Fulham beat Brighton 3-1 at Craven Cottage in a thrilling Premier League clash.
Alex Iwobi stole the spotlight on a windy night in West London.
Despite Brighton’s relentless pressure and moments of brilliance, Marco Silva’s men capitalized on crucial opportunities to claim all three points.
The game started in disarray and Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen gifted Fulham the first goal in the fourth minute.
Trying to play in from the back, Verbruggen passed straight to Iwobi who calmly slotted the ball into the open net to give the hosts the lead.
It was Fulham’s fastest home Premier League goal since August 2022.
Brighton responded well, dominated and created several opportunities.
Three big points! 🤍#FULL pic.twitter.com/uz0vwPYnOY
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 5, 2024
Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro tested the Fulham defence, while Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra were active in midfield.
However, Brighton lacked precision in the finish and Bernd Leno made a crucial save to give Fulham the lead at half-time.
After the break, Brighton’s persistence paid off.
In the 56th minute, Pedro made a great assist and flicked the ball into Baleba’s path with the outside of his boot.
The Cameroonian midfielder made a low shot in front of Leno and equalized the score 1:1.
However, it did not take long for Fulham to regain control.
In the 79th minute, Andreas Pereira’s well-taken corner created chaos in the Brighton area.
The ball bounced off Matthew O’Reilly and into the back of the net, much to the chagrin of Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, who was booked for animated protests.
The hosts won in the 87th minute with a stunning goal by Iwobi.
The Nigeria international showed his class as he turned sharply in the tight space inside the box before firing a right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
It was his second goal of the game and was arguably the man of the match.
Brighton continued to push until the final whistle but couldn’t find a way back.
The result keeps Fulham in the top-flight hunt, while Brighton will be disappointed to leave empty-handed after creating plenty of chances but failing to convert.
