21 September 2024
Fulham 3 Newcastle 1
Marco Silva’s side welcomed unbeaten Newcastle to Craven Cottage. After their late win over Wolves last week, The Magpies had moved to third in the table with Eddie Howe declaring, ‘that is where we want to be, we want to win titles’. That seemed a bit like Keir Starmer declaring he planned a ‘thousand year Reich’ after taking the keys to number ten with the country falling apart around him.
After all, it is 98 years since Newcastle last won the top-flight title. The visitors thought they had made the perfect start when Willock was found down the left. He picked out Joelinton in the box, whose initial shot was saved. He drilled his follow-up into the ground and it struck the underside of the bar and went in. Sadly the referee’s assistant raised his flag as there was an offside in the build-up.
The Cottagers then made a big statement themselves. Traore picked out Jimenez in the box, who took it on his chest before turning and getting a shot away which beat Pope all ends up. It was a predatory bit of play from the striker and Craven Cottage erupted as a result. Newcastle were going through the full range of emotions in these opening exchanges in the capital.
Fulham almost doubled their lead when Iwobi fed the ball to Smith Rowe on the edge of the box. He took one touch to control it before trying to bend a shot past Pope. Having beaten the keeper, the midfielder saw his effort clip the top of the crossbar as it went over. Silva’s side were growing in confidence as a result of Jimenez’s goal.
The Magpies were playing narrowly in defence and giving Fulham’s wingers all the space they wanted out wide. Iwobi made another run towards goal before feeding it into the path of Smith Rowe. The former Arsenal man poked his shot past Pope to double their lead, who really should have done better with the effort. The hosts were in full flow now and Newcastle did not seem to have an answer.
Traore then used his pace to tease Burn. He fired off a shot at the near post but on this occasion, Pope saved with an outstretched leg. Moments later, Andersen looked to score his first goal for his new team as he struck a shot from some distance. The Magpies’ keeper watched it all the way and palmed his effort clear. At this stage, Newcastle needed the interval like a boxer whose legs had gone praying for that bell.
Eddie Howe’s words at half-time seemed to do the trick. Just twenty-six seconds after the break Barnes cut inside and bent one past Leno to halve the deficit. In one moment of brilliance he managed silence the home fans. It was a calm finish by the former Leicester man as he gave The Magpies some hope of getting something from their trip to West London.
The hosts were not done by any stretch of the imagination. They piled forward once again and Traore clipped a cross into the box. Iwobi met it on the volley and could not believe how the Newcastle keeper had kept his effort out. The replay showed it struck his thigh before ricocheting wide of the target. Marco Silva looked concerned on the touchline at this stage.
Gordon then had a big chance to draw the sides level. As he ran at the Fulham defence, twisting and turning, the winger got a shot away but Leno got down well to block it. Moments later Murphy cut in from the right and went for goal but his effort fizzed over the target. The Cottagers were struggling to contain The Magpies and hold onto their slender lead.
Then came a moment of madness that went unpunished. Leno took a goal kick short to Smith Rowe, who was dispossessed in his own box. Schar had the goal at his mercy but somehow put his shot wide of the target. It was a horrendous miss by the defender. Something they may go on to rue if they were to get nothing from this game.
As the fourth official held up the board showing there would be six additional minutes, the travelling fans felt they still had time to get something out of this game. Guimaraes then tried an outlandish pass from the corner of their own half. It deflected straight into the path of Nelson in the box, completely unmarked. He drilled it past Pope to put this game to bed.
Newcastle suffered their first defeat of the season in the capital. If they play like they did today, rest assured, there will be plenty more. All too often The Magpies showed a first touch akin to Mohamed Al-Fayed and we are all seeing what happened there. It was a good win for Fulham and moved them up to ninth in the table.
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