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Fulham (a) Premier League
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Date: Saturday 6th April 2024, 3pm (not on live UK TV) Venue: Craven Cottage
Conditions: Relieved |
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Fulham |
Newcastle |
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0 - 1 |
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| Half time: | 0 - 0 | |
| Score Sheet: | ||
Guimaraes (81)  |
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Teams |
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Leno |
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Dubravka Krafth Hall Schar Burn Longstaff Guimaraes Willock Gordon Murphy Isak |
| Substitutes: | ||
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(65)
Traore for Pereira (65) Luckic for Cairney (65) Wilson for Willian (85) Broja for Joao Palhinha (86) Jimenez for Carvalho |
Anderson
for Willock (40) Barnes for Murphy (65) Ritchie for Gordon (90+5) Dummett for Hall (90+5) |
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| Subs not used: | ||
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Rodak Reed Ream De Cordova-Reid |
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Karius Gillespie Diallo White A.Murphy |
| Bookings: | ||
Luckic
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Schar
Longstaff
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| Dismissals: | ||
| None | None | |
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Referee:
Sam Allison - a new name at first team level as
far as Newcastle are concerned. His only previous sightings have come in
reserve games during 2016 (a 2-1 win away to Brighton) and 2017 (a 1-0 win
away to West Bromwich Albion). |
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Attendance:
24,418 including 2,300 away
fans plus a sprinkling of away sympathisers in home areas,
despite some moderate efforts by Fulham to restrict ticket sales.
Kieran Trippier was present. To further engage and build upon
their international following NUFC sent a contingent led by
Toon Army America, a loose
confederation of US-based supporter groups, conducts an annual
90 minutes post-match several dozen
Toon faithful congregated in the Hard Rock Cafe for |
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Goals |
Half time: Fulham 0 Newcastle 0
81 mins Bruno Guimaraes drove forward
across the centre circle in possession and pushed the ball forward to Elliot
Anderson in the Fulham half. With two opponents closing in on him, he took one
touch before taking both out of contention with an inspired flick off his instep
to play in Harvey Barnes in space on the left flank.
He drove towards the byline before trying to pick out Anthony Gordon in a
central spot just outside the six yard box. That was
cleared by Robinson as far as Bruno Guimaraes, whose shot into the ground
flew past Leno from 14 yards out. 1-0
Full time: Fulham 0 Newcastle 1
We Said |
Eddie Howe said:
"Very relieved. It was a very difficult opening 25 minutes. We were second best but we managed to find a way to stay in the game.
"I thought Fulham were very good until their final action but we suffered. It was a mixture of things - we were tired, stretched and we were weren't where needed to be. It was an incredible response from the group.
"Sometimes the game can get away from you very quickly but it was a change of attitude for us that made the difference.
"We are stretched and there were reasons why we weren't
at our best in that opening period but an incredible response. I
think it's up there with one of our best wins of the season because
of the circumstances.
"We needed to look at things differently, we were a little bit
reactive, a little bit late on things and that’s not like us. We
were lucky to come into half-time at 0-0 and that was another
opportunity.
"Really pleased with 60 minutes, I think the first thirty we
looked really tired - two games in a week with a very small squad -
after that, they gave everything. We really did improve the
performance and it was a brilliant win.
"It was about switching the mindset really. Like I said, in the opening period we looked really lethargic and Fulham controlled things and played really well.
"Often the third game in a week is difficult, especially going away from home and not being able to rotate the players you want to. We did well not to concede and had some luck doing it too.
"But a few harsh words, the lads were harsh with themselves as well, and second half we saw a completely different team that deserved to win in the end.
"That is seven points from nine we have taken since the break. We were aiming for nine, but seven we will take and we move on to another home game.
"The players will have the chance to rest a bit. We will count the bodies and get ready for Tottenham."
On the first half stoppage when Dubravka went down and needed
treatment:
"Martin was feeling something in his leg and we were saying to
go down if you're feeling something. But that gave us a chance to
get the group in and it was much needed at that moment in the
game."
On the impromptu pitchside team talk he gave at that point when
some home truths were told:
"Sometimes you have to, and Martin's injury allowed us to
regroup and refocus I can't repeat what I said but we just needed to
wake up.
"In this game, in the Premier League, the ruthlessness of
teams, if you are off it you will be punished. We were lucky to
still be in the game at half time. I think it still being 0-0 (was
important), we could have been out of the game.
"The issue was probably mental rather than physical, we lost a
lot of duels that we should have won and Fulham punished us a lot
right until the final action."
On the disallowed goal:
"Live, I thought it was a goal. Dan (Burn) jumped
aggressively but fairly. I wasn't surprised it went to VAR because
these things normally do, but then I thought VAR would say it was
fine.
"Then I thought the referee would go over and review his
decision, which he gave as a goal, I thought he would have the
strong mindset to have a look, but he didn't. I thought it was a
perfectly good goal ruled out."
On Joe Willock:
"Joe still feeling his achilles. He has been feeling this
problem for some time now. We hoped that he would steadily improve.
