Ryan Sessegnon perfection, Andreas Pereira awful – Fulham ratings vs Southampton
Fulham rescued a late win thanks to a wonderful header from Ryan Sessegnon against already-relegated Southampton.
The Saints took a shock lead in the 13th minute when Jack Stephens flicked a delightful header into the bottom corner past Bernd Leno.
Over 50 minutes of relentless pressure from the Whites finally resulted in a goal for Tottenham target Marco Silva‘s side, with Emile Smith Rowe‘s effort receiving a kind deflection before finding the back of the net.
With the match seemingly heading for a stalemate, the prodigal son, Sessegnon, popped up with a late header to steal all three points for Fulham.
The result means the Whites overtake Bournemouth temporarily and move into eighth, keeping their European dreams alive.
Marco Silva’s Fulham rescue late winner vs Southampton
Bernd Leno – 6
Little the German could do to stop Stephen’s effort from gliding past him, otherwise good performance from the reliable shot-stopper.
Kenny Tete – 4
Torn apart. The Dutch defender was given the nightmare task of dealing with the lively Kamaldeen Sulemana and failed to deal
Joachim Andersen – 7
Much improved. Having made a big-money return to Fulham in the summer, the Danish defender’s performances have been less than stellar, but against the Saints and with time on the ball, he was able to show off his passing repertoire.
Calvin Bassey poor for Fulham against lively Southampton attack
Calvin Bassey – 4
Chaotic. The all-action defender has been crucial for Fulham this season but he looked surprisingly rattled against the Saints, lacking the composure that usually accompanies his energy.
Ryan Sessegnon – 10 – Player of the Match
Bright spark. Two goals and two assists in his previous four games made it a surprise to see Sessegnon being used at left-back. That didn’t stop him from being his side’s main creator against the Saints. Grabbed a late winner to cap off a wonderful performance from the fan favourite.
Sander Berge (off for Lukic 46′) – 3
Completely unimpactful. The game totally passed the Norwegian midfielder by, leading to Silva substituting him at halftime.
Andreas Pereira (off for Traore 46′) – 2
Dismal performance. The Brazilian was hooked at halftime, having done little at all with the ball. Fulham rejected a bid for Pereira in January, and whilst he has been excellent in the second half of the season, the former Man United man was absent against the Saints.
Harry Wilson (off for Vinicius 85′) – 5
Slowly returning from a long injury layoff, the Welsh wizard was wasteful when in possession and lacked the verve to his dribbling that usually makes him such a threat.
Alex Iwobi sets up Emile Smith Rowe equaliser
Alex Iwobi (off for Cairney 85′) – 7
Pick that one out. Iwobi has enjoyed the best season of his career at Fulham this year and his delightful scooped pass found Smith Rowe for the equaliser.
Willian (off for Smith Rowe 66′) – 6
Desperately unfortunate. Willian re-joined Fulham in January and in only his third start since his return and the Brazilian was a dangerous dribbler, but his shooting could do with some work as he routinely fired tame shots in Aaron Ramsdale’s direction.
Raul Jimenez – 5
Hard working. But little end product. The usually lethal Mexican striker left his shooting boots at home for the Whites against Southampton.
Substitutes
Sasa Lukic (on for Berge 46′) – 8
The Serbian’s removal against Chelsea caused Fulham to capitulate in their last game, and his introduction was vital for the Whites’ comeback against Southampton.
Adama Traore (on for Pereira 46′) – 7
Added a directness to Fulham’s attack that was sorely missing and provided the assist for Sessegnon’s winner, the Spaniard will be a big miss if he departs this summer.
Emile Smith Rowe (on for Willian 66′) – 7
Super sub. Brought on for Willian, where the Brazilian’s shots were wasteful, Smith Rowe’s were impactful, largely thanks to a deflection.
Tom Cairney (on for Iwobi 85′) – 6
Cairney was only one for a brief cameo but his quality of passing kept things ticking over for the Whites.
Carlos Vinicius (on for Wilson 85′) – 5
A rare outing for the Brazilian striker, who saw little of the ball after coming on.