Friday Fulham Stuff - 28/08/26...

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League Cup Result

Thursday 27/08
Fulham	3-0	AFC Wimbledon
ESR Muniz Garcia

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Fulham 3-0 AFC Wimbledon
Rodrigo Muniz scored his first goal in over a year to help Fulham see off AFC Wimbledon and set up a Carabao Cup third-round tie against London rivals West Ham.

The Cottagers took the lead through Emile Smith Rowe before Brazil striker Muniz added the second and summer signing Gonzalo Garcia claimed a third in stoppage time as they earned a first win under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa.

Fulham made 10 changes from Monday's Premier League defeat by Chelsea but they were still too much for their League One opponents, who have yet to win a game inside 90 minutes so far this season.

Smith Rowe had missed an earlier chance when the ball fell to him in the area but he headed home in the 37th minute when Kenny Tete's deep cross was knocked into the path of the midfielder by Ryan Sessegnon, whose brother Steven was in the Wimbledon team.

Muniz then doubled their lead before the break as he rose to meet another Tete cross for his first goal since the opening weekend of last season.

Macaulay Zepa, 18, came on at the break for Fulham for his first-team debut and he was immediately involved as he stood one up to the far post but Muniz's audacious overhead kick went over.

Zepa later fizzed an effort just wide on what was a lively first appearance from the winger.

Garcia, who arrived from Real Madrid this summer, then scored the third in stoppage time when he rounded Wimbledon keeper Nathan Bishop after Zepa's pass put him through.

Fulham will now face Championship side West Ham, who beat Southampton on Tuesday night, in the third round.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c6vg8gpkzlxqt

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Post-Wimbledon Press Conference
Álvaro Arbeloa was pleased to overcome a potential banana skin in AFC Wimbledon on Thursday night.

The Dons took a while to breach, but goals late in the first half from Emile Smith Rowe and Rodrigo Muniz, along with Gonzalo García's cool stoppage time finish, booked our spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup.

"It wasn't an easy game," he said. "It's not easy when I make many, many changes. Just Oscar from the 11 starters the other day, so it's not easy, but I think my players did a good job.

"We did a serious game, with effort, we moved the ball really well, we kept the possession, we tried to attack, to score goals.

"We controlled very well the counter attacks of Wimbledon so I'm happy with the performance of my team, my players, with their attitude, their energy.

"Of course, we have a lot of things we have to work on and improve but, like I said the other day, it's going to be a long journey, and we are on our way."

Muniz took his goal very well, and Arbeloa was naturally pleased to see both him, and his replacement Gonzalo, find the net.

"Goals are very important for strikers, we know that, and Rodrigo is working hard. We have very good strikers with him and with Gonzalo – different strikers, but we need both, and both will be very important for us.

"They both scored tonight and they are so happy in the dressing room."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/august/27/post-wimbledon-press-conference/

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Muniz ends goal drought as Fulham ease through in Carabao Cup
Rodrigo Muniz's first goal in more than a year helped see off AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup and secure Fulham's first win under new boss Alvaro Arbeloa.

Emile Smith Rowe and Gonzalo Garcia also scored for the Whites, who will be away to West Ham in the third round.

Smith Rowe opened the scoring on 37 minutes when he added the finish after Kenny Tete's cross had come off the head of Ryan Sessegnon – whose brother and former Fulham player Steven played for the visitors.

Tete was also involved for the second goal, scored five minutes later, when Muniz headed in the Dutchman's cross.

And in the final moments, summer signing Garcia scored his second goal in as many games, going past a defender and keeper Nathan Bishop before slotting home.

It was a comfortable win for Fulham, and 18-year-old winger Macauley Zepa, on as a substitute for his debut, looked hugely exciting – and set up Garcia for the third goal.
Fulham: Lecomte: Tete, Andersen (Bassey 62), De Fougerolles (Nwoko 68), Sessegnon; Charles, Reed; Bobb (Zepa 45), Smith Rowe, Kevin; Muniz.
Subs not used: Castagne, King, Leno, Slade



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/muniz-ends-goal-drought-as-fulham-ease-through-in-carabao-cup

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Wimbledon dispatched as Arbeloa claims first win
Fulham take 3-0 victory in convincing victory at the Cottage

Fulham claimed a superb first win for Alvaro Arbeloa with a dominant 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup tonight, featuring finely-worked goals for Emile Smith Rowe, Rodrigo Muniz, and a second of the campaign for new signing Gonzalo Garcia. Though the result was expected, Fulham's manner of victory was terrific, capturing the positive attacking football Arbeloa's approach aims to develop with us. One hopes the performance, however large the gulf between the sides is, kickstarts the league campaign - more outings like this will prove a huge lift for everyone at the club, and give the squad fresh energy for the season ahead.

