Sunday Fulham Stuff - 27/08/22...

[WhiteJC]

Silva praises players after Fulham's derby triumph

Marco Silva praised his Fulham side after their dramatic win over Brentford in the west London derby.

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in a winner in added time after the Bees had fought their way back from 2-0 down to level the score.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid's goal from Fulham's first attack and a header from Joao Palhinha put Fulham two up inside the first 20 minutes, before goals from Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney.

"I would like to win in a different way, to be honest," Silva joked.

"But it was a great afternoon for us. The way we played that first half, everybody at this football club has to be really pleased.

"We were the best team. I'm really pleased for the players with the way we played in the first half and the way we reacted after the equaliser as well.

"The reaction was really, really good. Our fans are, for sure, happy and proud of the team."

Silva handed 19-year-old forward Jay Stansfield a start out wide due to an injury to winger Neeskens Kebano, while Manor Solomon and Harry Wilson also remain out long-term.

But the Fulham boss says Kebano's injury is "not serious", though he is hoping for more reinforcements in the attacking areas soon.

"All the injuries are coming at the same time for the same position," Silva said.

"It's creating a big problem for us. Of course we have to do something in the next (few) days in the market.

"Kebano will be nothing really serious, I hope. It will be some days and let's see if he ready, not for the Carabao Cup, but for the next match against Arsenal.

"But let's see what we can do as well. The other two (Solomon and Wilson) we know, unfortunately, will be long-term.

"Let's see what will happen. Jay did well but of course we need more solutions because it was a really intense game and in the second half we needed more solutions on the bench, with more quick players in the attack line to give even more problems to them."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-wls-silva-praises-fulham-lines-up-new-signings-and-gives-update-on-kebano-injury

[WhiteJC]

Arsenal go top while Mitrovic guides Fulham to first win

Gunners earn impressive 3-0 victory at AFC Bournemouth and Mitrovic scores a late winner

A quickfire Martin Odegaard double helped Arsenal on their way to a 3-0 win at AFC Bournemouth and move the Gunners to the top of the table above north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Odegaard tapped in after Gabriel Martinelli's shot was parried by Mark Travers to put Arsenal ahead on five minutes before sweeping in six minutes later to make it 2-0.

William Saliba opened his Premier League account in style with a whipped strike in the 54th minute to seal victory.

Harry Kane's second-half header earlier in the day earned Spurs a hard-fought 1-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The forward's second goal in as many matches moves Spurs up to second on seven points, two behind Arsenal, while Wolves, who handed a debut to club-record signing Matheus Nunes, are 17th with one point.

Five-goal thriller in west London derby
Aleksandar Mitrovic's superb 90th-minute header earned Fulham their first win of the season as they beat west London rivals Brentford 3-2.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored after only 44 seconds to put Fulham in front and Joao Palhinha doubled the hosts' advantage.

But Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney pulled Brentford level before Mitrovic's third goal of the campaign sent Fulham up to fourth on five points, a point above fifth-placed Brentford.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace also picked up their first victory of 2022/23 as they came from behind to defeat Aston Villa 3-1.

Ollie Watkins gave Villa a fifth-minute lead but a Wilfried Zaha double and a goal by substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta secured the turnaround win.

Palace climb to 10th on four points, while Villa sit 13th on three points.

Saints off the mark at winless Leicester
Southampton were another side to pick up their first win of the season, coming from behind to claim a 2-1 success at Leicester City.

James Maddison's sweeping free-kick gave the Foxes a 54th-minute lead but Southampton substitute Che Adams scored twice to leave Leicester in 18th on one point, while Southampton are 12th with four points.

Nottingham Forest were denied back-to-back victories as Demarai Gray struck in the 88th minute to earn Everton a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

Brennan Johnson scored his first Premier League goal to break the deadlock with nine minutes remaining but Gray had the final say to earn Everton's first point of the season, lifting them up to 16th. Forest are 11th on four points.

Can City return to the summit?
Champions Manchester City travel to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon as they bid to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.

