Results| Sunday 14/09 |
| | Liverpool |
| | Man Utd |
Player Ratings: Fulham 1-0 Leeds United
Last-gasp drama saves Silva and brings joy at Craven Cottage.
It was an admittedly underwhelming afternoon at the Cottage with a sub-par attacking display from Fulham, however the Whites emerged victorious thanks to a powerful Leeds own goal as Gabriel Gudmundsson's header put even the great Aleksander Mitrovic to shame. But in this game, we had to take the three points by hook or by crook and that's exactly what we've done. Let's analyse how our players performed in this gritty game.
Bernd Leno
So reliable and consistent, Leno stood up to every test he was faced with today and pulled off a couple of good saves alongside expected ones to control the game. 7.5/10
Kenny Tete
Absolutely brilliant today and more than justified his starting position over Timothy Castagne. On top of exuding strength and ultra-reliability, Tete made a match-saving tackle from behind to deny the Leeds forward a clear strike on goal in the Fulham box. He was also brave in another moment, winning the ball and then taking on two opposition players on the wing and beating them both until he got inevitably brought down to stop our counter attack. Textbook Tete today. 7.5/10
Joachim Andersen
Leading the side out as Captain today, while the dry display of the first hour was a bore for neutrals, for the fan of a strong defense it was great outing. Today Joachim took the reins from Bassey a little more and was heavily involved on and off the ball, with 111 touches, including 24 passes into the opposition's final third, three tackles and eight clearances as well as his usual dynamic long-passes. It's been discussed a little where the leadership lies in this Fulham squad, and today Andersen proved that he can be that strong example to the rest of the team. He's come under a fair amount of scrutiny since his return to Fulham, so today deserves all of the plaudits. 8/10 - man of the match
Calvin Bassey
Ever dynamic and reliable, Bassey was a solid unit in the heart of the Fulham defense and it's great to see him get that clean sheet. Dispossessed a couple of times on the ball, but also drew a couple of free kicks breaking out of defence. 7/10
Ryan Sessegnon
It was the same old story with today. Defensively he leaves a lot to be desired, there were a couple of moments being caught out in possession and giving away unnecessary fouls today. Going forward he was good and made an excellent headed flick on to Lukic to almost set up a great goal. Perhaps it is unfair to naturally compare him to Robinson, but you can really see the difference. With our influx of new wingers up top, I wonder what Ryan's role and playing time will be when Antonee returns. 6/10
Sander Berge
Shepherding the ball from defence to attack, Berge's 94% passing accuracy proves his reliability in high-pressure areas, and his apt curled cross from deep to set-up Muniz for his one chance on goal showed excellent vision. Did well protecting the defence. 6.5/10
Sasa Lukic
Uncharacteristically, Lukic had the least amount of touches out of any player on the pitch today despite playing the full ninety, but as always put's a shift and a half in, with ultra-reliable passing accuracy and breakdown of play in the middle of the pitch. Nearly won the game for Fulham, had he had made a cleaner contact with the attempted scissor kick from Sess's excellent flick-on. 6/10
Josh King
After his cruelly chalked off goal against our SW6 rivals in our last outing, we were all routing for Josh to come back with a fire in his belly ready to set the record straight. Today, Leeds' well-organised defensive structure meant that our overall creativity was mostly hindered particularly for the first hour, and for all the energy King provided, there wasn't too much end product today. I do wonder if we miss Andreas's physicality in the middle. 6/10
Harry Wilson
A portion of blame for a lack of creativity has to be passed onto our playmakers, and Wilson was guilty of drifting out of this game akin to Brighton away. His beautiful free kick that forced Darlow into a diving save to tip his shot over the bar was a real highlight, perhaps we can blame the international break for the energy levels. Got stuck in off the ball and won back possession on three occasions, just wanted a little more action on the ball. 6.5/10
Alex Iwobi
It was one of those games for Iwobi today. I'm all for crediting Leeds for their excellent defense, however Alex didn't register a single shot or create one chance today. He had a slightly higher defensive involvement than usual and perhaps that draws back to having Sess behind him over Robinson who offers much more athleticism. 6/10
Rodrigo Muniz
Good showing from Muniz who wasn't given too much to play with up top. He consistently drew the opposition into fouls with physical confrontations all over the pitch, and his one chance was headed goalward but comfortably saved. Would Raul have provided more movement and link play? I think we need to stay patient with this one. 7/10
Substitutes
Emile Smith Rowe 60' (Subbed on for Josh King)
Once again ESR looked like he could be the key to unlocking the opposition's defence today with some great play, which included a chance to win the game with an astute strike inside the box at a tight angle to force the keeper to tip it onto the post. Incredible to see Emile being kept out of the starting line up by Josh King but if it keep both of them at the top of their game then long may it last. 7/10
Adama Traore 60' (Subbed on for Harry Wilson)
Adama hasn't taken off this season with the same impact as last year. You could see him trying to be dynamic, but often it led to a mis-placed cross, pass or dispossession. This didn't feel like the game for him to make something happen with a well-organised Leeds defense. 5.5/10
Kevin 75' (Subbed on for Alex Iwobi)
It was the moment we'd all been waiting for. The record-signing answer to our transfer window woes, and he didn't disappoint. Dynamic, skillful and pacey, Kevin had an aura about him that everything he touched turned to gold. A massive reason for Fulham Fans to get excited! His slick wing-play and confidence was undeniably impressive and his strike from outside of the box that forced Karl Darlow into a diving save to tip the curling shot over the bar gave fans a window to see how lethal our new Brazilian winger is. Pumped. 7.5/10
Tom Cairney (On for Sander Berge) Raul Jiménez 84' (On for Rodrigo Muniz)
Neither were on the pitch long enough to have an impact worth rating. Raul threw himself around a lot to little success and Cairney linked a couple of passages of play.