First Half
You'd always hope to start strongly against League One opponents, but any Fulham fan can point to a history of miserable performances - or worse - in cup ties involving the lower leagues. Arbeloa's side began positively, Sessegnon and Tete advancing alongside Kevin and Bobb to trouble their fullbacks and put considerable numbers into Wimbledon's half. This ensured Wimbledon's presence beyond their defence was limited - enabling the obvious pattern of Fulham possession would have minimal respite in the form of Wimbledon counter-attacks. Naturally, Muniz became our target in a packed Wimbledon box, with Sweeney taking charge of annulling the threat of our Brazilian forward. Chances flowed freely, right from the start. Kevin and Sess fired crosses into Muniz, though early efforts only managed a De Fougerolles volley into the stands.

Wimbledon weren't completely subdued, though. Hippolyte offered some menace, using his speed to lift a ball over our defence for Maycock - Sessegnon's quick-thinking diverted the attempted effort from coming close to goal, and an eventual Yiadom volley from the corner was caught by Lecomte. The dangers of giving incentives to opponents like this were clear - in a brief spell Hippolyte was involved again shortly afterwards, taking a ball from Seddon and whipping it through our defence into the box. He reacted quicker than De Fougerolles and poked the ball towards the goal, beating Lecomte's dive but too wide to tuck into the far post.

Such worries sharpened our own approach. Smith Rowe had some sprightliness to his game, moving fluidly around the pitch and involving himself across several stages of play. A lovely pass from De Fougerolles across the defence let Smith Rowe move into the box dangerously. Like a gazelle he turned from Seddon in synchronicity with the ball's bounce, defying the defender to get into shooting position - however, the centre-back had enough time to slide and deflect the shot wide. Intelligently moving into the space left by Muniz, he found another shot shortly afterwards; a Charles ball lifted into the striker was rushedly cleared by Sweeney throwing a foot up, letting Smith Rowe volley the rebound narrowly wide of the post. His Brazilian teammates might have scored from his creative abilities - a quick reaction from Sweeney's clearance of a decent ball in from Reed was headed back into danger by the playmaker, Muniz defied again by Sweeney's tireless efforts, and a pass fed to the striker from a deeper position met a similar conclusion.

This pressure was immense for Wimbledon, and the cracks in their back-five tipped the ship by the 37-minute mark. Bobb, lingering in midfield, unlocked the right flank with a nice pass to Tete, taking the full-back beyond Steven Sessegnon. His cross looped towards the far post, where Sessegnon's leap offset Tilley enough to move the ball back centrally to the goal. Who should be there but Emile, darting into the box to head the ball into the net, too close for Bishop to stop. 1-0 gave Fulham an extra zip, passing their way towards half time - and a second goal was soon to come. A stylish turn from Kevin on the far-left saw him elude Tilley and Maycock, playing the ball back a few yards to the unmarked Reed perched on the edge of the box. His swinging ball in needed a diversion from Steven Sessegnon, winning yet another corner - through it, a nice piece of teamwork from Bobb and Tete let the fullback cross into the box again, curled onto the domineering head of Muniz and knocked beyond the keeper. 2-0; a good reflection of a solid half of football.

Second Half
What do you do when leading comfortably against third-tier opponents? You can't expect to canter to a win, because the security of a two-goal cushion shrinks quite rapidly if your opponent sneaks a goal in. Indeed, a pull from Tete on Hippolyte earnt a booking, and a chance for Wimbledon to sting us early in the half - though their eventual set-piece was poor, producing an unthreatening offside and little else, the pathway was still there. Arbeloa chose to give a half to Macaulay Zepa, the latest from our excellent academy.

We'd actually had the first chance of the half, Sessegnong finding Muniz, who knocked the ball down for Smith Rowe, the Arsenal prodigy unable to keep his first-time shot from flying over the bar. Zepa provided the first "Hollywood" moment of Muniz's season, stepping onto his left and curling the ball towards Muniz at the far post, but watching on as the striker's overhead kick sailed into orbit. Hippolyte, starved of the action and perhaps inspired by Muniz's antics took his own speculative effort, taking a long shot from considerable distance - a powerful, curly strike that looked decent but spun over the bar. Kevin linked nicely with Sessegnon to produce corners, and did force Bishop into a save at the near post, but he was upstaged - Zepa was the man making the moves, blasting along the wing with frightening pace and offering more of a threat to Bishop's goal. A rapid bolt of a run took him away from the Wimbledon left-back, needing a low Sweeney block to be stopped, and the keeper did similar when threatened again moments later.

