Aston Villa secured an important 3-1 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage, taking full advantage of their opponents playing with 10 men for most of the match. The win added to Fulham’s woes, as they suffered their second consecutive loss after previously falling to Manchester City.
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, both of whom recently returned from a traumatic experience in Libya, were included in Fulham’s starting lineup. However, they failed to make an impact, contributing to the disappointing result for their team.
Fulham, under the guidance of head coach Marco Silva, were eager to bounce back after their 3-2 loss to Manchester City before the international break. Silva made one notable change to the lineup, with Emile Smith Rowe replacing the injured Sasa Lukic, who was out due to a shoulder injury picked up on international duty.
Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, entered the game with confidence, having made three changes to their lineup after a goalless draw with Manchester United in their previous outing.
Fulham started brightly and took an early lead in the seventh minute. A long clearance from goalkeeper Bernd Leno found Raul Jimenez, who showed great strength to shrug off Diego Carlos before powering the ball into the net. This goal gave Fulham hope of a positive result at home.
However, Aston Villa responded quickly. Just moments after the restart, Morgan Rogers made a surging run and unleashed a shot from distance. The ball deflected off Fulham defender Calvin Bassey and ended up in the back of the net, leveling the score at 1-1.
In the second half, Villa dominated possession and kept Fulham pinned in their own half. They took the lead 14 minutes after the restart when Ollie Watkins met a corner kick and headed the ball off the post and into the goal. Fulham’s defense struggled to cope with the pressure, and Aston Villa soon added a third goal. A harmless cross from Villa’s Lucas Digne was turned into Fulham’s net by Issa Diop, making it 3-1.
Fulham’s efforts to get back into the game were made even more difficult when they were reduced to 10 men, and despite trying to rally, they couldn’t close the gap.
