Thursday Fulham Stuff - 25/11/21...

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Results

Wednesday
Barnsley	0-2	Swansea
Blackburn	4-0	P'borough
Bristol City	1-0	Stoke
Cardiff	0-1	Hull
Fulham	0-0	Derby
Millwall	1-1	Bournemouth
QPR	1-0	Huddersfield

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Fulham 0-0 Derby County

Fulham and Derby County played out a goalless draw for the first time since October 2007

Leaders Fulham were held to a goalless draw by Derby, who have taken four points off the top two sides in the Championship in their past two matches.

In an entertaining first half, Jean Michael Seri hit the post for Fulham, while Derby's Tom Lawrence went close after a great run by Curtis Davies.

Fulham were dominant after the break as Fabio Carvalho hit the woodwork.

Kelle Roos made a superb save to deny Carvalho, while Davis cleared Rodrigo Muniz's shot off the line.

The draw ended Fulham's seven-match winning run and means Derby now have one point to their name following their combined 21-point deduction for breaches of English Football League accounting rules and going into administration.

Fulham were dealt a blow ahead of kick-off when illness ruled out the Championship's leading goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has netted 21 times this season including in each of his past seven league games - and they missed his killer instinct in front of goal.

Derby produced a superb result on Sunday, coming from 2-1 down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 at Pride Park and they may well have felt an equally impressive result was on the cards after a lively first-half performance.

The hosts had the better of the opening exchanges before the Rams burst into life thanks to a terrific 40-yard run by centre-back Davies, who set up Lawrence but his shot was saved by Paulo Gazzaniga.

Lawrence was at the heart of much of what Derby did in the first half and he forced a good save out of Gazzaniga with half-time approaching.

At the other end, Roos had to be alert to parry Neeskens Kebano's deflected free-kick while Muniz shot just wide.

Fulham came out stronger in the second half and Roos made a good low save to deny Carvalho, who also hit the post.

The Rams - whose last league win at Craven Cottage came in 1969, although they have only shared a division with Fulham for 10 seasons since then - created little after the break, but Lawrence fired wide from long range.

Fulham manager Marco Silva:

"Nothing to do with Covid, but we have six or seven players affected (with illness) - some who could play tonight and some who couldn't.

"It definitely wasn't our best performance. We started a bit slower than normal but we created more than enough to win the game.

"We are not happy because we didn't win the game. We created so many chances. It's something that can happen."

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney told BBC Radio Derby:

"It's a good point. The lads have put a lot of effort in during the past two games and they deserve the four points.

"We were pushing at the end. I made changes to try and get three points.

"It wasn't to be but the lads can hold their heads high. It was a good battling performance and we could possibly have got three points."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59314993

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Post-Derby Press Conference

Marco Silva spoke to the media following his side's 0-0 draw with Derby County on Wednesday evening.

"In the first half we were a little slower than normal, in our build-up, but we created more than enough to win the game," stated Silva.

"We hit the post, someone cleared it off the line, big saves from the goalkeeper, but unfortunately, we didn't score."

Silva was forced to make a handful of changes to his team and when questioned about the situation, Fulham's Head Coach answered: "[Aleksandar] Mitrović and [Tom] Cairney are both ill.

"Even some of the others like Harrison [Reed], Bobby [De Cordova-Reid], Antonee [Robinson] and Harry [Wilson] had some problems these past few days.

"Bobby was on the bench, just because if we needed him, he'd try and help. We had six or seven players in this situation.

"[Marek] Rodák is in a really strange situation. They said he had contact on the plane with someone who had COVID. If the game was two days later, he could've played, but there's a protocol, and we respect the situation."

With Mitrović absent from the matchday squad, the responsibility fell to Rodrigo Muniz to lead the line.

"Muniz had some moments, some not so good," explained Silva.

"He's a young boy, but hungry to learn and improve. We know he can score if our game from out wide is good enough.

"He had some chances in the second-half, sometimes he should've made a different decision, but that's football.

"He did everything and tried everything, and we go again.

"Fabio had some clear chances too, but he didn't score. It's something that can happen.