At the back, De Fougerolles impressed with his game-reading, staying alert to ward the quiet Sasu from getting through on goal and sliding brilliantly to cleanly swipe the ball from Hippolyte's feet - yet he hurt his hamstring in the process, and was duly substituted. Bassey having already swapped for Andersen meant Charles moved to centre-back, giving Reed greater responsibilities in midfield with Nwoko taking a more attacking position. It didn't disrupt the flow of our attacks - we were confident, moving the ball elegantly with sharp interplay and boasting speed and verve as we moved around the pitch. Whatever response Wimbledon's substitutes offered was undercut by our own changes, Palacios and Garcia joining the action to sustain the quality in the closing stages of the game.

Nwoko started a rare counter-attack for us by releasing Smith Rowe, who needed a quicker response from Zepa on the ball - his eventual pass to Tete led to Sessegnon getting the angle wrong from his header. The winger's control was better shortly afterwards, enjoying a nice exchange with Tete and curling an effort narrowly wide of goal. With Charles providing visionary passes from deep, Palacios linking intricate passes to his attackers and Garcia adding some gusto to our attacking movement, the third goal came closer - a Smith Rowe shot from a Garcia knock-down was denied by the arm of Yiadow, a Zepa lay off to Tete sailed wide, a multi-pass move in the box was sidefooted wide by the Spanish striker and Nwoko's drive and shot into a crowd all came close to making the difference.

But it was Wimbledon's roll of the dice that made the difference. They'd thrown attackers on, full-back Tilley departing for the more offensively-minded Nkeng and Wimbledon breaking from their defensive rigidity more. Steven Sessegnon had bent a shot wide and a Stockley shot forced Lecomte into a save for a corner, putting Wimbledon bodies across our final third... but such a situation can be fatal when against players of our talent. Zepa, ever the runner, collected a loose ball, feeding the ravenous Garcia; he cruised through a depleted half, moved beyond Sweeney, knocked the ball past a hapless Bishop surging from goal and accurately guided it into the open net from a tight angle. At last, 3-0 - almost four, if a delectable move through Nwoko, Garcia and Palacios had been converted by Zepa, but a Bishop save ensured the score remained the same.

Free-flowing Fulham
We've lived through enough dismal evenings in this competition to celebrate this one. Smith Rowe, perhaps threatened by the continued growth of Joshua King, had an evening in the spotlight, taking chances, pulling the strings and moving nicely around the attack to make himself key to our attacks. He's never quite established himself as a key player for us but in this new era the breeziness of this performance has to be maintained across more of his outings. The same goes for Muniz - perhaps behind Garcia in the pecking order but clearly still a menace in these fixtures for defenders, and with time to refine his finishing a source of many a goal.

The wingplay was stupendous. Tete demonstrated his capabilities in attack with an inspired evening working around Bobb and Zepa; Castagne will have to work hard to keep his place ahead of the Dutchman, however successful his World Cup was. Sessegnon, on the other hand, may wonder when he will get a chance starting at LW for us - with fewer defensive pressures his pace unlocked the defence frequently with Kevin, and given the Brazilian's struggles to connect his on-the-ball footwork with killer passes and shots one wonders if Sess and Robinson could be an option worth trying on the left flank. It was really refreshing to see Zepa do the same off the bench - there will be plenty of time to refine his finishing, but the raw pace should be something that gets him around the squad for these cup games, and he linked well with his teammates when called upon.

Possession was a staple under Marco Silva, and Arbeloa looks to be advancing this. I was impressed by Reed, who led the team well in midfield, and moreso of Charles, distributing possession with a liquid smoothness, even when asked to sit at centre-back. Regardless of the opposition having confidence in the patterns of play builds nicely for the future, and players capable of filling these roles will help consolidate our control and foothold when taking the lead. It is a shame De Fougerolles hurt himself in the second half - his passing vision gave us a route to goal from the back, and he exorcised any lapses in concentration following the Maycock first half chance that might have given Wimbledon the opportunity to strike a damaging blow. We should stress that Wimbledon were not bad competitors by any means, and gave a valiant effort given their disadvantage in the game; Sweeney gave a good account of himself, Hippolyte gave Tete a few things to consider and the substitutes like Nkeng and McCoy-Splatt had more of a threat for us to manage in the closing stages of the game.