Leeds United host Chelsea while West Ham United will be targeting their first win of the campaign, at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.



https://www.premierleague.com/news/2749777

[WhiteJC]

Mitrovic ruins Brentford's fightback at the last

Aleksandar Mitrovic certainly knows how to pick his moments. The Serbian, deemed a flat track bully not worthy of the Premier League by the talking heads before the start of the season, offered another demonstration of his peerless penalty-box predatory with a last-gasp header to settle a thrilling west London derby in Fulham's favour this afternoon. His decisive intervention – a perfectly placed header from Kevin Mbabu's outstanding cross – came just a week after he had failed to convert a late spot-kick at Wolves and delivered Fulham's first home league win over Brentford in 22 years. That Marco Silva's side had squandered a seemingly comfortable two-goal cushion made their first victory of the season all the sweeter.

Mitrovic had convincingly won a physical battle with Pontus Jansson at the heart of the Bees' back line but had nothing to show for it as the clock ticked towards injury time. That had more to do with the excellence of David Raya in the visiting goal, who somehow palmed away a Mitrovic header from point-blank range and made a sprawling save when the talismanic forward had been set free on goal by a terrible back pass. His frustration matched Fulham's. The hosts had looked in total control, establishing a two goal lead through Bobby Decordova-Reid's opener inside the first minute and a towering header from Joao Palhinha, but spoiled a splendid first half by allowing Christian Norgaard to escape at a corner just before the break and volley Brentford right back into the contest.

The Whites rode their luck in the second period. Ivan Toney had two goals ruled out for offside – the first via VAR – and Thomas Frank's men looked much more like the side that had swatted Manchester United aside so straightforwardly last week in the second half. The visitors threw men forward, with Jay Stansfield producing a superb saving tackle to block a shot from Rico Henry, and were eventually rewarded when the Whites switched off down the right flank. Yoane Wisa worked his way to the byline and delivered a devilish low cross that Toney gleefully guided him. The striker's mimicking of Mitrovic's favoured celebration would tempt fate severely.

For a while, Fulham were rattled. Brentford were first to second balls and put a tiring home side under serious pressure. But the changes that Silva had arguably resisted for too long while his side were ahead tilted the game back in the Whites' favour. Tom Cairney found pockets of space in front of the Bees back four and Andreas Pereira, who had earlier been exceptionally unlucky not to open his Fulham account with a fine free kick roamed menacingly along the right flank. It was Mbabu, who eventually replaced Kenny Tete, who swung over two telling crosses from the right. His first saw Raya claw out a Mitrovic header from underneath his own crossbar, but the second – sent in from fully 35 yards – gave the red hot striker a clear run and jump at the back post. Mitrovic nodded a magnificent finish beyond Raya's despairing dive to send the Cottage into raptures.

Fulham's first win in 25 top flight London derbies should have been much more comfortable. As they have throughout this season, Silva's side started at a frenetic tempo. They could scarcely of dreamt about a better beginning. Mitrovic jinked his way inside and outside his man but his shot was blocked into the path of Stansfield, whose own effort was diverted onto the bar by Raya. Just when the chance looked like it had gone, there was Bobby Decordova-Reid to follow up. What a start after just 42 seconds.

Raya made good reaction saves from Pereira and Stansfield, who worked so hard out of position on the right flank, before Mitrovic had a goal correctly chalked off by VAR when he was in an offside position. You felt Fulham had to make their dominance count and they did when Palhinha, a colossus alongside Harrison Reed in central midfield once again, climbed highest to head home Pereira's corner. Fulham's afternoon then lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous as Brentford burst into level following Norgaard's opener. The Danish midfielder was fortunate to remain on the field after a lamentable lunge at Stansfield, but perhaps the most pleasing element of this Fulham performance was how they found another gear when the Bees appeared likelier to nick all three points in a frenetic finale.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete (Mbabu 77), A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Palhinha; Stansfield (Cairney 77), Decordova-Reid, Pereira; Mitrovic (Duffy 90+2). Subs (not used): Rodak, Diop, Chalobah, Francois, Harris.

