Fabulous Fulham push Gerrard to the brink
Marco Silva’s men fell behind within two minutes of kick-off in their last match against Bournemouth, and they looked determined to correct that by flying out of the traps here. Willian had a huge chance to net his first goal for the Cottagers inside five minutes, but his low drive was well stopped by Emiliano Martínez. Fulham continued their pressure with Andreas Pereira coming to the fore, first rifling in a volley that was deflected narrowly wide before providing a perfect delivery for Aleksandar Mitrović, whose header was blocked on the line by Tyrone Mings.
But the hosts’ relentless pressure finally told 10 minutes before the break to put Fulham ahead. Villa could only clear a corner to the edge of the box where Harrison Reed was waiting, and he placed his effort perfectly in the corner to net his second goal for the club. Despite their vociferous away support booming around Craven Cottage, Villa offered very little in the first half. Their only real threat came on the brink of HT, when Bernd Leno twice spilled John McGinn’s long-range effort, then denied Ollie Watkins on the rebound.
Gerrard and his team were booed off at the interval by the travelling contingent at Craven Cottage, and things got even worse for the visitors soon after HT. Reacting angrily after a challenge involving Mitrović, Douglas Luiz appeared to headbutt the Serbian, who certainly made the most of the contact. Yet, Michael Oliver was sufficiently persuaded to brandish the red card after a VAR review, giving Villa a near-impossible task.
Fulham rubbed salt in the Villa wounds just moments later, winning a penalty after Matty Cash blocked Mitrović’s shot with his arm. The Cottagers talisman stepped up to convert in unconvincing fashion, scoring his eighth of the season to condemn the visitors to an eighth defeat in their last nine trips to the capital. A piece of individual skill from Neeskens Kebano put the icing on the cake, with the DR Congo international beating Cash before his cross was inadvertently directed home by Mings.
It will be a long trip back to Birmingham tonight for the sorry Villans, and Steven Gerrard’s job is surely hanging by a thread, with his side out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone, while Fulham moved into the top half as their excellent start to the season continues.
