West Ham overturn early Fulham lead as Michail Antonio's late goal seals victory
West Ham United 3-1 Fulham: The visitors took the lead through Ryan Babel but Javier Hernandez, Issa Diop and Antonio ensured Manuel Pellegrini's men picked up all three points
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Your support makes all the difference.Fulham will have left East London ruing the Premier League’s decision to buck the European trend and introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) next season rather than sooner, although everything points to them not being around in the top-flight next year to benefit from it anyway.
Having taken a deserved lead through Ryan Babel’s close-range strike, Javier Hernandez handed West Ham a way back into the game - quite literally.
A half-cleared corner made its way back into the six-yard box and Hernandez batted the ball beyond Sergio Rico to make up for West Ham’s slow start.
Lee Mason was unmoved by the outcry from the players in white and may well have kept his head down when a replay of Hernandez using his hand to guide the ball in was displayed for all to see on the large screens inside the stadium.
The hope of a first away win of the season and a fourth league victory for Claudio Ranieri in this highly forgettable campaign quickly slipped away and Fulham found themselves behind at the break, courtesy of Issa Diop’s goal, before Michail Antonio sealed victory with his late contribution.
Both teams had plenty of time to prepare for this game after early exits in the FA Cup, although West Ham seemed to still have their minds on the beaches in Marbella when Fulham began on the front foot.
Babel was a surprise acquisition in the January transfer window, raising eyebrows not only for his unique red dyed hair but also for not being the experienced defender Fulham craved. However, since arriving from Turkish side Besiktas, Babel has eased the reliance on Aleksandr Mitrovic in attack, and in East London opened the scoring with his first Fulham goal. The forward made amends for squandering a wonderful chance when through on goal by being on hand to turn in Sessegnon’s low cross minutes later.
There was a surreal sense that followed. Were Fulham finally going to win a league game away from home? They were initially doing all the right things to suggest it was on the cards, but a familiar defensive collapse and an added touch of luck quickly undid their early work.
Robert Snodgrass’ corners and set-piece deliveries were quite deliberately aimed right at the Fulham goalkeeper, and after several parries or clearances, Sergio Rico and his defence were finally undone. Fulham will quite rightly ask why the officials didn’t spot Hernandez eventually slap the ball in from close-range, but the inquiry should also assess why West Ham were able to win three headers on the way to the Mexican scoring his 50th Premier League goal.
The equaliser seriously halted Fulham in their tracks and any early confidence evaporated into the chilly late winter evening. The distance between the Fulham midfield and attack grew, while West Ham were cutting through their lines with ease.
Without leadership at the back, Fulham failed to address the problems from set-pieces and quickly found themselves behind. Diop made light work of Sessegnon’s attempts to mark him and directed a powerful header beyond Rico after easing his way to the front post.
Ranieri reacted with two changes at the break, bringing on Lazar Markovic in place of Sessegnon and Frank Anguissa for Jean Michael Seri, who was quite frankly absent for this entire of the first half - but by that point damage was done.
Ryan Fredericks replaced Pablo Zabaleta at the break and denied Mitrovic with a superb recovery tackle to begin a good performance. How Fulham may have wished they kept him in the summer.
Marko Arnautovic twice hit the frame of the goal after coming on but helped West Ham put the game beyond doubt by neatly crossing for Antonio to head in unmarked with minutes to go.
West Ham, who welcomed back Manuel Lanzini after a nine-month injury absence, have now equalled the number of wins they accumulated last season and can begin to look towards next year with justifiable excitement.
Of course, there’s less optimism on the other side of London. Ranieri urged his Fulham players to fulfil their destiny by digging deep to find a win, however, it’s growing clearer that the only thing this sorry side is destined for is a swift return to the Championship
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