Fulham 2-1 Leicester City. Alex Iwobi scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute to secure Fulham’s first Premier League win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Leicester in their home opener.
The Nigeria winger’s shot, fired through the legs of Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, restored Fulham’s lead after Wout Faes had equalized for the Foxes just before halftime.
Fulham took the lead earlier in the match when their record signing, Emile Smith Rowe, scored. Smith Rowe, who joined Fulham from Arsenal for £34m after a challenging season with the Gunners, made an immediate impact at Craven Cottage. He received a pass from Adama Traore, drove towards goal, and struck the ball into the far corner.
Faes’ equalizer was initially disallowed by referee Darren Bond, who judged Jamie Vardy to be offside and interfering with Fulham’s goalkeeper, Bernd Leno. However, after a VAR review, Bond overturned his decision, ruling that Leno had pushed Vardy, allowing the goal to stand.
Following Iwobi’s winner, Leicester struggled to regain possession and lacked the sharpness needed to equalize, with Wilfred Ndidi’s late shot being their closest attempt, which was saved by Leno in injury time.
For Marco Silva’s Fulham, the win was a welcome turnaround after their opening match loss to Manchester United, where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by a late goal.
Fulham’s performance was particularly impressive given their high number of shots on goal—18 in total—demonstrating their attacking intent throughout the match. Silva had noted the need for a forward earlier in the week, and both Smith Rowe and Iwobi displayed a clinical touch, with Smith Rowe’s composed finish and Iwobi’s precise strike making the difference.
Fulham have been active in the transfer window, spending over £50m on new signings Sander Berge and Joachim Andersen, although neither featured in this match. Their arrival was well-received by fans, but the duo was not included in the squad for this game.
Leicester, on the other hand, struggled to make an impact. In their previous 1-1 draw against Tottenham, they were outplayed, and against Fulham, they were similarly ineffective. Jamie Vardy, at 37, had limited influence, touching the ball just 12 times and failing to register a shot before being substituted.
Defensively, Leicester were unconvincing. Hermansen made several crucial saves in the first half to prevent further goals, and Jannik Vestergaard nearly scored an own goal with a defensive header that looped over Hermansen. Faes also had a risky moment, but Rodrigo Muniz’s follow-up shot went over the bar, highlighting Leicester’s struggles both defensively and offensively.
source – BBC
