Fulham put the disappointment of opening day behind them and picked up their first win of the 2024-25 Premier League beating Leicester 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
WATCH FULHAM v LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY
Emile Smith Rowe opened his Fulham account with a fantastic solo goal in the 18th minute, racing around the Leicester defense before powering his left-footed finish past Mads Hermansen. Smith Rowe became Fulham’s record signing when he joined from Arsenal for $44 million this summer.
Leicester got back on level terms not long before halftime, when Wout Faes headed home a corner kick and a lengthy video review determined that Jamie Vardy, though in an offside position, didn’t affect Bernd Leno’s ability to make a save. The equalizer mattered very little in the end, though, as Fulham once again went one against the world to score again. Alex Iwobi ran onto Antonee Robinson’s ball in behind and Iwobi managed to force it past Hermansen for the winning goal.
Fulham figuring out life after Joao Palhinha
Manchester United snatched an 87th-minute winner against Fulham last weekend, leaving Marco Silva’s side with no reward for their brave away performance, but the Cottagers backed it up with more expansive possession and massively out-created Leicester in attack.
- Fulham: 1.72 xG on 18 shots (6 on target)
- Leicester: 0.53 xG on 10 shots (4 on target)
All five of Leicester’s second-half shots came after Fulham scored their second goal, meaning they attempted zero shots from minutes 39-73 immediately after scoring themselves. Playing for the point probably cost Leicester the point, and it played right into Fulham’s hands at home.
Player ratings - Fulham vs Leicester
Fulham vs Leicester updates, highlights, final score: 2-1
Goalscorers: Emile Smith Rowe (18'), Wout Faes (38'), Alex Iwobi (70')
GOAL! Fulham 2-1 Leicester: Alex Iwobi races in behind and sneaks it past Mads Hermansen
GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Leicester: Wout Faes heads home Facundo Buonanotte’s corner kick
GOAL! Fulham 1-0 Leicester: Emile Smith Rowe streaks by the defense and scores his first Fulham goal
Fulham starting lineup
Leno - Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson - Lukic, Pereira, Smith Rowe - Traore, Iwobi, Muniz
Leicester starting lineup
Hermansen - Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen - Winks, Ndidi, Buonanotte - Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid, Vardy
How to watch Fulham vs Leicester, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET, Saturday (August 24)
Venue: Craven Cottage
TV channel: Peacock
Streaming: Watch live on Peacock
Fulham team news, focus
There are no injury issues for Fulham and new signing Sander Berge, who is a pretty perfect replacement for Joao Palhinha, is set to make his debut. Marco Silva has so many top attacking midfield talents in Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore, all he needs is a striker to finish off the chances they keep creating.
Leicester team news, focus
The Foxes have a few injury concerns with Patson Daka, Luke Thomas and Conor Coady still out and young goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk also injured. Vardy hardly had a preseason but trained for a few days and produced an high-energy display against Spurs on Monday as the 37-year-old will once again lead the line for Leicester this season.
Fulham vs Leicester prediction
This seems like it will be a very tight game but Fulham will make the most of their chances this time, and Leicester will give up plenty of good opportunities. Fulham 2-1 Leicester.