Today was a down day for him and he did not look right and unable to
continue.
"I don't think he was in huge pain but it was enough for him to
not be at his very best. So we made a change and I thought Elliot
Anderson did well. Harvey Barnes did well and the subs who came on
and did well at the end. It was a huge performance from those who
were fit."
On Bruno:
"I wax lyrical of him all the time and that’s because I
genuinely feel it. He’s got an incredible personality and you
could feel that today.
"He had the quality on the ball to help us win the game and I
thought that was a really good performance from him.
"He is very defensively intelligent, very aggressive and
physical. His main quality though, of course, is with the ball. His
technical ability, which we didn't see early in the game, because we
didn't have the ball.
"Second half, we saw plenty of that and I thought he was
instrumental in us coming here and getting the win.
On Bruno's future at the club:
"No, I wouldn't say that is a conversation we are having. He
has got a contract, a long contract, he signed a new deal this
season. When a player does that he commits himself to you for a
number of years.
"Of course, in the modern game, things can change but he looks
happy. I see a player happy in the group, on the training pitch, off
the pitch as well. So I would hope we can do enough to keep him
here."
They Said |
Mario
Silva:
"A really difficult result for us to take. The team that clearly
deserved to win this match was Fulham Football Club.
"First half, from ourselves, there was a lack of finish in the attack to finalise the attacks and the moments we had. We created enough in the end to win the game. From the first minute of the game to the last, we created enough but we did not finalise the attacks with a goal.
"Newcastle struggled with our pressure.
We never let them come onto us and press us. We dealt well with their press and,
from that moment, we could build our attacks.
"Our momentum in the game was high but we didn't score. Newcastle tried to
break our momentum with the goalkeeper twice on the grass and players on the
grass always trying to break that momentum. They were struggling in that moment.
"We were patient with the ball, did not try to create things too quickly
and, in the end, we did create enough. We were not clinical or ruthless with the
chances.
"They tried to break our momentum a few
times with the goalkeeper on the grass once or twice and the medical staff
coming on to the pitch a few times. Even so, they were not able to do it.
"Second half was more balanced, I would say. We were not able to keep the
ball for as long. We lost some balls which helped them to get into the game. In
some moments the game is going to open a bit more, which is normal, a little bit
more difficult for us to keep the same intensity and control.
"They started having offensive transitions, which they are really strong with. Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak on the other side, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes and that created more problems for us. For the goal, we left the edge of the box empty for the second ball and they scored.
"It is important for us to look for the positives. In football, the final score speaks loudest but we need to take the positive things from the game and that is what we will do.
"We lost a bit of momentum after the international break, which is part of the season and the schedule. We know that we need to get back to what we did before the break and to do that we need to keep working hard.
"Football is about putting the ball in
the net and when you don't, it is more open."
On the first half stoppage:
"It was tactical. The first one is clear. They gave feedback for the
goalkeeper to go down. The referee has to stop the game - there's no way for the
game to keep going. It was a tactical decision from them but it is what it is.
"It's the decision of Eddie (Howe)
and their technical staff. No comments on that."
Stats |
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Bruno's fourth PL goal of the season was his 13th in that competition for United, one more than Ruel Fox, Kevin Nolan, Allan Saint-Maximin and Steven Taylor. He's now level with Fabian Schar and Hatem Ben Arfa and one behind Loic Remy and Joe Willock. The Brazilian played his 100th game for United, 79 in the PL, 10 in the League Cup and six each in the Champions League and five in the FA Cup. All four of Bruno's PL goals this season have come away from home in Newcastle victories - one at Sheffield United, two at Nottingham Forest and one at Fulham. He didn't net in the win at Villa. Following a 3-0 success at SJP in December, United collected their second PL win double of the season, having also taken six points off Aston Villa. The Magpies won their fourth PL away game of the season, following on from Sheffield United (8-0), Aston Villa (3-1) and Nottingham Forest (3-2). This was our first 1-0 success away from SJP since the pivotal victory at Leeds in January 2022. You lucky people! Bruno's goal was our 26th away from home this season in the PL - with four games to play away from SJP we've already exceeded the tally reached in all but six of our 28 full PL campaigns: 2001/02 34 goals (19 matches) 2022/23 32 goals (19 matches) 1993/94 31 goals (21 matches) 1995/96 28 goals (19 matches) 2002/03 27 goals (19 matches) 2011/12 27 goals (19 matches) 2023/24 26 goals (15 matches) 1998/99 22 goals (19 matches) 2004/05 22 goals (19 matches) 1994/95 21 goals (21 matches) 1999/00 21 goals (19 matches) 2012/13 21 goals (19 matches) 2007/08 20 goals (19 matches) 2013/14 20 goals (19 matches) 2020/21 20 goals (19 matches) 1996/97 19 goals (19 matches) 2003/04 19 goals (19 matches) 2005/06 19 goals (19 matches) 2000/01 18 goals (19 matches) 2017/18 18 goals (19 matches) 2018/19 18 goals (19 matches) 2019/20 18 goals (19 matches) 2021/22 18 goals (19 matches) 2008/09 16 goals (19 matches) 2006/07 15 goals (19 matches) 2010/11 15 goals (19 matches) 2014/15 14 goals (19 matches) 1997/98 13 goals (19 matches) 2015/16 12 goals (19 matches) Magpies @ Fulham - PL era: 2023/24 Won 1-0 Guimaraes (At Craven Cottage except *Loftus Road)
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Waffle |
An 81st minute strike from Bruno Guimaraes was enough to give Newcastle a
third victory over Fulham this season and an improbable fifth consecutive league
and cup success at Craven Cottage.
