Fulham 2-1 Brentford: Premier League – as it happened

Dimitar Berbatov, formerly of Fulham and one of Sky Sports’ pundits in the studio tonight, has this to say:

After these sorts of games, this is when babies are made.

That’s all from me. Thanks for reading, and for your posh club suggestions via email. Congratulations to Fulham, and Harry Wilson in particular.

Until next time. Cheers!

Jacob Steinberg’s match report from Craven Cottage

Harry Wilson speaks to the cameras:

Amazing feeling to come on and get the two winners. I thought we were the better team, we had them penned in. He said to play in the pocket and when the ball goes wide, get into the box.

On the first goal, which replays show actually came off his shin!

I’m just trying to help it on, really. If it doesn’t go in, then I’m trying to help it towards the back post for someone else.

On the second goal, which replays show came off Wilson’s shoulder!

The second goal was lucky. It was meant to be a header and go in the other corner, but it’s come off my shoulder. They all count.

Here’s to the posh football clubs, then.

“With the caveat that Iceland is neither populous enough, nor has the imperialist history, for proper poshness, there’s a club called Stjarnan that really plays up its upper-classness” writes Kári Tulinius. “They’re from a well-to-do suburb of Reykjavík, and their fan club is called ‘The Silver Spoon’. They’re probably best known outside the country for a video of their choreographed celebrations”.

I can’t stop watching Wilson’s first goal. He has definitely meant that, or at least

A Fulham friend of mine, George Dennis, has just texted me. “Harry Wilson only scores bangers”. He’s not wrong.

Insane. Just insane. But you can’t say that Fulham don’t deserve that win. The home side are up to ninth with that victory. A really tough one to swallow for Brentford, who have lost every one of their five away matches this season.

Full-time: Fulham 2-1 Brentford

90+9 min: Craven Cottage has erupted. There are fans on the pitch. It’s absolute bedlam.

GOAL! Fulham 2-1 Brentford (Wilson 90+8 min)

90+6 min: Brentford nearly nick a winner at the last! Roerslev gets to the byline, cuts the ball back to Carvalho, who fires at goal from all of eight yards. Leno reads the shot and makes a point-blank save and Fulham’s defenders make two blocks to scramble the ball away!

90+4 min: Two goal-of-the-month contenders tonight, that could not have been more different.

GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Brentford (Wilson 90+2 min)

90+1 min: Fulham have had 24 shots to Brentford’s three and 67% possession.

90 min: Six added minutes here. Through a combination of towering centre backs and excellent goalkeeping (Flekken catching crosses), Brentford are sitting deep and dealing well with the missiles being thrown into their box.

89 min: Bassey tries his luck from range … the ball fizzing towards Flekken, who saves and collects at the second attempt.

88 min: It’s all hands on deck for Brentford. Collins and Mee make two huge blocks to deny Traoré and Castagne.

87 min: More changes: Brentford being on Ben Mee for Mbeumo. The Bees shift to a back five.

86 min: A reminder that only West Ham and the bottom three clubs (Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves) have conceded more goals than Brentford so far this season. This would be a huge clean sheet, and the first in the Premier League this campaign.

84 min: Cairney and Harry Wilson, two remarkably similar players in style, both come on for Fulham, replacing Smith Rowe and Nelson.

82 min: A break in play, with Roerslev receiving treatment for a blow to the face. The stoppage certainly suits Brentford and Fulham are becoming frustrated.

“Re posh football clubs, I suggest Racing Santander, whose stadium is very near the Sardinero beach, a very upmarket area of the city”, emails Anthony Ashworth, from Alicante. “The richest man in Spain (and Seve Ballesteros’ father-in-law), banker Emilio Botín, lived literally just up the road.”

81 min: Credit to Brentford, who are preposterously organised at the back. This is not the most exciting performance, but Thomas Frank will not care one bit if they come away with a clean sheet and a 1-0 win.

79 min: Traoré has definitely made a difference since coming on. Fulham look a little short of ideas otherwise.

77 min: And when a good cross does come into the Brenford box from open play, there are nowhere near enough bodies in the box. Muniz is all alone in there!

75 min: Another really poor corner for Fulham, which fails to beat the first man. Nelson is the guilty party there.

73 min: Both sides make substitutions as the game enters its final stage.

Brentford make three changes: Jensen for Damsgaard, Schade for Wissa and Carvalho for Lewis-Potter. Carvalho gets an almighty boo from the Fulham fans, having left Craven Cottage for Anfield in 2022 in a cut-price deal.

Fulham make two like-for-like subs: Timothy Castagne for Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz for Raul Jimenez.

71 min: More Fulham pressure, but Brentford are holding firm. Fulham have two corners, but having scored precisely zero goals from corners this season, they come to nothing.

69 min: “Apparently beach-fronting Botafogo is a very upscale part of Rio De Janeiro” emails Alun Williams. “I only know because a football feature – Football Focus? – did a feature on Clarence Seedorf, when he signed for the club. A very nice part of the world!”

I might also offer Sampdoria as a posh option, although perhaps not on the scale of Fulham. Genoa are seen as the more working-class club in the city, despite their official title being the Genoa Cricket and Football Club (and playing in the same stadium as Sampdoria).

67 min: Traoré has his first run at Van den Berg, and there is an expectant roar from the home crowd. The Spaniard crosses into the box, and there are shouts for a penalty, but the referee waves play on.

65 min: Here comes that first Fulham change, Traoré for Andreas Pereira, who has offered little in truth. With Traoré going to the right wing, that might mean Smith Rowe drops deeper to cover for Pereira.

63 min: Iwobi bends in a beautiful cross into the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ between centre-backs and goalkeeper, and Mbeumo does well to clear the ball at the back post, with Nelson loitering. Mbeumo has done more defending than attacking tonight!

61 min: Still no change for either side, which is something of a surprise, particularly for Fulham. Rodrigo Muniz, Cairney, Traore all lurking on the bench.

59 min: A real chance for Brentford, after a brilliant, improvised pass from Norgaard, who has quietly been one of the best players on the pitch. The Dane released Lewis-Potter on the left, in acres of space. The former Hull City winger cuts in on his right foot and fires wildly over the bar. A waste.

57 min: Eeeeeeeeeesh, a really nasty challenge by Roerslev on Smith Rowe. A yellow card for the Brentford right back. Smith Rowe limps on. I’m surprised he isn’t more hurt.

54 min: This is threatening to turn into a good game. Both teams are pushing for another goal. Iwobi gets free on the left but the Fulham man’s cross is poor. Lewis-Potter then repeats the trick for Brentford, darting beyond Andersen but can’t beat Tete at the near post with his own cross.

52 min: Bassey steps into midfield to make a thunderous tackle, as Fulham go on the attack again. Iwobi finds Smith Rowe, who drives to the byline but is foiled by Norgaard, who makes an outstanding block. Those are the sort of interventions that can be goal saving, but don’t show up on the stats.

50 min: Nelson and Iwobi combine, with the latter wriggling free on the edge of Brentford’s box, flashing a shot just a couple of yards wide. Better from Fulham.

48 min: Wissa, who has been conspicuous from his passiveness, almost connects with a lovely early cross from Lewis-Potter. Bassey gets a clumsy but vital touch on the delivery to take the ball away from the Brentford forward.

Peeeeeep! We’re underway again at Craven Cottage. No changes made by either side.

Correction: Janelt’s goal was from 29 yards, not 25. And it didn’t go in the top corner, more half-way up the goal, but still a stonking strike.

Quite funny that this was Jamie Carragher’s pre-match analysis …

Half-time reading: