Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore scored as Fulham outlasted a game Leicester City to win 2-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Fulham pull into ninth with 33 points, 19 more than the 19th-place Foxes. Leicester will finish the weekend at least two points outside the safe places.
The Cottagers deserved the win but Leicester produced enough chances to get a point, with the game scoreless at the break and in the balance until Traore’s 68th-minute strike.
Emile Smith Rowe was very good for Fulham, as was Harry Wilson on the right and Antonee Robinson at left back. To be fair, there were not any passengers for Marco Silva’s bunch away from home.
Jamie Vardy and the Foxes fought hard for boss Ruud van Nistelrooy this weekend but all the fight in the world will mean nothing come May without goals. Jamie Vardy turned 38 last week and is now seven games without a goal while being asked to go 90 minutes more often than not and at times the 48-year-old Van Nistelrooy must be wondering if he could put in a few minutes and have a chance fall for him. Leicester have lost seven-straight and scored just two goals in that stretch, both away from home, and that’s just awful and potentially ruinous considering the state of their defense (a third-worst 48.01 xGA this season). Credit to Fulham, a solid side, but this game was there for the Foxes and they just kinda slunk away from the final ball.
(from fotmob.com)
Leicester vs Fulham player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Leicester vs Fulham player ratings (from fotmob.com)
A welcome seven-day wait for another game for both sides — Leicester City bring Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp back to Tottenham at 9am ET Sunday (Jan. 26), while Fulham are home to Manchester United at 2pm the same day.
Kick off time: 10 am ET Saturday
Venue: King Power Stadium — Leicester
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Emile Smith Rowe 48′, Adama Traore 68′
Raul Jimenez exits for Rodrigo Muniz, while Leicester’s move is Facundo Buonanotte and Patson Daka for Jordan Ayew and Mavididi.
Smith Rowe slips the ball to Wilson inside the box, and the Welshman’s at it again.
Wilson’s cross is met by Traore beyond the back post for a fine finish.
Oliver Skipp enters for Harry Winks, while Kasey McAteer takes the place of Bilal El Khannouss.
Leicester are very much in this, but are more open and the Cottagers are getting more dangerous chances.
1-0 Fulham, 66′.
It’s a diving header from the ex-Arsenal man after some really good stuff from Harry Wilson and then Sasa Lukic.
Adama Traore took Alex Iwobi’s place at the break.
Possession is heavily in Fulham’s camp, and the Cottagers lead in attempts 7-4.
But the xG is low for both sides and Leicester are responsible for the match’s two shots on target.
This is a decent watch.
It’s 0-0 despite Antonee Robinson’s efforts. We’re comfortable in saying that “Jedi” is the best left back in the Premier League right now and we’re even accounting for any possible USMNT bias.
Fifty touches, six-of-six on duels, and he’s everywhere.
It’s Antonee Robinson and Alexi Iwobi for Fulham down their left and Victor Kristiansen and Stephy Mavididi down theirs in what’s been an intriguing trade-off of two teams choosing their spots.
Kristiansen surged into the 18 and came close to giving Leicester an opener but he couldn’t wrap his right foot all the way around the ball.
The first 20 minutes at the King Power Stadium have been entertaining ones.
The latest chance was a buzzy Emile Smith Rowe squeezing a shot towards goal from a quarter-yard of space.
Stolarczyk, Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen, Winks, Soumare, El Khannouss, Mavididi, Ayew, Vardy
Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Lukic, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi, Jimenez
Fulham’s loss to West Ham (and debuting manager Graham Potter) was the Cottagers’ first defeat in nine Premier League games (2W-6D-1L), dating back to Nov. 23. Marco Silva’s side (30 points – 10th) remains in the thick of the top-half race, with the European places just five points above and the relegation zone 14 points below. Life is pretty good in west London, especially now that striker Raul Jimenez is back amongst the goals on a regular basis (8 on the season; 5 in his last 8 appearances – all competitions).
2025 (and most of the back half of 2024) has been anything but jovial for Leicester, as the Foxes have just three PL wins this season and have lost six straight by a combined margin of 16-2. Furthermore, Leicester have scored multiple goals in a PL game just three times this season (2W-2D-0L). Typically, when you pair a bottom-three defensive record (46 goals conceded in 21 games) with the fifth-worst attack in the league (23 in 21), you have a bona fide relegation candidate, and that’s what Leicester are (14 points – 19th), though two points is currently all that separates them from 17th-place Wolves.
OUT: Mads Hermansen (groin), Wilfred Ndidi (thigh), Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Abdul Fatawu (knee – out for season) | QUESTIONABLE: Woyo Coulibaly (incoming transfer)
OUT: Reiss Nelson (hamstring), Kenny Tete (knee)
Fulham’s six recent draws don’t seem so impressive until you see that four of the six came against Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bournemouth, and West Ham were absurdly lucky to score three goals on four shots. The Cottagers are due for an offensive explosion. Leicester 1-3 Fulham.
