Alex Iwobi scored twice as Fulham recorded a 3-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Thursday evening to move into sixth position in the table.
The victory is Fulham's sixth in England's top flight this term, and it has moved them onto 22 points from 14 matches, enough for sixth, while Brighton remain fifth, now boasting 23 points from their first 14 games of the campaign.
Fulham were gifted the opening goal at Craven Cottage, with Iwobi sliding the ball into an empty net after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had misplaced a pass inside his own penalty box.
Brighton, as expected, dominated the possession in the first period, boasting 61% of the ball, while the Seagulls had nine attempts, but Fulham were ahead at the break courtesy of their only attempt on target in the opening 45 minutes.
Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra both had chances for Brighton to level the scores, but Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was on hand to make two smart saves, with the visitors left frustrated at the half-time interval.
Brighton were level in the 56th minute of the contest, though, with Carlos Baleba expertly finding the bottom corner with a clean strike after being found by Pedro just outside the Fulham penalty box.
Fulham were back ahead in the 79th minute of the match, with Andreas Pereira's corner being turned into the back of his own net by Matt O'Riley; Brighton captain Lewis Dunk was calling for a foul, with Issa Diop appearing to push his fellow defender, but the goal was allowed to stand following a check, with VAR agreeing with the referee's decision.
The home side then made sure of the points in the 87th minute, as Iwobi brilliantly turned inside the Brighton box before picking out the bottom corner to spark jubilant scenes inside the stadium.
FULHAM VS. BRIGHTON HIGHLIGHTS
Alex Iwobi goal vs. Brighton (4th min, Fulham 1-0 Brighton)
DISASTER FOR BRIGHTON! 😳
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2024
The visitors play themselves into trouble and Alex Iwobi profits! #PLonPrime #FULBHA pic.twitter.com/tMlRhjUJzx
Fulham make the breakthrough in just the fourth minute of the match, with Iwobi converting into an empty net after a mistake from Brighton goalkeeper Verbruggen, who misplaced a pass in the worst possible area.
Carlos Baleba goal vs. Fulham (56th min, Fulham 1-1 Brighton)
𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 placement 🎯
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2024
Carlos Baleba has Brighton level with a beauty! 🤩#PLonPrime #FULBHA pic.twitter.com/N9hjrBrkHV
Brighton level the scores in the 56th minute of the contest at Craven Cottage, as Baleba finds the bottom corner after being found by Pedro outside the penalty box; it is an excellent strike into the corner of the goal.
Matt O'Riley own goal vs. Brighton (79th min, Fulham 2-1 Brighton)
That's O'Riley unfortunate 😩
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2024
Fulham are back in the lead against Brighton... Matt O'Riley didn't know much about this!#PLonPrime #FULBHA pic.twitter.com/UpIciLih9J
Fulham regain the lead in the 79th minute of this contest, as a corner from Pereira is turned into the back of his own net by O'Riley; Brighton are not happy, with Dunk calling for a foul, but Marco Silva's side are back ahead in the latter stages of this clash.
Alex Iwobi goal vs. Fulham (87th min, Fulham 3-1 Brighton)
Alex Iwobi MAGIC 🪄#PLonPrime #FULBHA pic.twitter.com/D0mxWUVObI
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2024
Fulham surely secure all the points in the latter stages of this match, and Iwobi has his second of the contest, with the former Arsenal attacker firing into the bottom corner after turning inside the Brighton box.
MAN OF THE MATCH - ALEX IWOBI
© Imago
Iwobi scored twice on Thursday evening to make it five Premier League goals for the season, with the 28-year-old in excellent form for Silva's side during the 2024-25 campaign.
The attacker's two goals against Brighton played a major role in the hosts securing all three points, but it was his overall performance that earns him the man-of-the-match award, having also made two tackles and completed three dribbles during a standout display.
FULHAM VS. BRIGHTON MATCH STATS
Possession: Fulham 44%-56% Brighton
Shots: Fulham 6-13 Brighton
Shots on target: Fulham 2-3 Brighton
Corners: Fulham 5-6 Brighton
Fouls: Fulham 7-8 Brighton
BEST STATS
2 - For only the second time in his 267 Premier League appearances, Fulham's Alex Iwobi has scored more than once in a match in the competition (also v Nottingham Forest in December 2023). Brace. pic.twitter.com/O4KBydQQ0U
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2024
184 - After just 184 seconds, Alex Iwobi has scored Fulham's earliest Premier League goal since August 2023 v Arsenal (Pereira, 57s), and earliest at Craven Cottage since August 2022 v Brentford (De Cordova-Reid, 45s). Capitalised. pic.twitter.com/Agr9OyiUte
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2024
WHAT NEXT?
Fulham will be bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they welcome title-challenging Arsenal to Craven Cottage on Sunday for what is shaping up to be a fascinating affair.
Brighton, meanwhile, will be aiming to bounce back from the setback when they head to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
Matt Law
