Traore Lands Cruel Blow to Fulham's Hopes of Survival
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The Daily Telegraph Saturday 10 April 2021 ** 11 Sport Football Sarr lifts Watford Traore lands cruel 12 points clear in blow to Fulham’s race for top two Championship By Sam Dalling at Vicarage Road Watford 2-0 Reading hopes of survival Sarr 12, 14 It takes only a second to score a goal, Premier League By Sam Dean at Craven Cottage so they say, and seemingly Ismaila Sarr needs just 77 to score two. three points, with Steve Bruce’s side On a night when others lacked Fulham having two games in hand. composure, a pair of clinical finishes 0 The league table is worrying, from the Senegalese winger secured then, and so is Fulham’s inability to his side’s victory over fellow promo- Wolves create chances. They controlled tion-chasers Reading. Traore 90 + 2 1 much of the game here, dominating It was Watford’s 17th win of the for large spells of the second half, season at fortress Vicarage Road and As Adama Traore smashed home a but a goal never seemed likely. stretched the gap over Brentford in late winner that only he could score, In truth, it did not seem likely for third place to 12 points. Scott Parker simply bowed his head, Wolves, either. Nuno Espirito Even with Brentford having two closed his eyes and winced. You Santo’s side were lacking ideas and games in hand, the question now could see it on the Fulham manag- had struggled to break down appears to be when, rather than if, a er’s face that he knew what a blow Fulham until Traore slammed his Premier League return is sealed. this was for his side, what a punch in foot on the accelerator and hit the “I’m very happy with Sarr – it was the gut it was for a team whose ball with such venom that Alphonse a very good performance,” said hopes of Premier League survival Areola, the home goalkeeper, would Xisco Munoz, the Watford head are becoming increasingly slim. hardly have seen it before it was past coach. “But congratulations to all You could see it on the faces of the him. our players. We started with high Fulham players, too. Mario Lemina Traore is the Premier League’s intensity and were mature in the was holding back the tears as he left most powerful athlete, a man who second half. Our fans would be the pitch at the final whistle, only a quite literally oils his biceps before proud.” few seconds after Traore had matches, and this was the ultimate Sarr’s opener was an unstoppable unleashed that missile into the back demonstration of his physical left-footed shot curled into the top of the home side’s net. strength as he finally scored his first corner – and barely a minute had “It is a tough one to take,” Parker goal of the season. He might as well passed before he added a fierce said. “You see that at the end of the have oiled the ball, too, such was the right-footed effort from a narrow game, and you see how desperate speed with which his shot sliced NMC POOL & WOLVES angle. this team is to be successful. We are through the air. “I believe Adama is The visitors were far from out- deflated, we are hurt. But we will unique in football,” said Nuno. “He Muscled out: lief and no little anger among the classed. What they lacked, though, come back fighting.” can produce special moments.” Antonee Robinson visitors when it was disallowed. Weekend was Sarr’s efficiency. He netted Wat- They will battle on, as Parker For Wolves, the victory will feel comes off second It was a half of few chances, until fixtures ford’s only two shots on-target, would not allow it any other way. deserved, even if their performance best against the non-goal, yet the best opportu- while George Puscas and Yakou But there is no hiding from the fact was lacklustre. They had the ball in Wolves match- nities were still created by Fulham. Today Meite wasted clear chances to halve that momentum has been lost com- the net in the first half, from a Wil- winner Adama Both came down the left side, with Man City v Leeds the deficit before the interval. Lucas pletely. This was Fulham’s fourth lian Jose header shortly before the Traore (right) Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alek - (12.30) Joao, Reading’s 22-goal top-scorer, consecutive defeat since they beat break, but were denied by one of the sandar Mitrovic heading wide from Liverpool v Aston watched on for more than an hour, Liverpool at Anfield, and the gap to most contentious Var calls seen this Antonee Robinson crosses. Villa (3) his belated introduction failing to 17th-placed Newcastle stands at season. Buoyed by their Var escape, Ful- C