The Brazilian midfielder marked his 100th game for the club with the winner
after a dubious decision from rookie referee Sam Allison had robbed United of an
opener - Fabian Schar's shot ruled out by a pitchside VAR review for an alleged
foul by Dan Burn in the build-up.
Until that point, neither side had looked like making a breakthrough in a game
which marginally improved in the second half after a opening 45 minutes as tepid
as we've participated in this season - the home side dominated proceedings and
possession as we looked completely disinterested.
Eddie Howe welcomed back Anthony Gordon after suspension in place of Harvey
Barnes; Joe Willock replacing Elliot Anderson in the other change to the side
that lined up against Everton on Tuesday.
A sluggish start by United prompted shouts of "get into them...."
from the away end, but it took over half an hour for the first hint of a
coherent Toon attack - Alexander Isak mis-controlling in the box.
Fulham had started brightly without testing Martin Dubravka, often gaining
possession as United gave the ball away. Thankfully though they proved to be
incapable of punishing our generosity; quite how they netted ten goals in their
previous four PL home games was unclear.
Gordon twice took up good positions at the other end but narrowly failed to hit the
target on either occasion, while Schar somehow got away with an air shot in his
own box shortly before the break that presented the ball to a pair of home
players - further proof of their lack of a cutting edge.
In an opening half when few visiting players seemed up for the fight, Joe Willock
was particularly listless and was substituted on 40 minutes, ironically after a
successful block tackle initiated a rare attack. He trudged around the pitch
early in the second half with an ice pack on his right leg, Eddie Howe later
admitting to more achilles issues - starting him yet another gamble that
didn't pay off.
A further substitution then brought Barnes into the action to replace a feeble
Jacob Murphy. By then both 'keepers had made notable stops: Bernd Leno
equal to Gordon's shot and Dubravka doing well to deny Andreas Pereira on the
hour.
A trio of Fulham replacements included Adama Traore and the Boro old boy
threatened to carve a path through our defence with a couple of probing runs
before fading - much like his current side.
The breakthrough appeared to have come when Gordon's deep cross from the right to the
back post saw the ball go over Burn who was in an aerial challenge with Calvin Bassey and Schar tuck his
shot away from a tight angle.
The celebrations in front of the Toon supporters were exuberant, but a VAR check
dampened the festivities and after the pantomime of a screen check at pitchside,
play restarted with a free kick. Replays confirmed that Burn made contact with
Bassey, but didn't prevent the home player from reaching the cross - the contact
made at a level that goes routinely unpunished.
Just six minutes later though the Putney End was a seething mass of bodies once
again, after Bruno began another attack and Barnes made his way into the left
hand side of the home area after a smart intervention from fellow substitute
Elliot Anderson.
Trying to pick out Gordon, the cross was lazily hooked out of the six yard box
by Robinson but fell into the path of Bruno, who promptly shot right-footed
under the arms of Leno from 14 yards out.
That was a fine climax to a game when the Brazilian was initially as anonymous
as his colleagues before shaking off his lethargy - and seemingly taking the VAR
call as a personal affront.
There had been a noticeable lack of "Vamos" type posturing from
Bruno until the closing stages, but he at least maintained his new-found temper
control en route to his tenth blemish-free PL appearance. Given that he was
booked in each of the previous four, that's some turnaround.
An unfathomable nine minutes of time added on saw Fulham gain and waste a series
of corner kicks before the final whistle confirmed only our second away clean
sheet in 24 Premier League outings.
This was anything but pretty and those who forked out eye-watering prices to
occupy the Riverside Stand may well have a case for compensation - or maybe
they'll get first dip when the promised swimming pool in there opens.....
We've recorded some stylish successes in recent years here, but this was a pure
and simple case of winning ugly. Our dabbling in the dark arts has
diminished in Nick Pope's absence, but today was one of those games when we
found a way to win.
Home fans and manager were upset by Dubravka going for treatment to prompt a
timeout, although an almost identically-timed break in midweek to benefit those
observing Ramadan saw Sean Dyche lecture his players in similar fashion to Howe
here.
And so yet again, we left this part of SW6 on the winning side. Forget the
cathedral on the hill, for Newcastle it's Fortress Craven Cottage and with it,
renewed hope of snagging European qualification.