BOOKED: Tete, Mbabu, Palhina.

BRENTFORD (4-3-3): Raya; Hickey (Lewis-Potter 70), Henry, Jansson, Mee; Norgaard, Jensen (Janelt 70) Da Silva (Baptiste 74); Mbuemo, Wissa (Ghoddos 83), Toney. Subs (not used): Strakosha, Sorenson, Rasmussen, Onyeke, Dervisoglu.

BOOKED: Da Silva, Mee.

REFEREE: Peter Bankes (Merseyside).

ATTENDANCE: 21,798.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/mitrovic-ruins-brentfords-fightback-at-the-last/

[WhiteJC]

Silva still wants more from 'fantastic' Fulham

Marco Silva saluted his 'fantastic' Fulham side's battling qualities after they recovered from letting a two-goal slip to beat Brentford – but still wants more improvement from his unbeaten outfit.

The Whites have drawn with Liverpool and Wolves and looked set for another stalemate, despite surging in a 2-0 lead in the derby early in the first half, before Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in a 90th minute winner to ruin Brentford's comeback. Silva shared his delight at Fulham's first win during his post-match press conference, but believes there are more complete performances to come.

"We believe in ourselves, our philosophy and in our way. It's the most difficult and best league in the world. But once you're here you have to challenge, you have to embrace the challenge.

We know there will be good moments and bad moments, and we have to keep reacting. We're pleased with how we've started the season, but we could even have had and obviously would have wanted more points.

It's a great afternoon for us. They fought back very well into the game, but after they equalised we started to play our way again, and to command the game again. It was a great goal at the end to win the game. We kept calm and fought back into it.

We deserved the points; overall we were the best team. I think we had the best chances to score, I'm really pleased for the players. I'm happy and proud of the team.

t's not easy when you're winning 2-0 and let that slip to be able to come back again. The most important thing today was the reaction: the belief in ourselves to go again. I'm really pleased to see that."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/silva-still-wants-more-from-fantastic-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Positives and negatives: Fulham 3-2 Brentford

Drew steps into Cam's Crocs (with socks) to give his verdict on Saturday's derby.

If that's the rollercoaster ride of the Premier League, then I don't want to get off.

Now I know how football journos feel. Subbed in for Cam, I jotted fragments of sentences into the positive and negative columns. Then Mitrovic scored and none of it mattered. But let's have a go anyway.

Positives
A blistering start
What away to begin. We caught Brentford sleeping from kick off; it's something we've had done to us before, so it was gratifying to see us utilise it in a big game. The result was Bobby De Cordova-Reid tapping in from close range after less than 45 seconds, after Jay Stansfield hit the crossbar – and the Cottage roof was blown off.

Joao adds goals
Palhinha's had us all purring since his debut against Liverpool. But now he's adding goals to his game. A stunner in pre-season whetted the appetite for his first league goal – our second of the afternoon. It was a sumptuous header illustrative of the man's physical and controlling presence – and we all thought it'd be a comfortable afternoon from then on.

Stansfield derby delight
He might not be "one of our own" in the truest sense, but who gives a sh*t? Jay almost had the fairytale start to his first Premier League start as he rattled the crossbar before our early opener, and he continued to impress from then onwards. What he still lacks in body mass he made up for in industry and guile off the ball, and he more than filled in for a missing Neeskens Kebano. Does he keep this spot for Arsenal?

Mmmmm – Baboo
Anyone else drooling after Kevin's substitute appearance? I for one was bemoaning Silva's reluctance to bring fresh legs on despite us being so under the cosh it physically hurt, but boy, the moves he made worked (shout out to TC here, too).

Mbabu typified the inspired subs. He provided a new impetus down the right, and capped off his exciting cameo with a pinpoint cross for Mitro to head in the winner. Kenny's got a fight on his hands and we're the real winners.

