Kevin sparkles as player who lost possession 11 times struggles – Fulham’s three winners and losers vs Wycombe
Fulham drew 1-1 in normal time against Wycombe but prevailed on penalties in a nervy night in the EFL Cup fourth round.
Prior to the match, sources told Football Insider that Fulham are frantically trying to keep Marco Silva at the club.
Silva had been linked with the Nottingham Forest job before Sean Dyche succeeded the dismal Ange Postecoglou.
Whilst the draw in normal time will add to the ex-Watford boss’ frustrations, managing to get through on penalties will put a marginal smile on his face as Football Insider reviews the winners and losers from the tie.
Fulham winners
Kevin
Kevin became one of the most expensive deadline day signings when he joined Fulham for £34.6million and is already showing an immense amount of promise.
The Brazilian was handed his second start in the black and white of the Cottagers and looked lively on the left-wing.
The 22-year-old racked up five key passes and notched an assist for Josh King’s leveller as he was central to Fulham’s creativity, also seeing a last minute shot cleared off the line.
Joshua King
King had his first senior goal for Fulham unfairly ruled out against Chelsea on 30 August, yet he finally ended the overdue wait for a goal in the EFL Cup to get his side back in the game.
The Englishman beautifully flicked in Kevin’s near-post cross from a corner to level up the tie.
The 18-year-old also delivered two key passes and had a passing accuracy of 86 per cent, highlighting his all-round brilliance for the Cottagers.
Harrison Reed
As the seasons have passed, Harrison Reed has become a bit-part player for Fulham, but would’ve been delighted to get a start in the EFL Cup for the third time this campaign.
The 30-year-old was relentless in the middle of the park, winning seven of his nine ground duels as well as winning four of his six tackles.
From a creative point of view, the Englishman completed 54 of his 62 passes, as well as racking up two key passes.
Fulham losers
Jorge Cuenca
The Spaniard has struggled to force his way into Silva’s starting XI since his arrival in the summer of 2024.
Given a rare start in the EFL Cup, the Portuguese manager clearly does not trust Jorge Cuenca, as he hooked him off at half-time.
The former Villarreal centre-back did complete six clearances and found 51 of his 58 passes, yet not being allowed to see out the 90 minutes is a crushing blow to his first-team chances.
Tom Cairney
Having started just one of his six Premier League appearances this season, the EFL Cup clash against Wycombe presented an ideal chance for Tom Cairney to prove his worth to Silva.
However, whilst the Scotsman was above average in an attacking sense, defensively, he was suspect.
The 34-year-old lost possession on 11 occasions and was dribbled past twice, certainly condemning him to the bench for the next Cottagers match in the English top-flight.
Benjamin Lecomte
Had little to do during the match but did not do enough to stop ex-Fulham academy product Cauley Woodrow from opening Wycombe’s account.
The Frenchman could only get a slight palm to the strike, a shot that would’ve certainly been handled better by undroppable big game starter Bernd Leno.
The 34-year-old did save three poor penalties, but do not be blinded by his heroics, given the saveable goal he conceded in the 90 minutes forced the penalty shootout.