Adama Traore's last-minute winner was enough for Wolves to take home the points in a hardly fought match at the Cottage on Friday night.
In a tightly contested game of few chances, it was Wolves who thought they had taken the lead on the brink of half time, before a narrow offside call ruled Willian Jose’s goal out.
Then, right at the finale of the second period, Wolves did get their goal hitting Fulham with a cruel sucker punch.
There was a double change deployed by Scott Parker as his side looked to bounce back from three previous losses in a row.
Antonee Robinson came into the side in place of Ademola Lookman, who had picked up a knock a game prior at Villa Park. Terence Kongolo was also in to make his first league start of the season in changed shape at the back, at the expense of Tosin.
Before kick-off, there was a two-minute silence observed in respect for His Royal Highness who sadly passed away at the age of 99 earlier in the day.
Wolves had the first sniff of a chance after 90 seconds at a still and chilly Craven Cottage, as Nelson Semedo’s curling free kick from deep was glanced wide by Willian Jose just inside the Fulham box.
There were little chances in a scrappy following 10 minutes as neither side could quite get a grip on proceedings, with most of the football happening at a leisurely pace as the teams weighed each other up.
Every Wolves attack was coming through Semedo and Pedro Neto down the right flank early on, and the latest surge forward by the tricky Portuguese winger was shepherded expertly by Robinson to release the pressure.
Kenny Tete was finding nice pockets of space down the Fulham right too, and after 16 minutes almost capitalised on picking up another great position. Cutting back onto his left, the Dutchman swung a tasty ball into the corridor of uncertainty in front of the six-yard box, but Aleksandar Mitrović wasn’t quite on his toes to profit.
The biggest chance of the game so far came after 27 minutes through another glancing header, this time from a man in white. Joachim Andersen’s ball found Robinson in space down the left this time. He picked his head up and whipped in instinctively to Ruben Loftus-Cheek 10 yards out, but his header bounced narrowly wide of the bottom right.
Pedro Neto was forced to leave the action early after picking up an injury, and on came Joao Moutinho in his place. The versatile midfielder was sharp from the off, and moments after entering the pitch caused some concern for the Fulham back line as his pinpoint ball found Traore centrally. Fortunately though, the powerhouse winger scuffed his shot well shy of the goal.
Robinson was fired right up for this one as was covering everything in every direction down his flank. Minutes before the interval he probed again, this time sending his cross towards the imposing Mitrović 12 yards out. He rose highest but couldn’t quite steer his header on target.
With the last kick of the first half Wolves thought they were in front after Willian Jose planted home from a Daniel Podence delivery. However, after a VAR review the goal was chalked off for an offside with millimeters in it, and we went into the break goalless.
The second half started rather like the first with neither side able to penetrate the last line and create much in the way of chances in a tense affair.
Tete almost latched onto the end of Marip Lemina’s inswinging cross after 57 minutes as Fulham started to bring the game to the visitors and provide a danger.
Mitrović managed a solid header on target from Harrison Reed’s set-piece, but the path to goal was narrow allowing Rui Patricio to gather at his near post.
The gaffer turned to the bench after 63 minutes, bringing on Frank Anguissa for Loftus-Cheek as his side tried to turn the screw for a goal.
Romain Saiss had a golden opportunity from a Wolves free-kick just inside the D soon after following a Traore trip, but it was blasted well over from the centre-back and it was a let-off.
The bench was turned to again in an attacking switch, as Josh Maja replaced Harrison Reed with just over a quarter-of-an-hour to play as we searched to turn one point into three.
Leander Dendoncker nodded over in the next chance of the contest from yet another dead ball, as Alphonse Areola saw it all the way out. In an almost identical effort moments later down the other end, Maja’s header was deflected over from close range from Anguissa’s delivery.
The lively Robinson then tried his luck on goal with less than 10 minutes remaining, having done pretty much everything else so far on the night. Using his weaker right foot, the American international sent a sweetly struck strike towards goal from range, but Patricio was there to match it.
In stoppage time came the cruelest of blows for Fulham, as Traore raced through on goal and slammed his shot into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.
This was to be the last action of the game, with attentions now turning to the Emirates as we face Arsenal on Sunday.
Fulham: Areola; Tete, Aina (Cavaleiro 84’), Andersen, Kongolo, Robinson; Lemina, Reed (Maja 73’); Loftus-Cheek (Anguissa 63’), Mitrović, De Cordova-Reid
Wolves: Patricio; Semedo, Coady, Saiss, Ait Nouri; Dendoncker, Neves; Traore, Podence, Neto (Moutinho 33’); Willian Jose (Silva 78’)
