fulham fans to enjoy, and it’s certainly a luxurious position to be in; safe from relegation so early in the season, relatively speaking. Will we break our highest ever points tally? Can we edge into that final European spot? It has the potential to be as low as eighth place this season. Or will we finish the season averagely in the standards of Marco Silva’s tenure with us in the Premier League. What a great position to be in, nine points from our last four matches and the fifth round of the FA Cup on the weekend. Time for the Red Devils to be served some hellish revenge.
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