"Of course, Mitrović is an important player but his absence is not why we didn't win the game."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/november/24/post-derby-/

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Fulham 'keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond extends loan spell with high-flying National League side

Fulham goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond has seen his loan spell with National League side Boreham Wood extended, it has been confirmed.

Ashby-Hammond sealed another loan move away from Fulham last month, linking up with Boreham Wood as he bids to get game time away from Craven Cottage.

EFL clubs are allowed to do business with non-league sides outside the transfer window as non-league clubs don't have to abide by said windows. It gives clubs the chance to send players out on loan to give them more first-team action.

That's exactly what Fulham have looked to do with Ashby-Hammond, who has now extended his stay in the National League.

As confirmed by the National League outfit, the Fulham goalkeeper will be staying out on loan for a longer spell.

It isn't specified how long Ashby-Hammond's loan will now be, but Transfermarkt has it down that he will be staying until January.

Ashby-Hammond's loan spell to date
Since linking up with Luke Garrard's side, the Fulham loanee has been a mainstay in between the sticks.

Ashby-Hammond has made six appearances across all competitions, conceding only two goals and keeping an impressive four clean sheets in the process. The club currently sit in 2nd place in the National League, one point behind table-toppers Chesterfield after 17 games.

Fulham career so far
The goalkeeper is yet to make his first-team debut but has picked up game time out on loan and with the club's academy sides.

Ashby-Hammond has made a combined total of 50 appearances for Fulham's U18s and U23s. He also spent time on loan with Chipstead as well as two separate stints with Maidenhead United.



https://the72.co.uk/256239/fulham-keeper-taye-ashby-hammond-extends-loan-spell-with-high-flying-national-league-side/

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Amended Shuttle Bus Timetable For Fulham Game

Given the earlier kick-off time for this weekend's Championship fixture against Fulham, our shuttle bus service timetable has been amended for this matchday.

Preston North End welcome Fulham to Deepdale for a 12.30pm kick-off, with the game being shown live on Sky Sports.

Our Tyrers bus service will be available for this fixture as usual, with return tickets priced at just £5, and the amended timetable for Saturday can be found below.

Shuttle Bus Timetable For Fulham Fixture
Leyland Tesco (Stop A – Car Park) – 10.50am

The Railway, Leyland (the bus stop on the same side as the pub) – 11am

Beam and Brycg Pub, Bamber Bridge – 11.10am

Arrival at Deepdale – 11.30am

Please note, tickets for this service cannot be pre-booked, with supporters paying the driver once on board the bus.



https://www.pnefc.net/news/2021/november/amended-shuttle-bus-timetable-for-fulham-game/

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Fulham 0-0 Derby: Wayne Rooney's Rams ends Cottagers seven-match winning streak in a hard fought draw as hosts fail to strengthen position at the top of the Championship

    Wayne Rooney's Derby held the in-form Fulham to a 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage
    Fulham squandered clear-cut chances in Aleksandar Mitrovic's absence
    But they remain top of the table while Derby stay rooted to the bottom

Fulham sorely missed the clinical finishing touch of their talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic as they were frustrated by basement club Derby.

The Serbian forward is suffering from a 'fever', according to manager Marco Silva, with several other members of the squad under the weather.

Tom Cairney was another who didn't make the teamsheet because of illness while others who did were far from at 100 per cent.


Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham attempts an overhead kick whilst under pressure from Craig Forsyth

Goalkeeper Marek Rodak was absent after being pinged by Covid tracing after flying back from international duty with Slovakia.

Without the staggeringly in-form Mitrovic, who has 21 already this season, Fulham couldn't convert their many chances to earn an eighth straight win.

But with promotion rivals Bournemouth only able to draw across town at Millwall, Silva's side remain top by a point despite their issues.

'Aleksander and Tom were missing because of illness,' Silva said.

'We have had a problem in the last few days with a fever in the camp which affected six or seven players. It has nothing to do with Covid.

'Marek is a strange one because he got notified that he came into contact with someone on the plane home from international duty who had Covid, yet he played on Saturday so the timing is strange.


Jason Knight of Derby County is challenged by Kenny Tete of Fulham at Craven Cottage

'It wasn't our best performance because we created more than enough to win the game. I am not happy but that's football.'

