Fulham 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League, Craven Cottage, Saturday 8 April 2023, 3pm BST
A resolute West Ham United battled to a 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The only goal of the game arrived when Jarrod Bowen nipped past Tim Ream and forced Harrison Read to find his own net midway through the first half.
Fulham pushed for an equaliser, but West Ham stood tall to protect their slender lead after the break, with Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet and Michail Antonio all denied by Bernd Leno from close range when the Irons threatened on the counter.
In the end, one goal was all that was needed as Łukasz Fabiański, who made a superb save to deny Andreas Pereira late on, and his defence, who made 60 clearances, saw West Ham record a fifth win in six visits to the Cottage.
An attacking line-up, one that saw Antonio and Ings as a front two for the first time since the former Aston Villa striker made the switch to east London, threatened just after Bowen had got the game underway. Aaron Cresswell, making his first league start since January, found space down the left, although Vladimír Coufal, hoping to net his first West Ham goal, scuffed his effort into the air.
After an energetic start from the Irons, Marco Silva's side grew in confidence and, as the Hammers looked to counter, Fulham started to dominate the ball. Tosin was allowed to bring the ball out of defence and scooped the ball to Pereira, although Kurt Zouma was across to block the Brazil midfielder’s attempt on goal.
Despite Fulham's control of possession, it was the Hammers who struck the only goal of the game. Declan Rice took a quick free-kick to find Coufal, who drove down the right. And with Fulham stretched after the skipper's quick thinking, Bowen collected the Czech full-back’s pass and darted past Ream to produce a cross so delicious that Reed could do nothing but flick it into his own net with 23 minutes played.
After Bowen led the celebrations in the west London sun, West Ham continued to attack the Fulham goal. Antonio threatened on the counter, repeatedly, while Rice, after a neat one-two with Fornals, forced a decent save from Leno.
Fulham, in response, rarely troubled the Hammers' goal in the first half, although Antonee Robinson almost called Fabiański into action, but his effort arrowed narrowly over the bar. The closest the hosts got in what was really a tepid 45 minutes of football.
Quick out of the blocks after the break, Fulham continued to charge forwards, with Ings an unlikely defender to thwart an attack, although the 30-year-old’s efforts in his own box epitomised the attitude and work rate of each Iron on show.
Sat deep for the first ten minutes of the second half a second goal almost arrived when Bowen ran onto a defensive error to find Ings, whose dinked effort from close range hit Leno rather than beat him.
After the hour, Moyes introduced Flynn Downes and Saïd Benrahma for Ings and Fornals, as West Ham looked to protect the narrow advantage. Manor Solomon sent his cross across the six-yard box, although Ogbonna was there to clear his team’s lines. The Italian centre-back almost scooped a West Ham second into the net, but his acrobatic effort faded wide, while Benrahma later struck wide, as the Hammers sprung into life on the counter.
And the chances continued to fall to the east Londoners, with Zouma going close from a corner, while Antonio was denied by Leno, albeit from an offside position.
Fulham though had opportunities of their own as the clock ticked towards 90. Fabiański was quick of his line to deter Pereira, who looked set to round the Poland keeper and net the equaliser, while Tosin also headed a corner at the West Ham goal.
In the 89th minute, West Ham should have had a second. Benrahma burst down the right and set the ball back for Bowen but the No20’s effort was tame. Leno collected the ball easily.
Cornet then had an even bigger chance to settle the game. He pinched the ball from Ream, but struck straight at Leno with Benrahma begging to be left with a tap-in.
Still, the Irons did not need another and left west London with three crucial points - three points which took them up to 13th in the Premier League table. West Ham’s second away win of the league season coming via the same scoreline as their first. The job done at the Cottage.
Fulham: Leno, Cédric (Tete 68), Adarabioyo, Ream ©, Robinson, Reed (Cairney 46), Palhinha, De Cordova-Reid (Soloman 46), Pereira (James 85), Willian (Wilson 85), Carlos Vinícius
Subs not used: Rodák (GK), Duffy, Diop, Lukic
Booked: Carlos Vinícius
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Ogbonna, Zouma, Cresswell, Fornals (Benrahma 60), Souček, Rice ©, Bowen, Ings (Downes 60), Antonio (Cornet 90)
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Aguerd, Johnson, Kehrer, Lanzini, Emerson
Goal: Reed og 23
Booked: Rice
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Attendance: 24,491