Ultimately though it was Fulham's solid work that produced the victory and should leave us excited going forward. I will reassert the importance of winning these games convincingly - it bestows positive energy upon the team, gives crucial minutes to squad players in situations that let them play progressive football over desperately seeking a win (doubling as a rest for first-team starters) and critically puts Fulham one small step closer to that elusive search for a trophy. Sunderland will be a major step up in quality, but why go into the game fearing the worst? If we can play like this, a world of possibility lies at our doorstep. I am starting to believe Arbeloa can be the one to unlock it.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/wimbledon-dispatched-as-arbeloa-claims

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Fulham 3-0 Wimbledon
Fulham booked their spot in Round Three of the Carabao Cup with a dominant 3-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon at Craven Cottage.

The Dons started stubbornly but our quality told as the first half wore on, and we took a two-goal advantage into the break courtesy of headers from Emile Smith Rowe and Rodrigo Muniz.

Though we created a host of chances in the second half, the third goal didn't arrive until stoppage time, but boy was it worth the wait, with Gonzalo García showing his class with a delightful take, a goal set up by the impressive Macaulay Zepa on his debut.

The win sets up a trip to West Ham United's London Stadium in the next round.

Álvaro Arbeloa made 10 changes to the side narrowly defeated by Chelsea three days earlier, with Oscar Bobb the sole survivor from Monday night.

Despite a dominant start from Fulham, we had to wait until the 12th minute for an attempt on goal. After the Dons made a hash of their clearance following Kevin and Ryan Sessegnon's slick interplay, Luc De Fougerolles took on an ambitious volley that cleared the target.

That provoked a good response from our visitors, who had a window of opportunity for Callum Maycock snuffed out vitally by Sessegnon, before Andy Yiadom tested Benjamin Lecomte with a well struck effort from the subsequent corner.

The tie now fully alive, Smith Rowe was denied a shot on target courtesy of an excellent recovery challenge from Steve Seddon, with Kenny Tete then nodding Harrison Reed's corner marginally over at the near post.

At the other end, a teasing delivery from Myles Hippolyte on the left wing found the run of Maycock, whose deft first time shot sailed just wide of the upright.

It was a really entertaining contest now, with Smith Rowe alive to any loose ball, next lining up a volley with the outside of his boot that was whistled a yard wide.

Fulham were getting closer, and Rodrigo Muniz was unfortunate to see his snapshot deflect over after he'd controlled Smith Rowe's setup brilliantly.

The resultant set-piece ended up dropping to Sessegnon 20 yards out, but his drilled strike took a nick off someone in black and white to go behind for a goal kick.

The left-back found a teammate again soon after, this time to create the opener, beating his man to nod Tete's deep cross back into the six yard box, where Smith Rowe had ghosted in to head beyond Nathan Bishop for 1-0.

One soon became two. Again Tete was involved, digging out a cross that Muniz did brilliantly to divert back across goal and inside the post, giving Bishop no chance.

With Fulham in control, Arbeloa gave Bobb a rest at half-time, meaning a senior debut for Zepa.

The Academy man was quickly involved, cutting inside before chipping a cross to Muniz at the back stick, but the Brazilian's overhead kick missed the target.

Zepa was full of confidence and created a couple of chances for himself in quick succession, seeing the first blocked and the second saved by Bishop, who then made himself big to deny Kevin a goal from the opposite angle.

Tete then nodded a header wide from Reed's delivery, as the Whites did their utmost to put the tie to bed.

One blot on the night was De Fougerolles' withdrawal midway through the second half, with the centre-back unable to continue after winning a meaty challenge. It did, however, provide a fellow Academy graduate with his debut, with Chibby Nwoko replacing him in a move that saw Shea Charles drop into defence.

The 18-year-old Zepa continued to get the home crowd on their feet, next bending a strike agonisingly wide of the far post from 20 yards.

Tete was then unfortunate that his speculative effort didn't drop in time to find the top corner, before substitute Gonzalo had a low shot deflect wide after a lovely interchange with Smith Rowe.