Wayne Rooney's Derby took their points tally back into positive territory after 21 deducted.

Their travelling fans sung 'we'll fight to the end' and there's no way this battling side would be in the relegation places if not for their EFL punishments. Taking four points off Fulham and Bournemouth this week proves that.

'We'll keep fighting and pushing, you never know, even if there's a small chance of staying up,' said Rooney.

'It was a good point for us because they are one of the best teams in the division, they are a very strong team.

'We could have nicked it, but a point was a fair result.

'To get four points against Bournemouth and Fulham, they deserve a lot of credit. It's been a tough week off the pitch but they keep coming in and working hard and they deserve praise.

'You can see that the players are fighting for themselves, the team, the manager and the club.' 

The evening's first surprise came when the teams were announced an hour before kick-off but Mitrovic's absence meant an opportunity for the 20-year-old Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz to lead the line and add to his three goals already this season.

While Fulham enjoyed the lion's share of possession during the first-half, the contest was actually pretty even when boiled down to clear-cut openings.

There were glimpses of Fulham's slickness but not what you would describe as constant pressure to keep Derby pinned in.

Fabio Carvalho stunned their first chance wide after three minutes and they came even closer when Jean Michael Seri saw clear grass open up before him.

His 25-yard shot swerved deviously and crashed back off the underside of the bar, clipping diving Derby keeper Kelle Roos on the back as it came out but bouncing to safety.

Roos was able to react and change direction in time to make a save when a free-kick by Neeskens Kebano smacked Craig Forsyth in the face and diverted.

And there were chance in quick succession for Carvalho and then Muniz late in the half, both sent wide.

Derby's travelling support summed up their fighting spirit in hugely trying circumstances by singing 'we'll fight to the end'. 

They would be 18th and looking up the table rather than towards League One if those two points deductions, totalling 21 points, had not been handed down by the EFL.

Rooney spent much of his career in a Manchester United team unwilling to accept the notion of defeat and he isn't about to start now.

His team carried purpose when they crossed the halfway line, with Curtis Davies brushing off Seri early on to lay the ball off to Tom Lawrence. He cut inside but scuffed his shot from a good position and stand-in keeper Paulo Gazzaniga could save.

And the Argentine stopper had to be alert to push the ball clear when Lawrence was inadvertently played clear by Seri's crunching slide tackle on Festy Ebosele. Tim Ream was forced to mop up and Fulham had been warned.

You expected a Fulham onslaught after the break and Carvalho was soon testing Roos with a low shot that lacked power.

Veteran Derby defender Phil Jagielka got a boot in the way of Kebano's effort after he turned in the six-yard box.

A sharp spin in a crowded penalty area saw Carvalho hit a shot that struck the base of the post with Roos grounded before Muniz headed the follow-up wide.

Fulham grew more frantic as time ebbed away. With 10 left on the clock, Carvalho showed more skill to work a shooting chance in the box but Roos pushed it away and Curtis Davies cleared Muniz's follow-up off the line.

Muniz, not afraid to attempt the spectacular, then sent an acrobatic effort just over the bar.

Derby could even have stolen all three points in stoppage time when Gazzaniga turned Jason Knight's shot behind at his near post. But four points taken off the top two in four days isn't exactly a bad return.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10240313/Wayne-Rooneys-Rams-ends-Cottagers-seven-match-winning-streak-hard-fought-draw.html

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Fulham 0-0 Derby: FLW reports as Whites miss Mitrovic and Rams earn another important result

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been linked with the likes of Villarreal and Juventus in recent days and tonight against Derby, Fulham got an impromptu demonstration of what life might be like without him – they won't have liked it.

The team news at Craven Cottage was dominated by the headline that Mitrovic wasn't even in the matchday squad, ruled out by an issue Marco Silva hadn't mentioned in his pre-match press conference, whilst goalkeeper Marek Rodak had suffered a similar mysterious fate.

The challenge for the hosts, then, was to keep their winning run going without two key men at either end and, for Derby, the plan had to be to try and profit in a game they were not expected to get much from – the same was said about them on Sunday of course.

