Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Fulham. Premier League.
MolineuxAttendance30,860.
Report and free match highlights as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Pedro Neto forced off injured for Wolves in first half; Tosin Adarabioyo hits crossbar for Fulham; Rayan Ait-Nouri scores opener before Nelson Semedo strike deflected in off Tom Cairney; Alex Iwobi nets late consolation
Saturday 9 March 2024 19:10, UK
Wolves overcame two first-half injuries to move up to eighth in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Fulham.
Gary O'Neil's side are now just one point behind seventh-placed West Ham despite winger Pedro Neto suffering a hamstring injury late in the first 45 minutes after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde had hobbled off early on.
Fulham had the better of the first half amid Wolves' woes as Harry Wilson shot wide when through on goal before Tosin Adarabioyo hit the crossbar from close range.
But after regrouping at the break, Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri fired them into a 52nd-minute lead and then right-back Nelson Semedo saw his shot diverted in off Tom Cairney for an own goal before Alex Iwobi netted a consolation for the visitors in added time.
Fulham created the first chance with Jose Sa pushing Andreas Pereira's shot away before Bellegarde was replaced in only the 11th minute.
Iwobi set up their next big moment, playing a superb pass through the middle of the Wolves defence for Wilson, who shot wide with the outside of his left foot.
Fulham's next golden opportunity came in the 35th minute when a spell of pressure ended with Harrison Reed sending a ball across the goal for Tosin, who saw his shot clip the top of the bar. Wolves were then dealt another injury blow as Neto clutched his left hamstring after bursting into the Fulham box.
However, after the break, Toti, who had replaced Neto, captalised on Calvin Bassey's poor header at a Wolves free-kick and pulled the ball back for Ait-Nouri to fire into the roof of the net.
Then Wolves struck again when Nathan Fraser timed his run in behind the Fulham defence well and his pull back ricocheted into the path of Joao Gomes. He teed up Semedo for a first-time shot which was heading wide until it deflected off Cairney and into the net.
Fulham pushed late on to pull one back, forcing Sa to deny substitute Joao Palhinha with Max Kilman heading Rodrigo Muniz's follow-up off the line.
Former Wolves winger Adama Traore drew another stop from Sa but finally he was beaten when Iwobi flicked in from close range in the final minute.
Referee Tony Harrington then lost patience with visiting manager Marco Silva and showed him a yellow card, adding to a frustrating afternoon that was barely improved by Iwobi's stabbed effort with almost the last kick of the game.
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil said:
"It's the best win of the season, from where we've been and what we've had to deal with over the last few weeks and then what we had to deal with today. Not only the quality we lose but the mental test it puts on the players.
"For them to respond in the way they did against a Fulham side that's almost full strength, for us to look as comfortable as we did was an incredible effort from an incredible group of players.
"Today surprised me. That's maybe too strong but we've had to deal with a lot. The lads find a way to group together and fight for everything.
Fulham manager Marco Silva said:
"We had enough chances to be leading at half-time. We didn't start really well but after the first chance we created, we built momentum and were on the front foot.
"The way we started the second half, we played too slow. The first 15 minutes, we were losing balls in dangerous areas. They start to have some good offensive transitions from the way we build and we were punished.
"We tried everything to put more offensive players on the pitch. We created enough chances to come back but it was not enough. We were punished by the lack of concentration and focus at the start of the second half."
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Wolves face Coventry City at Molineux in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday March 16, kick-off 12.15pm. They return to Premier League action after the international break at Aston Villa on Saturday March 30, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 5.30pm.
Fulham host London rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday March 16, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 5.30pm.
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