April 14, (THEWILL)- Fulham emerged victorious over West Ham United, clinching a 2-0 away win. Andreas Pereira’s brace proved to be the decisive factor as the Cottagers earned their first away league win against the Hammers since February 2004.
The game started with a flurry of early chances for the home side, as Lucas Paqueta found Vladimir Coufal inside the opening four minutes, only to see Bernd Leno palm the ball away. Michail Antonio then smashed his effort over the crossbar, while Mohammed Kudus and Paqueta both came close with their attempts.
However, it was Fulham who capitalised on their first chance of the game when Pereira coolly punished a poor touch from Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Brazilian midfielder came agonisingly close to doubling his tally five minutes later, but his first-time strike was held by Lukasz Fabianski.
The open nature of the match continued throughout the first half, with Joao Palhinha, James Ward-Prowse and Paqueta all testing the goalkeepers from range. Pereira, however, could not take advantage of another Mavropanos error, as his first-time strike was saved by Fabianski.
The second half saw the Cottagers maintain their momentum, with Leno making a crucial save to deny Rodrigo Muniz’s header. Alex Iwobi’s effort was also tipped wide by the impressive Fabianski, but Pereira eventually found the net again, applying the simplest of finishes to a blistering Fulham counter-attack from an Iwobi assist. Calvin Bassey also impressed, providing a solid defensive display and winning several key aerial challenges.
Fulham’s victory ends their three-game winless run and sees them move within two points of the top 10, while West Ham suffered their second defeat in their last 12 home league matches.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
