Fulham’s first victory of the new season had a distinctly north London feel to it.
Former Arsenal academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi were on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win over Leicester City.
The west London club dominated much of the game, with 18 attempts on goal. Midfielder Andreas Pereira was the creative link behind their play, making seven chances in total, the most any Fulham player has provided in a Premier League match since Opta began collecting the data in 2003.
The win ensures Fulham bounced back from a sucker-punch defeat at Old Trafford last week.
Here are the talking points…
Arsenal old boys get the job done
Smith Rowe and Iwobi were once among the flag bearers for Arsenal’s Hale End academy, so reuniting the pair this summer was an exciting prospect.
Iwobi set up Smith Rowe for his first goal for Arsenal, in the Europa League away at Qarabag in October 2018.
The pair did not combine directly for Fulham’s goals on Saturday but they did help to secure the result. A sign, perhaps, of more to come.
Smith Rowe scored a well-taken goal on his home debut; an important moment for a player who shoulders big expectations. This was his first goal in the Premier League for 857 days, spanning 32 games. His previous strike came against Chelsea in April 2022.
“When you sign a talented player like him, it’s always important to have a quick impact,” Silva said. “It gives him a bit more confidence.
“He’s far from his best, from a physical point of view. He will still improve and adapt to the way we play.”
Iwobi then continued the Arsenal theme by scoring in the second half, racing on to Antonee Robinson’s through ball to finish. His goal came at a crucial moment as Fulham’s quality was beginning to fade and the match looked in danger of drifting towards a draw.
But his intervention ensured that Fulham’s success with ex-Arsenal recruits, including Willian and Bernd Leno, continues.
Can Silva get the best out of Adama Traore?
For a while, Adama Traore was an enigma at Fulham. He signed on a free transfer last summer and spent the first half of the season mainly in the treatment room after a hamstring injury. He described it as one of the most serious of his career.
But Traore returned to make important cameos from the bench, none more so than his assist for Iwobi at Old Trafford in February, which secured a 2-1 win in stoppage time.
Last week, Traore made only his second start in a Fulham shirt and Silva kept the faith against Leicester. He made an impression, creating four chances including the assist for Smith Rowe’s opening goal. His in-field runs caused Leicester problems — despite facing a low block which deprived Traore of space for his trademark runs.
Traore shone against Leicester (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
His physical qualities are well known but he has always had a question mark about his end product. At 28, the chance to finally click into gear is fading. Can Silva make it work? There were promising signs.
“There are two things that are crucial,” said Silva. “It is about consistency. For a player who makes so many sprints, sometimes he needs time to breathe, he switches off. The other thing is his decision-making. If he can improve these things, he’s going to be more decisive for us.
“He’s starting games because he deserves it. He’s had an impact and had a good pre-season. We are going to work hard with him. He knows he has our confidence.”
Fulham’s transfer window is not done yet
Sander Berge, signed for an initial £20million with £5m in add ons, was accompanied by Joachim Andersen, signed for a fee in the region of £30m, on the pitch before kick-off on Saturday.
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The pair will have a big impact and they take this summer’s committed spend to beyond £95m. But Fulham are not done, with Silva wanting a winger in the final week. Fulham have had an offer accepted for Rayan Cherki, at Lyon, but he appears reluctant to make the move.
“Nothing is close,” said Silva. “We lost some big names in our club and when we lose these type of players, we have to be strong (in the market), like we have been. It has been a very good market for us. We have been pushing hard. The plan was there and we need the last piece, for the wide areas in the attack line.”
(Top photo: Smith Rowe celebrates his first Fulham goal. Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
