Senior Reporter Ben Knapton | 21m
Fulham and Nottingham Forest meet in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, both looking to bounce back from 1-0 defeats at the weekend.
Marco Silva’s team came away empty-handed from their match against Liverpool, which ended in a 4-3 win for the Reds, while Steve Cooper’s team was defeated 1-0 by Everton.
Fulham came from behind twice in the first half to enter the tunnel on level terms thanks to Harry Wilson’s strike and a Kenny Tete toe-poke in added time, and Marco Silva’s face said it all during the Cottagers’ seven-goal extravaganza with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Fulham were on the verge of ending Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield when Bobby Decordova-Reid towered over Kostas Tsimikas and headed home in the 80th minute, but Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold broke the Cottagers’ hearts, the latter striking a stunning winner in the 87th minute.
Wolverhampton Wanderers fans may believe Fulham got their just desserts on Merseyside, having been the victim of late controversy in the Cottagers’ 3-2 victory six days prior to Fulham’s agonizing Anfield defeat, which leaves Silva’s men 14th in the Premier League table after 14 games.
The Cottagers still possess a healthy eight-point cushion over the relegation places, but a prolonged run of dissatisfactory defensive performances could drag them closer to danger; Silva’s side have now shipped nine goals in their last three games and are without a clean sheet in 10 matches in all tournaments.
With three triumphs and three defeats at Craven Cottage in the 2023-24 Premier League season, Fulham have followed a win-loss pattern at home this term; not a good omen for the Cottagers faithful, and nor is their side’s record of failing to win their last 11 top-flight games played on a Wednesday.
Only one place and two points separates Fulham from their upcoming opponents in the Premier League table, leaving the Cottagers at risk of being leapfrogged by Nottingham Forest should their inconsistent home pattern continue, but the Tricky Trees have not proven a tricky test for most of their rivals so far this term.
Seeking to rebound from 3-2 defeats at the hands of West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion, Forest were thwarted by a tenacious Everton defense at the weekend, succumbing to a stunning Dwight McNeil strike in a 1-0 loss at the City Ground,
where boos rang out at the final whistle.
Cooper should not be in any danger of being given the boot for the moment, but the 43-year-old is feeling the heat as the winter chill arrives, with his side only six points clear of the drop zone in 15th spot having now fallen to three straight defeats in the top division.
November’s surprise 2-0 beating of Champions League-chasing Aston Vila feels like an age ago for Forest, who have only taken one point from their last four Premier League fixtures on the road, failing to make the net ripple in three of those contests.
Both Fulham and Forest have a penchant for 3-2 scorelines in recent weeks, and the Cottagers’ trip to the City Ground coincidentally ended with Silva’s side winning by that margin, before Willian and Manor Solomon led the hosts to a routine 2-0 victory in February.
There were no new injury concerns for Fulham during their loss to Liverpool, where Joao Palhinha returned from a domestic suspension, so Silva should only be without three known absentees for Cooper’s visit.
Adama Traore (thigh), Issa Diop (foot), and Rodrigo Muniz (knee) are not expected to return just yet, but all three are expected to return before the New Year; the former and latter could even be available for the weekend’s West Ham derby.
Silva’s decision to start Wilson instead of two-goal Wolves hero Willian was justified at the weekend, but both Tom Cairney and Reid – who combined for Fulham’s third at Anfield – have put their names in the hat for starts on Wednesday.
Cooper, on the other hand, was forced to make an unwelcome change at halftime against Everton, as centre-back Willy Boly succumbed to a muscular problem and will now be replaced in the shield by Felipe or Moussa Niakhate.
Apart from Boly, the only other player under the care of the Forest medical staff is Taiwo Awoniyi, who is recovering from a groin procedure and is unlikely to be back in action until March.
The Tricky Trees didn’t have any truly abysmal performances over the weekend, but the quick turnaround should help Nicolas Dominguez, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Neco Williams earn recalls to the starting lineup on this occasion.
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