Marco Silva
If I'm brutally honest, I think Marco Silva was saved a lot of questions today with a colossal stroke of luck at the death. The first 60 minutes was one of the most un-creative displays I've seen as we failed to register a single shot in the first half, which is poor considering our opposition, despite their good defensive record. The substitutions he made were very encouraging and Kevin and ESR worked wonders to apply the pressure until Leeds ultimately cracked. After seeing displays such as Southampton and Ipswich at home last season, this was very much set to go the same way with lessons not learned. But we absolutely deserve a stroke of good luck and we'll take it and lay credit to Silva for the increased pressure he applied with the changes and intensity we eventually displayed. 6/10
https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/player-ratings-fulham-1-0-leeds-united
Fulham convinced they've signed genuine superstar who'll take Premier League by storm
Fulham hope Kevin could go down as one of their best bargains of their Premier League era – despite commanding a club-record £34.6million fee.
The 22-year-old made his debut from the bench in Saturday's 1-0 win over Leeds United and immediately impressed, helping inspire the late breakthrough.
Teammates have already been struck by his skill and technical ability, and there is growing confidence that the club's persistence in chasing him all summer is about to pay off.
TEAMtalk understands that Shakhtar Donetsk played hardball throughout negotiations, demanding around £43m, but Fulham refused to cave in.
At one stage it looked like they were running out of time but, in the end, strong work from recruitment staff proved decisive as they sealed a deal before deadline.
They held their nerve and managed to secure him for under £35m. We understand it was seen internally as a great value deal for Fulham.
They still ended up breaking their transfer record, but behind the scenes they are convinced it will prove money well spent.
The plan was always to ease him into action, but sources suggest he could now be handed a full debut in the next home match against Brentford – the stage where he may truly announce himself to the Premier League.
https://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/fulham-convinced-signed-genuine-superstar-who-will-take-premier-league-by-storm
Jack and Loz at Kevin's Debut - Blog 315
Date: 13th Kevtember 2025
Opposition: Leeds United
Score: 1-0
Goal scorer: OG (but Kevin was nearby)
Weather: sunshine and very Keavy showers
Atmosphere: Keavenly
MOTM: we all know who Fulham's MOTM will be for the next 34 games but on Saturday our stand-out player for the whole game was Joachim Andersen. Maybe it's because he is (deservedly) captain again or just because of his ruthless haircut but Joa is back to the dominant standard he set 5 years ago. He's turned his long diagonal passes into an art form but he's not afraid of a defender's dirty work or the demands of leadership.
Moment of the Match: this is one we'll remember for a long time. We'd waited all summer and Marco made us wait a bit more. We watched Kevin warm up; we sang "We want Kevin on" and eventually we got our wish. On 76 minutes, our Samba dancer shimmied onto the pitch and the rest was, and will be, history
Lunch: Pret
Post match drinks: the Riverside
More post match drinks: Riverside Studios
Dinner: Wagamama
There's been a lot to talk about in the last fortnight even though Fulham haven't played - the fall-out from the Robbery at the Bridge, Josh's wrongly disallowed goal being voted Goal of the Month by a landslide, the TC10 film, the stress of deadline day and the tantalising arrival of three new players.
Pre-game, there was still a lot to talk about - how would the post-international break hangover hit us this time? What new hell would VAR deliver? Which of our shiny new players would we see? Would playing a newly promoted team be a banana skin?
During the first half, there was nothing to talk about. Watching Kevin warming up was literally the most exciting event. Post-break Fulham were slow, flat and a little shaky. We couldn't impose ourselves on the game. Andersen and Tete were strong but the midfield couldn't control the game and the attackers couldn't control the ball.
Leeds were no better so it was end to end stuff with no end product.
Surely, we said at half time as the Hammy End PA system made Steve Sidwell sound like he was talking from outer-space, Kevin would be subbed on at the start of the second half. And Adama. And Raúl. A major shake-up was needed.