Indeed, the Rams deserve immense credit for the way they set themselves up here. Yes, they were defensively solid and prioritised that but they were not negative – they broke forward when they could and had good chances through Tom Lawrence in particular, though both times he was thwarted by Paulo Gazzaniga in net.

The Fulham stopper had done his part of the bargain, then, in replacing Rodak well but, up the other end, the magic of Mitrovic could not be replaced.

In fairness to Rodrigo Muniz, that oh so important commodity of game time for a striker has not come his way much this season thanks to Mitrovic's form and availability, and when his chances came tonight that air of rustiness was on display – he snatched at a chance after latching onto a loose Derby pass to fire wide in the first half and was unlucky to see a header cleared off of the line and a bicycle kick opposing manager Wayne Rooney would have been proud of flash over in the second.

Perhaps, on another day with more minutes in the tank, Muniz would have put one of these chances away but he cannot take sole blame for this draw for Fulham, the supporting cast simply were not at their best on the night.

Fabio Carvalho was bright enough, hitting the post in the second 45 and regularly jinking through the Rams' defence but ultimately Fulham didn't quite have enough to break through and extend their winning run.

For Derby, meanwhile, it's another step in the right direction on their most arduous path. Now on one point, they're still far from safety but in the space of a couple of days have shown they have enough about themselves to give anyone a game in this league, and get results – that's something they'll be looking to build on when easier on paper opposition come up in the weeks and months ahead.

Fulham 0-0 Derby



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-0-0-derby-flw-reports-as-whites-miss-mitrovic-and-rams-earn-another-important-result/

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Silva plays down Mitrovic's absence after Fulham stalemate

Fulham had to settle for a draw at Craven Cottage – but they still remain top of the Championship table, a point ahead of nearest challengers Bournemouth.

Marco Silva's men began in disjointed fashion against bottom club Derby County – until the 17th minute, when Jean Michael Seri took aim from around 20 yards out before crashing a fine shot which cannoned off the crossbar.

And Derby keeper Kelle Roos had to quickly scramble to turn away a deflected Neeskens Kebano free-kick on 30 minutes.

With Fulham struggling to make capital – without top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, missing from the side – Derby carried the occasional first-half threat on the counter-attack.

The hosts gradually kept applying pressure and, on 58 minutes, Fabio Carvalho struck the base of the post from eight yards out amid some desperate defending by Wayne Rooney's side.

Rodrigo Muniz saw a header cleared off the line by Curtis Davies, before the lively Brazilian's superb scissor-kick went inches over the bar in the latter stages.

But boss Silva played down the significance of the absence of Mitrovic, who missed the match because of illness, as did Tom Cairney.

"Of course Mitrovic is an important player, but his absence is not why we didn't win the game," Silva insisted.

Keeper Marek Rodak, meanwhile, was unavailable because of Covid-19 protocols.

Silva explained: "Rodak is in a really strange situation.

"They said he had contact on the plane with someone who had Covid.

"If the game was two days later, he could've played, but there's a protocol and we respect the situation."

Fulham: Gazzaniga, Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream, Tete, Reed (Onomah 65), Seri, Kebano, Carvalho, Wilson (Knockaert 77), Muniz.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-derby-draw-silva-wls-reaction

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Rams frustrate Mitro-less Fulham as leaders are held

Fulham (0) 0

Derby County (0) 0

Fulham endured a night of unremitting frustration as they failed to cash in on an absolute glut of chances.

Having bagged 48 goals in their 18 Championship games to date, they fully expected to put rock-bottom Derby away but came up against a Rams team who refused to yield and made the most of some luck that came their way.

This was a match where the Whites had to find alternatives to missing goal machine Aleksander Mitrovic and skipper-playmaker Tom Cairney – who both played in the 4-1 rout of Barnsley on Saturday, which took Fulham to the summit of the Championship. 

But the Whites drew a blank for the first time since the September defeat at Blackpool.

They remain top at least, with Bournemouth also held to a draw – at Millwall.

With seven straight wins going into a match against the division's bottom club – albeit because of deducted points - ambitions and expectations were hardly dented ahead of the game despite the absence of their talismanic star striker.