Mitro when it matters
They say the sign of a truly great striker is even if they have a bad game, they can still score (Andrew Cole anyone?). Mitro proved just that against the Bees. He missed some absolute gilt-edged chances, and at times appeared a tad lethargic and frustrated, but when it really mattered he came through, heading in past Raya in an absolutely iconic moment. Bliss.

Negatives
We made it bloody hard
Going from two up to 2-2 isn't a great look, and against more wily PL side it could and would've got worse. Brentford had the ball in the net four times, and from the end of the first half until the final 10, we were unrecognisable from the side that started the game so brightly.

We got away with it today. But we can't do that again.

Palhinha's yellow warning
Joao's positives are well documented, even at this early stage. But let's address the elephant in the room. Against Liverpool he combined aggression with precision; but in the following two games he's collected yellows like Pokémon cards. If he accumulates five then we're without our Portuguese string-puller. And we don't want that.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2022-08-20-positives-and-negatives-fulham-3-2-brentford/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham 3-2 Brentford: Player ratings

Bernd Leno: Rodak can feel a little hard done by missing out today after two pretty solid starts and a clean sheet at wolves last week and in all honesty I don't think the result would've been different if Rodak kept his place. However, Leno came in and provided a fairly solid showing, on numerous occasions his positioning allowed him to come out of his area and deal with some dangerous looking Brentford attacks, something which we haven't seen enough of from Rodak but we'll have to wait another week to really asses his shot stopping ability, there'll be plenty of opportunities for that at the Emirates next week. 7

Kenny Tete: Another solid showing from Tete particularly in the first half, he dealt with Wissa well and was untroubled for the first 45, his legs started to run out a little in the second half though and Brentford were starting to find a worrying amount of space on Tete's flank until he was replaced with Mbabu. 7

Tosin Adarabioyo: Dealt well with Toney in the first half and won everything thrown at him but struggled to keep him as close in the second and at times seemed to lack a little concentration but overall a solid performance with some really nice passes thrown in there, something we saw a lot last season. Diop may find it a little harder than expect to break up the partnership forming between Ream and Tosin. 7

Tim Ream: Despite conceding two goals I felt Ream was rock at the back again today, couldn't be happier for him. He's been absolutely brilliant so far this season and proved a lot of people wrong. To me he's solidified his place for the foreseeable and if anyone is to be dropped in that backline, he looks the least likely. Another really solid display today, he looked like winning every 50/50 and it feels great to be shouting REEEAAAAM in the Premier League. 8

Antonee Robinson: Much like Tete on the other side Robinson started the game really well and impressed in the first 45, continuing a really great start this season  after a few question marks were raised over whether he was the right player for us in that role. He was solid at the back and caused issues going forward but found himself under more pressure in the second half and struggled slightly to make as much of an impact at both ends but overall a solid display. 7

Joao Palhinha: Let's start with that bullet header which put us 2 goals to the good after 20 minutes, it looked incredible from the top of the Hammy End and its hard to believe Palhinha is a Fulham player, still not sure how we pulled that off but fair play to whoever secured him! Aside from that he was a constant presence in the middle, perhaps he was fortunate not to see red for an elbow in the first half and he'll have to watch himself but after the yellow he controlled himself well. 8

Harrison Reed: The combination of Palhinha and Reed is a dream, the work rate between them is absolutely amazing and wherever Palhinha isn't, Reed is. We saw his ability in the Premier League under Parker so there wasn't much question about whether he could do it for us again. He was an excellent ball winner today, and moved the ball well from deep. He couldn't help himself to a speculative shot at 2-0 up but really should've slipped in Stansfield, his goal will come one day! 8

Andreas Pereira: I thought Pereira was brilliant today, he tired slightly towards the end but no one can blame him for that. He never stopped running and closing down players which Brentford really struggled with particularly early on. He was also fantastic on the ball, skilful again and manoeuvred his way into some great positions whilst also picking out some lovely passes. His deliveries from corners and free kicks were excellent and he put one right on the money for Palhinha, I'm sure he'll rack up plenty of assists if he continues like this. 8