Palace v Chelsea inspire a grandstand finish. Fulham have had to cope with ham were dominant in the second (5.30) “Football was cruel to us today,” more than their fair share of unfor- half, but could muster only half- Veljko Paunovic, the Reading man- tunate refereeing decisions, so they chances. Still, the game felt like Ful- Tomorrow ager, said. “You just have to applaud might feel they were due a favoura- ham’s to win. Burnley v the goals. We were chasing a goal to ble ruling here. But even the most That was until Traore stepped up Newcastle (12) give us momentum and that drained diehard of their supporters would and sped up, crashing in his winner West Ham v us. Execution is very important.” not have felt entirely comfortable after a counter-attack had ripped Leicester (2.05) For a few more hours at least, with the nature of this one. apart the home side’s tiring defence. Tottenham Reading retain their play-off berth, Truly, it was as “level” as “level” A brutal goal, both in terms of its v Man Utd (4.30) but Bournemouth – who have can possibly be when Daniel 4 execution and also what it meant for Sheff Utd v played two games fewer – lurk omi- Podence darted down the right Fulham’s season. Arsenal (7) nously a point behind. wing and crossed for the striker. But Fulham have lost Fulham (3-4-3): Areola 5; Aina 6, Andersen 7, Kongolo 6; Watford (4-2-3-1) Bachmann; Femenia, Troost-Ekong out came the lines on the screen, Tete 6, Lemina 6, Reed 6 (Maja 74), Robinson 7; Loftus- Monday (Cathcart 70), Sierralta, Masina; Hughes, Chalobah moved inch by careful inch, before four consecutive Cheek 5 (Anguissa 63), Mitrovic 5, Decordova-Reid 6. West Brom v (Sanchez h-t); Sarr, Zinckernagel, Sema (Success 78); league games for Subs Fabri (g), Hector, Ream, Adarabioyo, Cavaleiro, Joao Pedro (Gray 77). Subs Foster (g), Ngakia, Gosling, it was decided in Stockley Park that Bryan, Onomah. Southampton (6) first time since Lazaar, Hungbo. Booked Hughes, Zinckernagel, Success. Podence’s arm had strayed offside. Wolves (4-2-3-1): Patricio 6; Semedo 7, Coady 7, Saiss 6, Brighton v Reading (4-2-3-1) Rafael; Yiadom, Holmes, Moore, “This is not the spirit of the losing their first Ait-Nouri 6; Neves 6, Dendoncker 6; Neto 6 (Moutinho Everton (8.15) Gibson (Richards 64); Rinomhota (Baldock 87), Laurent; 33), Podence 5 (Gibbs-White 74), Traore 8; Willian Jose 6 Meite, Olise, Ejaria (Aluko 87); Puscas (Joao 64). four of the season game,” Nuno said. (Silva 78). Subs Ruddy (g), Vitinha, Richards, Kilman, Subs Southwood (g), Esteves, Semedo, Tetek, Dorsett. Downhearted: Mario Lemina (left) cannot It was a fine header by Willian Otasowie. Full fixtures: P14 Booked Rinomhota. hide his emotions after Fulham’s defeat Jose and there was a sense of disbe- Referee Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire). Referee James Linington (Isle of Wight). Women’s friendly By Tom Garry on BBC Four but, following the However, Paris St-Germain penalty, placed into the bottom cor- death of the Duke of Edinburgh, the winger Sandy Baltimore used her ner by Chelsea’s Fran Kirby. Vulnerable France 3-1 England match was moved to the Red Button pace to torment a weakened Eng- Keira Walsh then hit a post as Baltimore 32, Kirby 79 pen service and iPlayer. land defence missing captain Steph England pressed for an equaliser, Asseyi 63 pen, Katoto 82 England wore black armbands as Houghton and Fifa player of the year but moments later France’s third Lionesses England suffered a first defeat under a mark of respect, a minute’s silence Lucy Bronze through injury. was tapped in by Marie-Antoinette interim head coach Hege Riise after was observed before kick-off, and Baltimore opened the scoring Katoto, giving Riise plenty to pon- tormented by a poor night defensively against an the Lionesses did not conduct with a sweet strike into the top cor- der before Tuesday’s home friendly under-strength France in Caen. post-match interviews. ner. Substitute Viviane Asseyi rolled against Canada. The friendly was the Lionesses’ England were facing a nation who in a penalty for France’s second after France (4-4-2) Peyraud-Magnin; Torrent (Perisset 85) penultimate match before Riise had not lost in 15 games since the a clumsy challenge in the area by Tounkara, De Almeida, Morroni; Diani (Dali 85) Geyoro, second-string Palis (Jaurena 60), Baltimore; Gauvin (Asseyi 59), Katoto. selects her 18-strong Team GB 2019 World Cup, but this was a sec- Rachel Daly, before England Booked Palis, Torrent. squad for the Olympics next month, ond-string French side, with none of improved in the latter stages.