Fulham charge continues as Cottagers fend off Forest

Posted Sunday, February 04, 2018 by PA

Fulham maintained their push for promotion as second-half goals from Lucas Piazon and Stefan Johansen sealed a 2-0 win over a new-look Nottingham Forest.

Piazon and Johansen seized on mistakes to make it five wins in a row in the Sky Bet Championship for in-form Fulham, extending their unbeaten league run to eight games in the process.

After keeping the likes of Tom Cairney, Ryan Sessegnon and Ryan Fredericks on deadline day, Fulham looked a good bet to maintain their promotion push under Slavisa Jokanovic.

Forest manager Aitor Karanka, in contrast, had decided to overhaul his new team, with six players leaving and seven joining this week. There were three debutants in the starting line-up but it was a familiar face in defender Joe Worrall who kept Forest level after 11 minutes.

A corner, via a training ground routine, saw Johansen cut the ball back for Piazon and his goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by Worrall.

Fulham were on top as the visitors struggled to stem the tide. Oliver Norwood forced Costel Pantilimon, another making his debut in goal, into a save at full stretch from the midfielder’s 20-yard shot.

Forest had barely had a kick but Fulham, so comfortable in possession, were almost the architects of their own downfall after 22 minutes.

Matt Targett was guilty of overplaying in the wrong areas but Matthew Cash’s shot lacked conviction and it was too close to Marcus Bettinelli in the Fulham goal.

Forest had already beaten Wolves on their own patch and they were out to ensure Fulham would not have it all their own way. Worrall, who had been their saviour, almost broke the deadlock at the other end. The defender met Kieran Dowell’s corner but the ball bounced back off the post and Fulham just scrambled the ball clear.

Jokanovic had seen enough and he sent for fellow Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic, one of their two signings on deadline day, after just 54 minutes.

The striker had barely played for Newcastle this season but he has previous of helping the Magpies up from this division last year. He was immediately involved as Piazon fired wide before Sessegnon’s header from Fredericks’ cross just cleared the crossbar.

But Fulham were gifted the lead when Pantilimon failed to hold Piazon’s shot and the ball squirmed past him for the 67th-minute opener. It was a moment the Romanian keeper would choose to forget, with the wet conditions perhaps playing a part in the error.

Forest introduced three new players and it almost worked as they were denied an 85th-minute leveller by Bettinelli’s double save from Ben Osborn and substitute Apostolos Vellios.

But Johansen clinched the win in the 90th minute, keeping his cool after seizing on a Worrall mistake.