(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Fulham - Nottingham Forest

It is the second instalment of a crucial week for Nottingham Forest. Three games against bottom eight opposition that could shape their season and potentially define futures if parts two and three of the trilogy aren't successful sequels to part one. Anthony Robinson picks up the loose ball left hand side here's Tom Cairney once more nudges it for Robinson managed to feed it through for Tom Cairney again lost his footing but still found Jimenez inside the box and he did well to get a shot away from a very tight angle it looked to be a defender's ball there for me but a quick reaction from Jimenez and he managed to just stab the ball towards gong first effort on target I suppose you'd say the keeper had to go down and make the save Tom Cairney did well to regain his feet and Jimenez had to just poke it with the outside of his boot the keeper went down and made the save comfortable save straight behind the ball as well maybe he's going to take a run at it but you would think it's Andreas Pereira with his right foot he's going to try and curl it over the wall which he does oh and he's hit the outside of the far post the keeper did well to get across as far as he did but obviously didn't touch it the ref's given a gold kick and that was heading very very close to being perfection from Pereira but in the end it's just struck the outside of the post it struck the face of the post might well have come back towards the full and player it goes out for a gold kick but that's a effort Jamie I've been a little bit critical of some of Andreas's set pieces in recent weeks but we'll get it as far as Alex Iwobi on the right hand touchline under pressure from Toffolo he's given it to Murillo on this occasion and Sengare foot in from Raul Jimenez though to win it back for Fulham Calvin Bassi can carry it forward finds Tom Cairney stepped away from Felipe lovely stuff to Willian early ball into the box is through to Iwobi and it's one nil on the half hour mark having got the first effort on goal on target from almost on target from Pereira we've added to it the finishing touch this time Alex Iwobi it was a good move again Jamie a real bit of classroom Tom Cairney the sidestep Jimenez with an important block I think to start it all off Calvin Bassi with a good powerful run into the Nottingham Forest half and then a lovely little sidestep Raul Jimenez who got his foot in and won it back for Fulham just inside the Fulham half Bassi carried it forward a lovely little sidestep from Tom Cairney Felipe tried to pull him back but he fed it out to Willian the early cross went behind the Nottingham Forest defenders and Iwobi following it in from the right hand side of the penalty area it's a good composed finish a lovely little touch Jamie just stunned it past the keeper he's looked sharp since the kickoff really Alex Iwobi nice to see him opening the scoring for Fulham he's a good finisher isn't he he's a natural finisher Jim he's only had to guide it home but as you say Tom did so well there just to ride the challenge when you do that it opens up the space and we carried on the forward momentum from there Willian can always search out a pass and back to Bassi I think born in Nottingham yes that's a great finish we were saying Alex Iwobi was a good finish Raul Jimenez there for Fulham well he's been waiting for such a long time you can see what it means to him you can see what it means to his teammates as well and the Fulham fans Raul Jimenez it's 2-0 to Fulham now we have got a bit of breathing space and look at a smile on his face Jamie he's been desperate for a goal we've all been hoping and praying that he could eventually open his account it's gone the best part of the season in terms of the number of games but it was fed through by Iwobi Iwobi to Pereira he timed his run perfectly Raul and then as Pereira just slid it in behind the final defender he smashed it into the net nothing the keeper could do about that high into the top corner he goes up and over the keeper and Raul Jimenez has made it 2-0 to Fulham pushes it forward for Paulinha receives it and squares it for Timothy Castagna on the right hand touchline forward for Iwobi infield for Jimenez did well holding off the defender touches it back for Pereira right hand side looks up swings the cross in oh it almost fell to a white shirt in the end it went between them but Alex Iwobi's onto it and he wasn't too far away he set himself and tried to curl it into the top corner it was heading that way it almost would have been the same top bin that Jimenez found really but just wide in the end of the far post near post as we look but Alex Iwobi it was a decent effort it was only inches wide Jamie and uh we're playing with confidence now Fulham and it's been a good first half performance and uh and deservedly comfortably in front yeah we've been the better side Forrest have been a little bit toothless Jim I think they kind of matched us in the early stages of the game since then we've got more forward momentum we've clearly been the better side and the scoreline shows it a bit of a stand still left hand side they've got plenty of men back in the box now Tom Canny to William working his way infield away from Iena checks back carries it forward finds Jimenez inside the penalty area tries to curl one in it was never quite coming back see what he wanted to do there Jamie he's obviously grown in confidence real Jimenez the Hammersmith end is applauding him you see exactly what he's trying to do just inside the far post but uh he's never going to come back quite enough it'll be nice to see him get a goal at the Hammersmith end it'll be uh they're doing the world of good well he hasn't gone hiding Jim has he in his Fulham career it's not quite gone the way he would have liked it to and as I say if he can add to it he's into the box again now he shoves Iena away he's round the keeper and he's done it he's backheeled it into the net the Forrest players are furious with the referee they think there was a foul there on Ola Iena there will be a VAR inspection but at a moment Raul Jimenez is being surrounded by his teammates and they're loving it good strength I mean it will go score another seven let's hope it's not ruled out Jamie it'd be a real sickener if it is but uh he got the batter of Ola Iena good strength from Raul Jimenez he still had a bit of work to do it was an awkward ball to deal with initially and then he had to take it around the keeper and then a cheeky backheel at the Hammersmith end they're not saying it's being looked at Ola Iena suggesting he was pushed to the ground I have to say he's leaned into him and he but I'm not sure there was anything I'm not sure you'd call it a push as such Iena's the wrong side of him Jim yeah and he's lost his balance well the referee doesn't seem to be I don't there's no mention of VAR at all so well having said that he's just seen it from the opposite angle all together and it did look a bit like a push Raul with his left arm there maybe pushed Ola Iena off balance but uh it matters none because the goal's been given it'll be all over the uh media tomorrow again for them controversial for them win that would raise a few eyebrows there's Pereira trying to feed it forward for Castagne who's got there Pereira gets it back touches it for Tom Kearney forward for Harry Wilson who's found a bit of space it's across the box Iwobi and there it is it's 4-0 to Fulham it's a brace for Alex Iwobi as well lovely finish with his right foot and another good move from Fulham you gotta say they're at sixes and sevens really Forrest we hadn't put any kind of pressure on them for the last 10 minutes or so we were allowing them to play a little bit of football as soon as we uh strung a few passes together Harry Wilson involved good sharp burst from him into the box and as he played it across from the right hand side of the penalty area Alex Iwobi really no one picking him up he's allowed to make a run in towards the penalty spot I'm not sure what Ola Iena was doing there statues really from the Nottingham Forest defence and Alex Iwobi's going to uh well he can't believe his luck really he just uh smashes it home with his right foot but he'll take those all day long and 4-0 Jamie this can end up uh best result here's Murillo Yates well he's giving it away Tom Kearney bursts in Pereira for Tom Kearney onto the left foot slides in it's 5-0 to Fulham this is lovely all too easy and then could be another nail in the coffin of the Nottingham Forest manager because it's turning into a rout now there's a lovely finish again Jamie kept his composure Tom he had a lot of time and sometimes when you've got that amount of time and you're square on with a goalkeeper you can go wrong embarrassingly so but there was never any doubt there the quality of Tom Kearney after the uh mix up in the Nottingham Forest defence TC the captain good to see him out there for me it's a lovely finish he just drew the keeper out he just uh he had the uh choice if he wanted to turn it towards Vinicius on the right hand side but on that trusty left foot there's only one place that was going smashes it into the net and uh Jamie this has turned out to be a great evening