Jay Stansfield: A very respectable first premier league start for Jay, at 19 years of age he looked comfortable on the ball and wasn't afraid to take players on. Early on he caused a lot of problems down the right and was in amongst the chaos before Decordova-Reid put us 1 up inside a minute. Soon after, he found his way past the backline and attempted to go alone when a square ball might've provided us a better opportunity but promising signs were there. I felt he began to fade a little and struggled to keep up with the pace but with a few more opportunities I think he could quickly find his feet, didn't look out of place at all. 7

Aleksandar Mitrovic: It couldn't have been anyone else. On hand to rise up at the back post and secure a Derby day victory, putting Toney firmly in his place. It was a superb header and throughout the game he caused Mee and Jansson problems, his finishing wasn't fully up to scratch though as his free header in the first half was placed centrally giving Raya a routine save to make, he also found himself in on goal in the second half but couldn't covert. Minutes before his winner he had a very similar chance but again couldn't put it away although credit to Raya on this one as he made a fine save. 8

Bobby Decordova-Reid: A really solid performance, he worked tirelessly back and forth, found the back of the next early on and continued to show us that he's actually much better player in the Premier League, perhaps where he has less time to think and just do, some great touches and bits of skill helped us get out of tight situations and put us on the front foot. 8

Substitues:

Tom Cairney and Kevin Mbabu: Both substitutes came on and had a massive impact. We were really starting to struggle and Brentford were on top and looking most likely to win the game. We were screaming out for a change and perhaps it should've come earlier but bringing these two on was pivotal. Cairney sured up the centre of the park where we had lost our grip and Mbabu's energy prevented Brentford breaking down the left, he also provided a brilliant cross for the winning goal! 8

Shane Duffy: Came on for Mitrovic to preserve Fulham's advantage during four minutes of stoppage time – winning a number of vital headers. 6

A quick note on Marco Silva, I really hope he's here for the long haul. An excellent manager and what he's done so far this season with little to work with has been incredible. I'm not slating our recruitment as I think we've done well and there will be more to come but with the injuries to Wilson, Solomon and now Kebano, to be getting three goals against a decent Brentford defence without them is really brilliant and the way he used the substitutes today impressed me.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/fulham-3-2-brentford-player-ratings/

[WhiteJC]

Stansfield savours 'incredible' win

Young Fulham forward Jay Stansfield said beating Brentford in the last minute was 'incredible' – and believes the Whites' first Premier League win can give Marco Silva's side even more confidence.

The 19 year-old was handed his first Premier League start after coming off the bench at Wolves last week and, just like at Molineux, he didn't look fazed by replacing the injured Neeskens Kebano, even if he was operating on the right flank. Stansfield came close to opening the scoring after 40 seconds, but his shot was deflected onto the frame of the goal by Ben Mee, but Bobby Decordova-Reid tucked home the rebound to give Fulham the perfect start.

Stansfield told FFCTV after the final whistle yesterday:

    "It's crazy. To get the three points – our first three points of the season – was incredible and to do it in a derby like this, with the atmosphere how it was, is incredible

The teenager spoke of the importance of his preparation after Kebano suffered an injury on the training ground in week and felt the confidence shown in him by Silva has helped him step into the senior side so seamlessly.

    "Unfortunately for Neeskens, he got injured in training on Wednesday and it was a bit up in the air, if I'm being honest. I needed to make sure I was prepared to be ready, so if when I got to the meeting this morning and if I was on the team sheet, I was ready to perform. It feels good for him to put me out there in such a big game with not much experience. Going out there has helped me learn a lot, having to concentrate and stay focused for the whole game. It is a platform for me to build on now, try and get as many games under my help, so when this comes round again, I can show what I can do."

Stansfield offered words of praise for the Craven Cottage crowd, who helped rouse Fulham after Brentford came back from 2-0 down, as well as for Mitrovic, whose late header ensured the Whites clinched a first home league win over their near neighbours in some 22 years.

