by At Craven Cottage, Var was king. Fulham won an entertaining game via penalties, awarded after a debate at Stockley Park long enough to play Dark Side of the Moon three times, securing their first win in five games.
It was a score win that delighted and surprised the home fans – who were used to watching their side work in front of goal – in equal measure.
“Predicting a score? We’re 6-0,” said the man in the row in front of the press box as he took his seat before kick-off. “Just kidding, of course. We will be lucky to see one.”
“Just kidding, of course. We will be lucky to see one.”
That’s what they expect at Craven Cottage these days: lots of invention, lots of effort, very few goals. He wasn’t alone in his surprise, then, when a minute after the penalty came a moment Fulham fans assumed was over his goal-shy side.
Alex Iwobi – one of four midfielders attacked by Marco Silva’s bold selection – started it, taking control of the ball on the right wing. Flowing inside, he crossed to Antonee Robinson. The goalkeeper played a neat one-two with Willian and after getting the ball back on the byline, he ran across the goal. It looked like he would fall behind Iwobi as he cut in. But he somehow managed to adjust his footing to get the ball past the wrong-footed Jose Sa.
The Wolves goalkeeper came back almost immediately to save a ferocious shot from Tom Cairney at the end of a carefully choreographed corner as Fulham, encouraged by their dearth of goalkeepers, pressed and foraged. They were full of one neat junction; Willian in particular buzzing across the field.
But there was a sense that lurking within his rear guard was a mistake waiting to happen. With only Harrison Reed to defend in midfield, they were left exposed. Especially with Mario Lemina, Wolves’ main demolition man, about to happen. Soon after the start he made his role immediately clear with an extremely effective tackle on Andreas Pereira.
It was Lemina who caught a loose pass from Reed, who went forward and quickly left Hwang Hee-chan. The forward’s shot cleared the bar, but it was a clear sign that Wolves were capable of quick and decisive breaks. Nobody was surprised – least of all the supporters in front of the press box – when Nelson Semedo sent Jean-Ricner Bellegarde running along the line, a few minutes later, he turned and headed his way past Robinson was visibly hesitant, he just stood there. up a fine cross. Matheus Cunha, standing completely unmanned, accepted the invitation to enter the corner of the net.
Wolves, now having worked out what to do – harassed and pounced in Fulham’s midfield and were fully charged by their defence. Bernd Leno saved more pressure, then Timothy Castagne slid in to clear the ball from his own line. As the first half drew to a close, the neat interchanges that had characterized Fulham’s early efforts, which always ran straight to Sa, were replaced by long balls hit and hope from the defence.
But anyone who would have assumed that the second half would quickly follow the standard Cottage pattern here – Fulham dillying, dallying then finally losing – was quickly abused. Within moments of restarting something extraordinary happened: Cairney dispossessed the hitherto imperial Lemina with rotting equipment. He conceded on to the area, only to be tripped up by Semedo. It seemed obvious, it seemed obvious, but Var definitely took the excitement out of the moment. Eventually, Willian was allowed to take the penalty kick and scored.
The trouble was, any hope that this could lead to something positive, quickly dissipated. This was, after all, Fulham. Wolves went ahead immediately, from a long ball Calvin Bassey lost into his own area, Hwang in front, Tim Ream took it down. Hwang equalized with a thumping penalty kick.
Now this was interesting. Silva replaced Raul Jimenez, ineffective against his old club, and Pereira with Vinicius and Harry Wilson, in an attempt to prove a winner. Another shot was saved by Iwobi, Willian skimming a delicious cross low and hard, but nobody came close to tapping it in. They were only when Wilson did the same.
But where there is hope there is Var. And after referee Michael Salisbury turned down appeals when Wilson went down under a Joao Gomes tackle, the videos intervened. Another Fulham penalty, scored by Willian. That is not the end of the drama. Wolves argued they should also have had another penalty for handball in a last gasp scramble. But this time Var remained silent.
