Fulham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Premier League.
Craven Cottage.
Report as Wolves win 4-1 at Fulham; Matheus Cunha scored twice as the visitors moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after recording back-to-back league wins; the hosts had lead early on through Alex Iwobi's brilliant strike
Saturday 23 November 2024 23:14, UK
Matheus Cunha scored twice to help Wolves come from behind to win 4-1 at Fulham as Gary O'Neil's side moved out of the Premier League relegation zone.
The home side made the brighter start at a damp and windy Craven Cottage and should have opened the scoring early on, only for the in-form Raul Jimenez - against his old club - to somehow smash the bar from a few yards out when it seemed almost impossible to miss from so close in.
However, Marco Silva's team did deservedly take a 20th-minute lead thanks to a stunning Alex Iwobi strike as the midfielder curled home into the top left-hand corner from the edge of the area to send the Cottage into raptures.
Out of nothing, though, the visitors levelled just past the half-hour mark through a thing of beauty from another in-form frontman as Cunha plucked Mario Lemina's lofted pass out of the air, before neatly flicking the ball past Bernd Leno to silence the home fans.
Cunha was involved again eight minutes into the second period as Wolves turned the game on its head to lead after a lovely passing move in and around the Fulham box, with the Brazil international cleverly finding compatriot Joao Gomes in the area and the midfielder making no mistake with a composed low finish into the far corner.
And it was player-of-the match Cunha - "there's no limit to where he can go," said Gary O'Neil of him after the game - who completed the unlikely second-half turnaround as the striker bent an absolute beauty over Leno, at full stretch, from 25 yards out, before substitute Goncalo Guedes added a fourth in stoppage time to give a rather unflattering final scoreline.
As a result, Wolves moved out of the drop zone after recording back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since February. Meanwhile the Cottagers, who had to play the final quarter of an hour with only 10 men when Joachim Andersen limped off with five subs having been made, drop to ninth in the table after just a second home loss in the league this season.
Fulham boss Marco Silva:
"He's [Cunha] a good example, it doesn't surprise me because they have individual quality. I know what they're capable of doing and they have players like Cunha who is a very good striker and has a very good impact in the way they play," Silva said.
"He never gives up and with all the balls, he fights, he can attack in behind and create problems for the back four. He's a good example of the quality they have."
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil:
"There's no limit to where he [Cunha] can get to, ability-wise. He's going to stay at Wolves for as long as possible firstly but after that there's no limit to where he can go.
"Everyone knows how important he is to us. This isn't the Matheus who arrived at Wolves.
"His numbers, his hunger, his willingness to do the other side of it, he's come on so much, he leads that and I love working with him, he can be a top player. He works every day to be as good as he can be.
"It was Matheus Cunha's best out-of-possession performance I've seen from him, we have big quality and can score goals.
"Bernardo Silva and Martin Odegaard are top without the ball - Matheus' numbers are as good as anybody."