There had been loads to like about Zepa's performance, and he capped it with an assist, slipping in Gonzalo in the third minute of stoppage time, with our number seven sprinting beyond his marker before rounding the goalkeeper and coolly slotting in from a tight angle for 3-0, to cap a fine night by the Thames.
Fulham FC: Lecomte, Tete, Andersen (Bassey 62'), De Fougerolles (Nwoko 68'), Sessegnon, Charles, Reed, Bobb (Zepa 45'), Smith Rowe, Kevin (Palacios 73'), Rodrigo Muniz (García 73')

Subs: Leno, Bassey, García, Palacios, Castagne, King, Nwoko, Zepa, Slade

Wimbledon: Bishop, Tilley (Nkeng 80'), Yiadom, Sweeney, Seddon, Sessegnon, Maycock (Nelson 67'), Harrison (McCoy-Splatt 86'), Smith, Hippolyte (Hackford 80'), Sasu (Stockley 67')

Subs: Stockley, Nelson, Hackford, McCoy-Splatt, McDonnell, Horan, Nkeng, Ogundere, Hedges



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/august/27/fulham-3-0-wimbledon/

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Carabao Cup: Three and through for Fulham
Fulham secured their first win under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa with a 3-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon.

Emile Smith Rowe opened the scoring in the 37th minute, heading home after Ryan Sessegnon knocked Kenny Tete's cross into his path.

Rodrigo Muniz then doubled Fulham's advantage before half-time, rising to meet another Tete cross for his first goal in over a year.

Macaulay Zepa made his first-team debut after the break and impressed on a lively first appearance. The 18-year-old went close himself and also played a part in the third, finding Gonzalo Garcia, who rounded Nathan Bishop to score in stoppage time.

The result sends Fulham into the Carabao Cup third round, where they will face London rivals West Ham United.



https://www.efl.com/news/2026/august/27/carabao-cup--fulham-safely-through-to-round-three/

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Dons fans in great voice for District Line derby but Fulham shadow team has too much for their heroes
Carabao Cup Second Round

Fulham (2) 3 Smith Rowe 37, Muniz 42, Gonzalo 90+3

AFC Wimbledon (0) 0

The big question for Alvaro Arbeloa after this one was: What did Oscar Bobb do to make him the only survivor from Monday night's clash with Chelsea. And was it reward or punishment?

Either way, the Man City import seemed to enjoy being the one constant in a starting line up showing 10 changes from three days ago.

One of those changes was particularly good to see too - as Ryan Sessegnon was able to play against twin brother Steven for the first time ever - though the AFC Wimbledon defender operated on the opposite flank to his sibling, so the chances for them to clash were limited.

Johnnie Jackson must have felt the wholesale changes might help bridge the two division gap between the clubs but in reality, the Whites still had way too much in reserve for them.

They soon monopolised the ball and although the Dons repelled them well for more than half an hour and even fashioned a couple of chances of their own, they were undone by a two goal salvo in a five minute spell.

First, Emile Smith Rowe nodded in from close range after Ryan Sessegnon had headed a Kenny Tete cross back into his path, then the Dutch full-back delivered another great ball in from the right that Rodrigo Muniz got on the end of with his head to break a year-long scoring drought.

That always felt likely to be enough to earn Fulham a third round trip to West Ham, though Arbeloa was looking a bit frustrated that more goals did not flow during a meandering second half that was finally enlivened by two great cameos.

One was the performance of 18-year-old ex-Arsenal Academy debutant Macauley Zepa on the right wing - the other was from Gonzalo Garcia, who bagged his second goal in two games in injury time after a dazzling burst down the right which took him past Dan Sweeney and around keeper Nathan Bishop before he rolled the ball in from a tight angle.

And claiming an assist for that goal was the lively Zepa, who moments earlier had frustrated the Spanish striker by delaying a pass on a counter attack but was now in his good books for a decisive early pass to set him up for the goal.

Zepa himself came very close to scoring too, curling one effort narrowly wide and forcing the keeper into a good save right at the death. His was a thrilling introduction and even if he was up against third tier opponents, it was an impressive outing from the young Frenchman, who arguably outshone Kevin's decent first half showing.

Wimbledon were game challengers and their fans superb. "Dons away, I like it," they sang incessantly, even at 2-0 down. They have yet to win a game in 90 minutes this season but should take heart from this display.

Skipper Ali Smith had an early effort blocked and Callum Maycock so very nearly turned in a Myles Hippolyte cross. It would have given them the sniff of a giant-killing.

But the Whites were soon racking up good chances, with Tete heading just over and Smith Rowe missing a good opening after a nice chip into the danger area from Shea Charles before the ex-Arsenal midfielder finally got on the scoresheet.