This is a team which has blasted 25 goals in those recent wins, after all. 

They peppered the Derby goal to the tune of 23 shots – to Derby's four– but this was one of those games when it simply would not go in for Marco Silva's men, with ex-England international Phil Jagielka leading the resistance.

Jean Michael Seri's strange curate's egg of a match perhaps summed up the match for Fulham.

Stumbling in possession and ploughed through with humiliating ease by the robust Curtis Davies, his lack of bight in the tackle offered up a golden opening for Rams skipper Tom Lawrence that Paulo Gazzaniga did well to stop.

But the midfielder came close to making the breakthrough by unleashing a fearsome drive from 25 yards which crashed back off the bar in what would be the first of many near misses.

Neeskens Kebano also suggested he might be the man to unlock the obstinate Derby defence. His clipped free-kick almost deflected in and there were first-half chances too for Fabio Carvalho and Mitro stand-in Rodrigo Muniz, who all pinged in shots.

The Rams, to be fair, showed great commitment to get in many a last-gasp block to thwart the Whites and it wasn't quite all one way. Lawrence had another crack later on too, which was turned aside spectacularly.

Wayne Rooney's team may need something miraculous to beat the drop, given their near hopeless position, but a win against Bournemouth ahead of this encounter suggested plenty of life left in them and so it proved.

The pattern of close shaves and mounting frustration continued after the break. Tosin rose up to head back across goal and Carvalho spun before clipping a shot against the base of a post.

Harry Wilson and Kebano then combined to give Carvalho another sniff from close-range, only for keeper Kelle Roos to block with his leg.

From a Kenny Tete cross, Carvalho fired a left-foot volley at Roos and Muniz' follow-up header was cleared off the line. And from another Tete cross, Muniz' acrobatic overhead kick just cleared the crossbar.

It just was not meant to be.

Whites: (4-2-3-1) Gazzaniga – Tete, Tosin, Ream, Robinson – Sei, Reed (Onomah 66) – Wilson (Knockaert 78), Carvalho, Kebano –Muniz. Subs not used: Las, Hector, Odoi, Decordova-Reid, Bryan

Rams: (4-3-3) Roos – Byrne, Jagielka, Davies, Forsyth (Morrison 83) – Bird, Thompson, Shinnie – Ebosele (Kazim-Richards 70), Lawrence, Knight. Subs not used: Allsop, Jozwiak, Stearman, Sibley, Williams

Attendance: 16,468



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/rams-frustrate-mitro-less-fulham-as-leaders-are-held

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Fulham miss Mitrovic as leaders are held by Rooney's battling Derby
Senior Republic of Ireland international Jason Knight and U21 compatriot Festy Ebosele started for the points-deducted visitors.

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS Fulham were unable to make up for the absence of 21-goal top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic as they were held to a 0-0 draw by bottom club Derby at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva's side were seeking an eighth successive win but they were denied by Wayne Rooney's determined side, who followed up Sunday's victory over Bournemouth with another impressive display.

Senior Republic of Ireland international Jason Knight and U21 compatriot Festy Ebosele started for Derby, with Knight going close at the death when he was played in by former Man United wonderkid Ravel Morrison.

However, Derby's draw means they have taken four points from the Championship's top two teams since they were hit by a further nine-point deduction that left them on minus three points last week.

Fulham, meanwhile were left frustrated at their failure to make more of a succession of good chances.

The Cottagers had moved top after victory over Barnsley on Saturday but their hopes of consolidating their position at the top of the table weren't helped by the unexpected absence of Mitrovic, Tom Cairney and Marek Rodak who had all featured in the weekend victory over Barnsley.

The enforced changes appeared to have little impact on Fulham as they started the game on the front foot.

And it took them just two minutes to find a way through the Derby defences and create an opening for Fabio Carvalho, who placed his shot narrowly wide.

Fulham have typically dominated possession at Craven Cottage this season and this was no exception.

Without Mitrovic, however, they lacked their usual attacking threat and while Derby's Kelle Roos was the busier of the two goalkeepers, he remained largely untroubled for long periods.

Jean Michael Seri was Fulham's most influential player during the opening 45 minutes and the midfielder was unfortunate to see a long range shot rebound to safety after striking the bar with Roos well beaten.

