Fulham climbed above Newcastle United in the Premier League table after securing a 2-0 victory at Craven Cottage.
Issa Diop opened the scoring in the 20th minute before substitute Tom Cairney sealed the result with ten minutes remaining.
Newcastle had more possession and completed more passes, but Fulham created significantly more opportunities, finishing with 20 shots compared with the visitors’ seven.
Fulham make an aggressive start
Fulham established themselves as the more dangerous team during the opening stages.
Alex Iwobi’s effort from around 15 metres was deflected over in the 10th minute before Antonee Robinson also saw a long-range attempt diverted away from goal.
Kevin then found space in a central area and sent a powerful shot wide as Fulham continued pushing Newcastle towards their own penalty area.
The pressure was rewarded in the 20th minute when Diop gave the hosts the lead.
Newcastle struggled to produce an attacking response. Although the visitors had more of the ball, they did not create enough opportunities to threaten Fulham’s advantage.
Fulham remained comfortable for the rest of the opening period and entered half-time with a deserved 1-0 lead.
Newcastle changes fail to alter the contest
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe introduced Harvey Barnes for Jacob Murphy at half-time in an attempt to improve his team’s attacking output.
The visitors continued to see more possession, but Fulham defended effectively and restricted their access to dangerous areas.
Newcastle made a double change in the 66th minute, introducing Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa for Bruno Guimarães and William Osula.
Those substitutions gave the visitors additional attacking options but did not produce the equaliser.
Newcastle finished the match with only seven shots and tested the Fulham goalkeeper twice.
Cairney makes an impact from the bench
Cairney replaced Kevin in the 60th minute as Fulham looked for greater control and composure in midfield.
Twelve minutes later, Harry Wilson and Raúl Jiménez were introduced alongside Josh King.
The changes proved decisive in the 80th minute.
Wilson created the opportunity for Cairney, who scored Fulham’s second goal to put the result beyond Newcastle.
It was a significant contribution from two substitutes. Cairney had been on the pitch for 20 minutes, while Wilson needed only eight minutes to provide the assist.
Fulham’s attacking ambition earns three points
Fulham continued looking for opportunities after the second goal rather than simply protecting their advantage.
Wilson and Iwobi both attempted shots during added time, while Newcastle substitute Sean Neave sent a late effort wide at the opposite end.
The hosts finished with 20 attempts and six shots on target. Newcastle, despite having 55 per cent possession and completing 479 passes, managed only two efforts on target.
That contrast told the story of the match.
Newcastle controlled more of the ball, but Fulham used their possession with greater purpose and consistently found ways to threaten the visitors’ goal.
The victory moved Fulham up to 11th in the Premier League table, with Newcastle dropping to 12th.
Fulham vs Newcastle statistics
| Statistic | Fulham | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 45% | 55% |
| Shots | 20 | 7 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 2 |
| Passes | 392 | 479 |
| Pass accuracy | 86% | 89% |
| Corners | 6 | 6 |
| Fouls | 13 | 6 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
