Calvin Bassey went to the winner as Fulham earned a 2-1 victory to finish the league double over Nottingham Forest.
Chris Wood scored his 18th goal in the season to cancel Emile Smith Rowe’s opener from the first half, but Visitors Van-Izvoda could not take revenge on their defeat of 1-0 earlier in a campaign on the city grounds while Bassy scraped away by deciding his goal in a goal in the second half.
Forest remains the third in the Premier League, but now there are only four points within the best four after Manchester City and Bournemouth have closed the gap. Fulham is up to the eighth, four points behind the sixth -ranked Chelsea.
Fulham was a much better side, and Smith Rowe nodded into a 15th minute lead after Adam Traore cut to the right and crossed his left foot toward the rear post for Fulham midfielder.
Traore was terrorized by Neco Williams in the first half, sleeping next to the defender to give his head a chance for Raul Jimenez, but that is the monitoring of the wing to stop the forest counterbalance that attracted the greatest joy.
Jimenez also impressed, sending the first time Matz Sels left behind Fulham, threatening every time they move forward.
The forest was atypically surpassed, but their talisman pulled them at the level. The tree surpassed Bassey and shrugged Antonee Robinson to hit Morgan Gibbs-White, before sending a shot set to the corner of the lower left.
Fulham seemed to return when Sels, who made a series of fine savings to keep his side in the game.
He could do a little about the winner who came in the 62th minute. Jimenez pulled a corner near the post, and Bassey reached the distant post to bring him back over the goal in the right corner.
Forest tried to return to the match, bringing Callum Hudson-Odoi and switched to four rear, but Fulham was closest. Sels denied Traore, who deserved a goal for his performance and then made a double savings late.
Nuno finds out a lesson in the Fulham’s defeat
Sky Sports’ David Richardson:
The life of the manager is such that a 7-0 victory can follow with a 2-1 defeat, despite the use of the same team and formation.
How did Nuno Espirito Santo change anything after nottingham Forest dismantled Brighton? He wished he was in Craven Cottage.
“There are so many things to do otherwise now,” Nuno admitted. He stuck with five on his back, but Fulham exposed their wide areas and space in front of the defense. The forest was stored and could not confront as effectively as usual.
When Forest changed to the back four with just over 20 minutes, they found more joy wide through the replacement Callum Hudson-Odoi. The game became stretchy, and Forest was at the top for the first time.
“We know that the change gives us more width, more things we are used to, but at the same time contacts on the box or crosses were not there,” Nuno added. It was a sharp lesson and a reminder of football unpredictability.
Nuno: A lot of things i would do differently now
Noottingham forest Main coach Nuno Espirito Santo said:
“It was a difficult game. The first half, Fulham created a lot of problems, they controlled the game. We managed to get back to play with Chris’s goal, and he did it.
“In the second half, we started well, but we started losing duels and allowing too many sets that caused problems.”
When changing in the back of four in the second half: “We need to look at the game, we need to know that the change gives us more width, more things we are used to, but at the same time contacts on the box or crosses were not there.
“We hurried a little, there are so many things that I would do differently now, but now it’s about watching the game and preparing for the next one.”
Silva: We were by far the best team
Fulham Main coach Marco Silva said:
“Three points deserved. Great performance from us from the first minute to the last. We were by far the best team on the field.
“We controlled the game. The way we circulated the ball, the way we operated the ball and the way we were always really well ready to lose the ball.”
Silva unlocks a forest with a tactical master class
Sky Sports’ David Richardson:
Marco Silva delivered a tactical master class to expose the organized defense of Nottingham Forest.
“We expected that he would play with five on the back of the three midfielder, we knew the premises would definitely be wide,” he said after Fulham raised 24 goals – 10 on a target – and xg from 2.24.
Adam Traore was terrorized by Neco Williams on the right, while Raul Jimenez sometimes lowered the front line to allow runners to go beyond him. The combination of the two led to Emile Smith Rowe, who went to the opener.
“The first goal is something we are working on to get to that place with a player with a pocket plus a wing player to create some superiority,” explained Silva from Smith Rowe’s movement to get to the back post to meet Traore’s the cross -spin cross.
“Even if Raul (Jimenez) was not where it should be, the move from Emile and the great assists of Adame is something we work on. You see throughout the game more moments like that, Sasa Lukic had one as in the first half to arrive to the same place.
“We knew that they had big guys there with three back, but if you make the right shift at the right time and the ball comes quickly, it’s a really difficult place to defend it and we used it.”
The story of a match in statistics
What comes in the Premier League?