    "It was tough. The crowd helped us a lot, the early goal helped us a lot. We've made this our home. Teams come here and they feel worried and under pressure. That comes from our supporters and the way we press. When it went to 2-2, we've got people in our team who can come up with big moments and Mitro is one of them. To get the three points is just unbelievable. The main thing is as a team we keep building and building. To get our first three points in the Premier League, we can start to kick off a good run now."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/stansfield-savours-incredible-win/

[WhiteJC]

Mitrovic: 'We never give up'

Aleksandar Mitrovic credited Marco Silva for Fulham's never say die attitude after his last-minute goal clinched a dramatic derby victory over Brentford.

The Serbian striker headed home a terrific cross from substitute Kevin Mbabu to break Bees' heads after Thomas Frank's side had launched a stirring fightback having gone 2-0 down in twenty minutes at Craven Cottage. Mitrovic told Sky Sports after the final whistle:

"It is an amazing feeling. I think it was a good derby day. A lot of goals, turnovers and in the end we managed to get the win. We made it difficult for ourselves. We had good thirty five minutes in the first half, then we stopped the tempo. They were coming, they scored goals. In the end, I managed to get a goal. To be honest, I missed a couple of chances but I kept calm, stay in the game and managed to get the goal.

Mitrovic, who now three goals in three games this season, admitted that it looked like Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, who made two superb saves in the second half, was likely to stop him from getting on the scoresheet.

    He made it so hard for me for today. I missed a couple of chances. They were a lot of up and downs – the story of my life I could say! But you know, I never give up, I believed one ball would come. If the ball comes, I need to be ready. That's what happened. Stay calm, keep believing. It was a great cross, a good header and a big three points for us. The first win this season.

Fulham's talismanic number nine believes there is a big difference between this Fulham side – unbeaten after three games – and the ones that he played in previously, which rather wilted on promotion to the top flight.

    I said a lot of times that the manager has I can say changed the club, changed the way we play, changed the way we believe and we never give up. We showed today, we started good, then we concede two goals but in the end we managed to get three points. We believed to the end and I think today we deserved the points.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/08/mitrovic-we-never-give-up/

[EastEndWhite]

MATCH REPORTS 20 AUG '22

FULHAM 3 BRENTFORD 2
Late heartbreak at Craven Cottage

WRITTEN BY CIARAN BRETT

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored an 88th-minute goal to settle a pulsating West London derby and hand Brentford their first defeat of the campaign.

It was the fifth goal scored on an afternoon that saw the Bees fight back from two goals down to level. Thomas Frank's side also had two goals disallowed before they were eventually beaten.

Bobby Decordova-Reid netted the early opener before Joao Palhinha powered in a second inside the opening 20 minutes.

Christian Norgaard volleyed home on the stroke of half-time to make it 2-1 with Ivan Toney levelling inside the final 20 minutes, one of three times he had the ball in the net on the afternoon.

Both sides created chances late on but, just when it looked like the points would be shared, Mitrovic met Kevin Mbabu's deep cross to finally win his personal battle with David Raya and earn the home side the three points.

Frank opted to return to a 4-3-3 for our trip to SW6, Yoane Wissa coming into the starting XI in place of Mads Roerslev. Fulham lined up with Jay Stansfield and Bobby De Cordova-Reid either side of Mitrovic in attack and it was the three of them who combined inside a minute to put the hosts ahead.

There was a large element of luck involved: Mitrovic's blocked cross landed right back at his feet, Aaron Hickey's excellent challenge on Decordova-Reid only saw the ball roll perfectly for Stansfield, and then his shot, half-blocked by Ben Mee, looped up over Raya, down off the bar, and right back to Decordova-Reid to poke home.

Buoyed by that early goal, Fulham were all over the Bees in the opening stages. With Andreas Pereria finding space to dictate the game in the middle, and Fulham's front four excellent in the press without the ball, we were hemmed back into our half for large periods.