But while Fulham frequently worked their way into their opponents' penalty area, they lacked the cutting edge to make the breakthrough.

And Derby's ability to cause problems on the counter-attack meant Silva's side could not afford to lose concentration.

Rams skipper Tom Lawrence – who scored twice in the defeat of Bournemouth – was a constant threat and twice forced Fulham keeper Paulo Gazzaniga into hurried saves at the both ends of the first half.

Fulham clearly needed to up their efforts after the break and there was a greater urgency to their play.

Carvalho shot wide shortly after the break before Harry Wilson linked with Kenny Tete to set up Kebano, who was once again closed down by determined Derby defenders before he could shoot from close range.

The visitors defended impressively but they were fortunate to escape in the 58th minute when Carvalho moved on to a loose ball and struck the post from 10 yards out.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Dunboyne man Darragh Lenihan netted in Blackburn's 4-0 win over Peterborough.
Wednesday's Championship results

    Barnsley 0-2 Swansea
    Blackburn 4-0 Peterborough
    Bristol City 1-0 Stoke
    Cardiff 0-1 Hull
    Fulham 0-0 Derby
    Millwall 1-1 Bournemouth
    QPR 1-0 Huddersfield



https://www.the42.ie/fulham-v-derby-5611211-Nov2021/

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Silva plays down Mitrovic's absence after Fulham stalemate

Fulham had to settle for a draw at Craven Cottage – but they still remain top of the Championship table, a point ahead of nearest challengers Bournemouth.

Marco Silva's men began in disjointed fashion against bottom club Derby County – until the 17th minute, when Jean Michael Seri took aim from around 20 yards out before crashing a fine shot which cannoned off the crossbar.

And Derby keeper Kelle Roos had to quickly scramble to turn away a deflected Neeskens Kebano free-kick on 30 minutes.

With Fulham struggling to make capital – without top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, missing from the side – Derby carried the occasional first-half threat on the counter-attack.

The hosts gradually kept applying pressure and, on 58 minutes, Fabio Carvalho struck the base of the post from eight yards out amid some desperate defending by Wayne Rooney's side.

Rodrigo Muniz saw a header cleared off the line by Curtis Davies, before the lively Brazilian's superb scissor-kick went inches over the bar in the latter stages.

But boss Silva played down the significance of the absence of Mitrovic, who missed the match because of illness, as did Tom Cairney.

"Of course Mitrovic is an important player, but his absence is not why we didn't win the game," Silva insisted.

Keeper Marek Rodak, meanwhile, was unavailable because of Covid-19 protocols.

Silva explained: "Rodak is in a really strange situation.

"They said he had contact on the plane with someone who had Covid.

"If the game was two days later, he could've played, but there's a protocol and we respect the situation."

Fulham: Gazzaniga, Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream, Tete, Reed (Onomah 65), Seri, Kebano, Carvalho, Wilson (Knockaert 77), Muniz.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-derby-draw-silva-wls-reaction

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Dogged Derby frustrate Fulham

A combination of dogged Derby County defending and ultimately illnesses that had robbed Marco Silva of the core of his starting line-up meant the Rams ended Fulham's seven-match winning streak and came away from Craven Cottage with a richly deserved point. Wayne Rooney's troops battled to the last, throwing bodies in front of the ball, and successfully blunting the most potent attack in English football to earn a result that will only increase his belief in the sort of 'miracle' Derby require to avoid the drop.

Fulham look far from the fearsome proposition that has terrified the second tier of late without Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the line. Serbia's World Cup hero has been laid low by a fever and his understudy Rodrigo Muniz was unable to replicate Mitrovic's rich vein of form missing two glorious chances as the Derby goal came under siege in the second period. Fulham were also without the services of captain Tom Cairney, who was also under the weather, and goalkeeper Marek Rodak, who is isolating after coming into close contact with someone who had contracted coronavirus during his international duty with Slovakia.

