Fulham scored at the start of both halves to earn a 2-1 win over Wolves at Molineux and get their push for Europe back on track.
Ryan Sessegnon was making his first Premier League start for Fulham since his return to his boyhood club in the summer and his first start in the competition for over two years. It took him 58 seconds to put the away side in front following a sweeping move.
Wolves, coming into the game having won three of their previous four in all competitions, responded well and had their equaliser before too long when Joao Gomes hammered the bouncing ball high into the Fulham net beyond Bernd Leno.
But Fulham caught the hosts cold again 64 seconds into the second half – the impressive Rodrigo Muniz latching onto Adama Traore’s ball to finish deftly beyond Jose Sa. Wolves toiled in search of a second equaliser but could not build any momentum.
The victory keeps Marco Silva’s side right in the hunt for Champions League qualification, moving Fulham within two points of Manchester City. Wolves miss the chance to move further away from the relegation zone and stay just five points clear.
Silva changes pay off | Wolves tire
After losing at home to Crystal Palace, Silva made five changes to his Fulham team and that raised some eyebrows before kick-off given that Antonee Robinson was omitted from the starting line-up for the first time in the Premier League this season.
But it paid off instantly. Muniz, too strong for Santiago Bueno all evening, found Andreas Pereira and a third player brought into the team, Sessegnon, was just about onside to score. The changes brought energy to Fulham, Muniz getting a goal of his own later.
The fact that Vitor Pereira opted to name an unchanged team was also a factor in how the game played out, Matheus Cunha fading badly in the second half. Wolves looked tired and out of ideas long before the end, failing to force Leno into a save after the interval.
If Silva can continue to rotate his squad this effectively for the remainder of the season do not discount them. It is a congested top half of the Premier League table with Nottingham Forest only five points ahead of Fulham as it stands. A big few months ahead.
Pereira: I felt the team was tired
Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira speaking in the press conference:
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Vitor Pereira admits Wolves concede easy goals and lacked energy in their loss to Fulham at Molineux.
“At the start, our concentration and focus was not at the level of the game. After, we react, we start to play against a good team, winning 1-0. We create some situations and score the goal. But when you start the second half in the same way it is difficult.
“In the second half, I felt the team was tired, the movements, the pressing was not the pressing that we are used to doing. When they start with the subs they have a lot of solutions in the squad and for us it is not the case.
“The only striker that we have is [Jorgen Strand] Larsen in this moment and he came from injury. He is not fit yet, he is trying to get his condition and I am afraid that if he gets injured again it would be a big problem for us.
“We need to defend well. Today, we committed mistakes that we cannot make again. Tomorrow, we start work to correct these mistakes. Of course, the players tried. But not in the right way.”
Silva: We needed fresh legs
Fulham head coach Marco Silva speaking in the press conference:
“The last game for us was a difficult one. Performance-wise, it was not the best, and I knew that to come here, the game was going to demand some fresh legs inside.
“It’s not easy when you change five players, one game to the other, at the level that we’re playing in the Premier League.”
Sessegnon’s swift impact on return
Silva said: on Sessegnon: “First, he’s a lovely boy. The last two, three years, they were really tough for him. A player who started at 16 years old in high level and I think all of us that we are here and probably everybody that loves football in this country and recognising that moment that he’s going to have an amazing career because he was a top, top, top talent.
“Sometimes football is not always like that. He started to have a lot of injuries in a row and it took confidence from him. But the most important thing, it took from him the sharpness that he needed to be at this level.
“Of course, we took a decision to bring him back for our football club and we knew it and we had a plan for him that the first six, seven, eight months and until the end of the season, they are going to be crucial for him. You have to keep him as healthy as you can. He’s doing a big effort.
“He’s working hard. Of course, it’s the first Premier League start but in both cups, he’s been starting the games and performance-wise, he’s been very good.
“It’s just up to us this season. It’s crucial for us to keep him in good physical conditions because, after, the quality is there.
“He needs to be at the confidence again, on the rhythm again, the intensity and the demanding of Premier League because the other things he has and he’s already a very good tool for us and in the future, he’s going to be a top tool for Fulham.
Silva added: “He’s a family guy that needs to have some luck as well because sometimes it’s really tough when you get injuries in a row. Let’s hope the future is going to be bright for him again.
“First of all, I just want him ready to train every single day and after the good things will come for him for sure.”
