Fulham pile misery on Leicester as relegation fears deepen
There was a brief delay to kick-off as referee Robert Jones sorted out his technical equipment, but Fulham’s hold on the game was immediate once the action started.
Set-piece deliveries were proving particularly difficult for the Foxes to deal with, and having already scored against two other teams embroiled in the relegation battle this term, Willian delivered a free-kick that floated through the box and past Daniel Iversen in the 10th minute.
Fulham continued to cut through the Foxes with ease as Harry Wilson slipped through Carlos Vinícius, who calmly slid the ball out of Iversen’s reach. There was no relief for Dean Smith’s frail backline, as Tom Cairney cut inside Çağlar Söyüncü and struck home before the break.
Having not previously scored a single goal all season, Cairney had another six minutes into the second period as the midfielder exquisitely controlled Kenny Tete’s pass and gave Iversen no chance with his clinical finish.
The Foxes finally had a glimmer of joy before the hour, as James Maddison teed up Harvey Barnes for an opportunity that the winger fired in off the crossbar.
That briefly turned into hope when Bernd Leno clumsily took out Jamie Vardy for a penalty, although the German quickly snatched it away again by saving the striker’s spot-kick. Willian then added to the visitors’ misery, drifting into the middle with ease and curling a wonderful effort inside the post.
Yet more goals came, as Maddison was brought down by João Palhinha and converted the ensuing penalty, before Patson Daka capitalised on a poor header from Shane Duffy to set up Barnes for a simple finish. Even so, Fulham comfortably ended their run of three consecutive defeats, giving themselves a buffer on Chelsea as the Cottagers aim to stay in the top half.
Leicester’s ambition is simply to stay in the league, and the Foxes will be looking over their shoulders after enduring a third winless game, with Everton playing later today before Nottingham Forest and Southampton face off.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Tom Cairney (Fulham)