Fulham were far from their fluent best, but Silva could justifiably feel his charges created enough chances to have won this game. The tinkle toes of Fabio Carvalho fashioned the first opportunity, ghosting past three Derby challenges on his way into the box, before drilling an effort wide of the far post. Jean Michael Seri then curled a 25-yarder against the crossbar and fortune favoured Kelle Roos as the Ivorian's shot cannoned off his back and away to safety. Derby weren't merely interested in defending, though, and they opened up the home side's defence with a move of real quality. Tom Lawrence, who starred in Sunday's stunning win over Bournemouth, darted onto Curtis Davies clever through ball and almost squeezed a shot between Gazzaniga and the near post.

Roos reacted smartly to claw away Neeskens Kebano's free-kick when he might have been stranded by a wicked deflection off Craig Forsyth, but that proved to be Fulham's only shot on target before the break. The hosts enjoyed plenty of possession but found the final ball often lacking. Their frustration told late on with Muniz and Carvalho shooting wildly off target as space opened up in front of the them. Gazzaniga had to dash off his line to head a loose ball away from the onrushing Lawrence – and the visitors were more than a match for the league leaders at half time.

Fulham quickly reestablished the pattern of the first period, with Carvalho finding a pocket of space inside the area but Roos was equal to the teenager's low shot. The excellent Phil Jagielka bravely blocked a snapshot from Kebano after the Congolese winger had swilled threateningly in the box and, in one mad penalty area melee, Carvalho sent a low shot through the crowd that struck the far post before Muniz headed wide.

Silva sent on Josh Onomah and, surprisingly, Anthony Knockaert as Fulham hunted a late winner but Derby continued to hold firm. Carvalho, by far the best player on the park, looked like their most likely source of a goal and his fancy footwork worked a yard of space in the area but Roos palmed away another shot. Just when Muniz seemed set to head home the follow-up, Davies arrived in the nick of time to clear from underneath his own crossbar. The former Flamengo forward was millimetres away from winning it with a spectacular scissor kick that flew just over – but by now Fulham appeared destined not to score.

Derby might even have conjured up a late winner themselves with Gazzaniga just about keeping out Jason Knight's rising drive from an acute angle, but Rooney would take great pride in his side's application. Derby have taken four points from the division's top two – widely expected to be contesting the Championship title in the second half of the season – in the space of four days. For Fulham, Silva will need to assess his walking wounded and hope his team can find the killer touch at Preston on Saturday.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Tete, A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed (Onomah 66), Seri; Wilson (Knockaert 78), Kebano, Carvalho; Muniz. Subs (not used): Las, Odoi, Hector, Bryan, Decordova-Reid.

BOOKED: Carvalho.

DERBY COUNTY (4-3-3): Roos; Byrne, Forsyth (Morrison 83), Jagielka, Davies; Shinnie, Bird, Thompson; Ebosele (Kazim-Richards 70), Knight, Lawrence. Subs (not used): Allsop, Jozwiak, Stearman, Sibley, Williams.

BOOKED: Ebosele, Shinnie

REFREEE: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham)

ATTENDANCE: 16,468



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/dogged-derby-frustrate-fulham/

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Silva disappointed with Derby draw

Marco Silva felt his Fulham side created enough chances to beat Derby at Craven Cottage, but the Whites couldn't find the killer instinct in front of goal.

The Fulham head coach told his post-match press conference after tonight's stalemate:

"In the first half we were a little slower than normal, in our build-up, but we created more than enough to win the game. We hit the post, someone cleared it off the line, big saves from the goalkeeper, but unfortunately, we didn't score."

Fulham were without top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic and captain Tom Cairney through illness, Silva explained.

"Mitrovic and Cairney are both ill. Even some of the others like Harrison, Bobby, Antonee and Harry had some problems these past few days. Bobby was on the bench, just because if we needed him, he'd try and help. We had six or seven players in this situation.

Rodák is in a really strange situation. They said he had contact on the plane with someone who had COVID. If the game was two days later, he could've played, but there's a protocol, and we respect the situation."

Silva refused to blame Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham's failure to break Derby down.

"Muniz had some moments, some not so good. He's a young boy, but hungry to learn and improve. We know he can score if our game from out wide is good enough. He had some chances in the second-half, sometimes he should've made a different decision, but that's football. He did everything and tried everything and we go again."



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