Raya was called into action by Pereira's long shot while Pontus Jansson atoned for giving the ball away to Stansfield by making an excellent recovery run and block as the Fulham youngster travelled from the halfway line to the edge of the box. The loose ball then landed back at the feet of Mitrovic but his follow-up effort was straight into the arms of Raya.

Brentford's only real opening came as Toney looked to get on to Wissa's lofted ball but Bernd Leno sprinted off his line to punch clear.

Jansson had to make another important block as Pereira looked to gather Robinson's ball through the middle and shortly after Raya was forced into an outstanding reflex save to repel Mitrovic's bullet header. The Serb put the loose ball in the net, but the flag went up for offside.

The Fulham striker had been given too much space for that chance and Brentford didn't learn their lesson. From the next corner, Henry didn't know much about the block he made from Mitrovic's volley but there was no stopping the Whites from the resulting set-piece. Palhinha rose highest and planted his header past Raya from eight yards.

The Fulham man could, very quickly, have gone from hero to zero as he flattened Mee in an aerial battle – his eyes were always on the ball, but he led with his arm and caught Mee dangerously in the head. However, Peter Bankes saw fit only to show him a yellow card.

That break in play seemed to suit the away side better as the Bees began to get a foothold once the game restarted. Bryan Mbeumo registered the first shot on target with a right-footed effort that was easy for Leno while the Fulham 'keeper was also equal to Wissa's looping header moments later.

However, there was nothing the Fulham debutant could do when Norgaard peeled away to the front post and met Jensen's out-swinging corner with the cleanest of volleys a minute before the break.

Having been second best for much of the opening 45, that goal changed the tone of the half-time team talks and the boys wearing black came out of the traps quickly.

Tosin had to, and did, time his last-man challenge perfectly to stop Toney on the edge of the box. When, on our next attack, Toney did get the better of the Fulham backline, VAR came to their aid. The Bees frontman was adjudged offside by the merest of margins as he controlled Rico Henry's dinked ball, turned, and slotted into the bottom corner from 15 yards.

Toney and Mitrovic were the last two winners of the Sky Bet Championship golden boot and both were on the end of a number of chances as the game stretched in the final quarter.

Fulham's number nine should have wrapped things up when he pounced on Norgaard's loose backpass. He only had Raya to beat but Raya stayed big, read where the shot was going and produced a crucial save.

Toney then gathered Wissa's flick-header through and beat Leno but once again the linesman's flag cut short the celebrations from the away end. By now, Brentford were well on top, and it was no surprise when the leveller came with 19 minutes remaining.

It was made by Bryan Mbeumo's slide-rule pass into Wissa. The winger then flashed a ball into the six-yard box which Keane Lewis-Potter dummied, allowing Toney to turn home from close-range.

Even at 2-2, the crowd knew the scoring wasn't done. Lewis-Potter nearly opened up a shooting opportunity after going on a mazy run past three Fulham defenders - the ball was recycled to Norgaard but Leno was equal to his low shot from inside the D

After weathering a storm following the equaliser, Fulham finished far the stronger. Raya denied Mitrovic twice, the first of which was a superb reaction save, while Jansson made a vital, and painful, block from Reed's effort.

However, there was to be no denying last season's 43-goal man when, as the clocked ticked towards the 90, he peeled away, got up above Mbeumo, and nodded Mbabu's cross back across Raya and into the net.

Injury-time was spent with the Bees piling men forward in search of another equaliser but none came as we suffered a first defeat at Craven Cottage in 32 years.

Brentford: Raya; Hickey (Lewis-Potter 60), Jansson, Mee, Henry; Norgaard, Jensen (Janelt 60), Dasilva (Baptiste 74); Mbeumo, Wissa (Ghoddos 83), Toney

Subs not used: Strakosha, Onyeka, Dervişoglu, Bech, Roerslev

Fulham: Leno; Tete (Mbabu 77), Tosin, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Stansfield (Cairney 77); Mitrovic (Duffy 89)

Subs not used: Rodak, Chalobah, Diop, Francois, Ablade, Harris

Attendance: 21,798


https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/match-report-fulham-3-brentford-2