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- Fulham leverage Iwobi’s red hot form to bag their sixth win in English top flight league this season.
- Nigerian international selected man of the match again after a spirited performance against the Seagulls.
Super eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi showed again why he’s one of Fulham’s most priced assets on Thursday night when he helped the cottagers take all three points against Brighton. It only took four minutes for Iwobi to put the hosts ahead after benefiting from the visitors’ mistake in their own area.
The Nigerian international started the game in a deeper position than he’s been used to this season. However, he still managed to press high enough to win balls in the first phase of Brighton’s play. It was one of such presses that forced the Brighton mistake he capitalized on to give Fulham their early lead.
Brighton, without their manager on the touchline, tried to pick up their pieces after conceding early. Their strings of smooth transitions from the back helped them maintain control of the game with Joao Pedro coming close to an 11th minute equaliser. Ben Leno guessed his intention rightly and denied him with a fine save. The goalkeeper was called into action again in the 34th minute, when he easily saved Simon Adringra’s close range effort.
Their long spells of position continued into the second half and it didn’t take long after the resumption for the visitors to level through a Carlos Baleba left-footed volley. The game remained balanced until Brighton’s midfielder, Matt O’Riley deflected Andreas Perrera’s corner kick into his own net.
Image source: The Football Faithful
There was more to come from the Host as Alex wrapped up a fine evening for the hosts with a beautiful finish. He cautiously wriggled into space in the box before lashing one into the bottom far corner of the post, leaving Verbruggen with no chance. A 3-1 victory keeps Brighton unbeaten in nine H2H matches – whereas the visitors, who have struggled to maintain clean sheets this season, missed a chance to leapfrog Manchester City into the top four.
Alex Iwobi’s goals extended his lead as Fulham’s most influential attacking force this season. He now leads the teams goals contribution chart with eight involvements – five goals and three assists in 14 Premier League appearances. We look forward to seeing whether he continues this fine form on Sunday afternoon when they host in-form Gunners at the Craven cottage.
