Fulham Women 1-0 QPR Women(https://images.webapi.fulhamfc.com/fit-in/900x900/b1020cb0-0d12-11f1-99f5-0919489da76f.jpg)
Fulham Women made it 40 league matches undefeated with a 1-0 victory over neighbours Queens Park Rangers Women at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening.
The Whites completely dominated the first half without getting on the scoresheet, with Kayleigh Stead and Ellie Olds in particular causing a lot of problems.
The richly deserved breakthrough came in the 69th minute through Anna Grey's pristine finish from a very tight angle at the Putney End.
The narrow scoreline flattered our opponents, but three points is three points at the end of the day.
After a patient start to the game in which Fulham controlled proceedings without breaching the away defence, Becky Stormer did just that to find Stead in between the two centre-halves, but the striker sent her effort into the side-netting.
Rangers responded immediately with the game's first effort on target, but Frankie Gibbs was equal to Grace Stanley's strike.
The match had exploded into life, with FFCW next to attack, Lily Stevens sending a first time shot just wide from the edge of the box after being picked out by Stella Gandee Morgan's cutback.
Olds came agonisingly close to the opener after quarter of an hour when she showed great strength to get beyond her marker, who was gripping a good chunk of shirt, and clip over an angled shot that kissed the crossbar.
Olds then turned provider with a ball across the six yard box to Stead who tried an audacious flick, but couldn't quite sort her feet out and marginally missed the target.
Stead and Olds were looking our most potent weapons and they each tested visiting goalkeeper Caitlin Crierie in quick succession in the 27th minute.
The two combined again soon after when Olds nodded Olivia Dale's cross back to Stead, who sent a volley over.
A Fulham breakthrough felt inevitable and it almost came when Stead drifted out to the left and dinked a cross over to Olds who took a touch and smashed goalwards, only to be denied by a brave block.
Hannah Mackenzie then headed wide from the subsequent corner, before Olds did likewise from a Stevens free-kick, as we continued to turn the screw.
Grey had shown some nice touches down the left and tested Crierie five minutes before the break following a one-two with Stead.
Grey worked a decent opening for herself early into the second half, chopping back inside the R's right-back and bending in a strike that was held by Crierie.
We hadn't seen much of the Hoops as an attacking threat but they almost delivered a suckerpunch when Lauren Amerena went close moments after Stanley had a penalty shout fall on deaf ears.
A flying run down the left wing from Gandee Morgan saw her skip a challenge to burst into the area and draw a good save from Crierie.
Gandee Morgan then tried to catch Crierie out with a long range free-kick, but her ambitious effort landed on the roof of the net.
The goal we'd been threatening all evening arrived midway through the second half. Stead showed great determination to keep going in the box before squeezing in a shot which span away, seemingly for a corner, but Grey refused to give up on it and managed to lash it home from a near impossible angle.
The closest we came to doubling our lead came in stoppage time when Megalie Mendes sent her marker for a hotdog within seconds of entering the play and then picked out Leila Lister, but her fellow substitute was denied by Crierie.
It mattered little, though, as Fulham secured a vital win over our local rivals, reaching an incredible unbeaten landmark in the process.
https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/february/18/fulham-women-1-0-qpr-women/