Whites: (4-2-3-1) Lecomte - Tete, Andersen (Bassey 62),  De Fougerolles (Nwoko 68), Ryan Sessegnon - Reed,  Charles - Bobb (Zepa h/t), Smith Rowe, Kevin (Palacios 73) - Muniz (Gonzalo Garcia 73)

Dons: (5-4-1) Bishop - Tilley (Junior Nkeng 80), Yiadom, Seeeney  Seddon, Steven Sessegnon - Maycock (Nelson 67), Harrison (McCoy-Splatt 86), Smith, Hippolyte (Hackford 80) - Sasu (Stockley 67)

Attendance: 17,714



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/dons-fans-in-great-voice-for-district-line-derby-but-fulham-shadow-team-has-too-much-for-their-heroe

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Fulham 3-0 AFC Wimbledon: Cottagers Ease Into Third Round
Fulham earn themselves a spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup after a 3-0 win over League One side AFC Wimbledon.

Álvaro Arbeloa gets his first competitive win as Fulham manager, with his side beating League One outfit AFC Wimbledon in a comfortable display at Craven Cottage with goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Rodrigo Muniz and summer signing Gonzalo García.

Arbeloa gets first competitive win with Fulham

The home side dominated the match from early on, having a plethora of shots, with the first chance for the hosts coming in the seventh minute. An effort from Muniz was saved by Nathan Bishop, which was one of five shots that the 26-year-old had to save.

Just minutes later, the Cottagers had another opportunity. This time, it came through centre-back Luc de Fougerolles, who had the most touches and passes in the match before his substitution.

His shot, struck with his right foot from just inside the box, went over the crossbar, but was another warning sign for the Dons.

This was De Fougerolles' first competitive match for Fulham since the 2023/24 season, when he started in a match where he beat Ipswich Town 3-1 away at Portman Road in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

The young Canadian shone brightly at the World Cup for his side, where he was ranked as the fifth-best defender at the World Cup and the best defender when excluding the champions, Spain. He will hope to see more game time to continue his development.

Yet after chances from Kenny Tete and Smith Rowe, the Premier League side would eventually find the breakthrough in the 37th minute.

This came through the former Arsenal man when he headed a shot from close range from just inside the six-yard box, an opportunity that was hard for a player of his quality to miss.

A second goal, this time from Muniz, would make Arbeloa's half-time team talk much more straightforward.

After Tete beats his man down the wing, he swings the ball into the box, where Muniz is there to meet it, headering the shot back across Bishop into the bottom right corner.

It was expected to be a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League side, and though there might have been a little bit of tension creeping into Craven Cottage late into the first half, two rapid-fire goals would reduce any nerves.

Though, the best goal of the match would have to wait until the second half.

After constant pressure throughout the match from Fulham, their third eventually arrived through Garcia, who replaced García.

After the ball deflected off Smith Rowe, eighteen-year-old Macauley Zepa played a ball down the right-hand side to the Spanish striker, who took a big touch to beat the defender with his pace, before getting another touch before the onrushing Bishop to go around the Dons goalkeeper, and place the ball into an empty net from an acute angle.

This is his second goal for the club, scoring on both of his professional matches for the Cottagers in his first month at the club.

Fellow London side West Ham United await Fulham in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Yet their mind will be on their match against Sunderland this weekend for now.

Young Stars prove too much for Wimbledon

Prior to this match, it was highly expected that Fulham would field a changed side, and that is what Arbeloa chose.

The squad still features a huge amount of quality, but proved a chance for younger players to prove that they can play a huge role in Fulham's season.

As mentioned, De Fougerolles played 68 minutes of the match before he was substituted for fellow 20-year-old Chibuzo Nwoko.

The Canadian had not featured much in the team's pre-season due to participating at the World Cup, so this game proved important for him to show his ability to the new Fulham manager.

Another player that expected to start was new summer signing Shea Charles, who joined the club from Southampton after his £30 million transfer bid was accepted by the South Coast side.

Playing alongside Harrison Reed in midfield in a 4-2-3-1 system, both players proved effective and complemented each other well.

Though as much as this was a match for new players to show their worth, players that have found themselves to have less game time than desired as of recent proved decisive in the match, with the first two goals coming from players that would be eager to win their starting place back in the side.

This includes Tete, who was the best player on the pitch, who created the most chances, resulting in gaining an assist for the second goal of the match under the lights at Craven Cottage.



https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2026/08/27/fulham/1269269-fulham-3-0-afc-wimbledon-cottagers-ease-into-third-round.html