But, no. Our Genius kept his power dry (something that only a genius could do in the torrential rain that heralded the start of the second half) and play proceeded as before - slowly, stutteringly and with no creativity. Did we really need both Lukić and Berge? Wasn't it a Single Pivot kind of game? Harry Wilson's shot from a free kick was well taken but well saved and the resulting corner was wasted.
"Bring Kevin On," sang the fans, but Marco ignored us, bringing on Adama and ESR instead. It wasn't quite what we wanted but it worked well. Josh King had been unusually anonymous while Emile threw himself into the action. We'd like to see a lot more of this combative attitude this season. Hopefully no longer being the newbie, no longer having "most expensive signing" hanging around his neck will take the pressure off Emile and allow him to shine.
Emile had a shot saved early on, before he was flagged off-side. He should have done better but at least it spared us from another disallowed goal.
Adama was his usual fast, scary and wayward self but he was exactly what was needed to stretch the game; but Kevin was still warming up.
"We want Kevin on," demanded the fans.
Marco ignored us.
Alex Iwobi was injured and hopping around the pitch. "Kevin, Kevin, Kevin," suggested the fans (loudly).
Marco ignored us.
The game wound on. Andersen played some more long passes, Adama ran at the defence, there was some scrappy action in both boxes, the rain came and went....and, finally, it was time.
Kevin arrived at Fulham late on deadline day after weeks of rumours and intrigue. Everyone liked everything about him immediately - the highlight reels, the teasing hotel room selfies in his silva-grey co-ords, his spectacular smile, that wink, and his first interview. Personal ambitions are good, he said, but it's more important to help the team; his best attribute, he thinks, is his happy personality not his scintillating footballing ability.
It is hard to imagine a better fit for our humble, hard-working, tight-knit team. And yet this is a young man with the potential to go all the way to the top; who is already more than half-way there.
Kevin stepped onto the pitch and the crowd went wild. He was unfazed by the reception. But not because he thinks adulation is his due. His quality is new to us, but he's used to it. Without drama or fanfare, he just got on with the job.
The tempo of the game changed immediately - from dirge to samba. Muniz picked up the rhythm, darting forward with renewed aggression. The Leeds players went from defensive to confounded; they couldn't cope with Kevin's speed with the ball, with his dancing step-overs and searing crosses.
There's never been a Fulham debut like this before because we've never had a player like this. Berbatov and Willian were giants of the game, but they arrived past their prime; Mousa Dembele and João Palhinha were and are world-class players but of a very different type. Kevin makes you catch your breath and feel as though anything could happen in the next exhilarating moment.
When Tom and Raúl came on, things got even better. The subs felt late, but they changed the game. The Fulham players were pressing forwards, looking for openings. The Leeds players were sitting down a lot. We were on top, but we were running out of time.
Kevin had already been busy, jinking past defenders with the ball stuck to his feet, linking play and bringing his new teammates into the game. As the clock ticked down he made a chance for himself and took it, slaloming past a befuddled defender and launching a missile of a shot towards the top corner. The Leeds goalie did incredibly well to tip it over the bar.
Fulham had a corner with seconds left. "Get on with it Saša," someone shouted.
Saša complied.
The ball swung in, everyone jumped and missed except for a Leeds player who made a perfect connection with the ball and headed it past his own keeper with unstoppable power and technique. It was a bizarre Moment but makes up for the misfortunes we've suffered in the last 2 matches.
This was our worst performance of the season so far but the best result; a scrappy win but a well-earned clean sheet and 3 important points. Kevin will grab the headlines but only because his teammates dug in and fought to the end.
We have a new star but as Kevin knows, football and Fulham are all about the team.
Random Kevins:-
- It was an honour to join in the minute's applause in memory of Beku - this win was for him
- Finally, a decent ref! And no dodgy VAR interference
- And an unusual victory after an international break!
- It was good to see Steve Sidwell receive his Forever Fulham award even if we couldn't hear what he was saying
- It was also good to see Dan James again. Hope the injury isn't too serious....
- ....and that Iwobi's (confirmed by Ivan in the Riverside) isn't either and that it wasn't exacerbated by staying on too long
- Antonee was Ivan's guest in place of Iwobi. He was lovely and is clearly a Kevin fan like the rest of us
- Marco celebrated the goal as much as any fan
- Kevin needs to get a memo about coming over to the Hammy End at the end of the game next week
- Raúl removed his shirt
- Calvin removed his shirt and his vest (we won't mention his shorts...)
- No doubt Tom's mum enjoyed that one!
Now that the transfer window is shut and the first international break is over, it feels like the season has really started. It's going to be tough, as Marco said this week, but it's also going to be hugely exciting. We haven't seen Samuel or Jacob yet. That was just a cameo from Kevin, soon he will start and we'll see him combine with Antonee.
And he has to have the last word as he's going to have so many words this season: Kevin isn't the product of hype, he isn't out of his depth in the Premier League, he isn't a prima donna. He's the real deal.
He's hard working, he's a team player, he's only going to get better.
And he's Fulham.
https://werdsmith.com/p/nZH8eFwDZwQzx2