Fulham 6-2 Birmingham City

Fulham continued their 100 per cent start to 2022 with a 6-2 victory over Birmingham City at the Cottage.

A Marc Roberts own goal gave us the lead in what started as a quiet contest, but it soon exploded into life with quickfire goals from Neeskens Kebano, Fabio Carvalho and Tom Cairney.

Blues looked to make things uncomfortable for us with impressive goals either side of the break from Ivan Sunjic and Gary Gardner, but Carvalho quickly put us back in complete control with another smart finish.

And to sign things off in style, Antonee Robinson popped up late on – just as he did in the Carabao Cup at St Andrew’s – to make it consecutive 6-2 victories for the Whites.

A rest for Kenny Tete was the solitary change to the side that walloped Bristol City by the same scoreline three days earlier. His place was taken by Denis Odoi, who scored the opening goal in the reverse fixture back in September.

Fulham were in free-scoring form, but it was a Blues defender who handed us the lead. Roberts was unfortunate as he needed to get something on Harry Wilson’s ball across the face to prevent a tap-in for Aleksandar Mitrović, but he only succeeded in diverting the ball beyond Neil Etheridge for 1-0.

In the periods of play that followed, we were having all of the ball without creating too many clear cut chances, though Wilson’s drive from 20 yards looked to be heading in until a vital block from a man in blue.

Kebano then lashed a snapshot wide while off balance, but quickly made amends with a clinical finish. Wilson’s outside of the boot pass sent Odoi scampering down the right flank, and his first time delivery was expertly dispatched by the in-form winger who had got across his man.

And two quickly became three. This time it was the opposite full-back setting things up, with Robinson’s pinpoint cross nodded into the corner by Carvalho.

After a quiet opening 35 minutes, the floodgates had now opened. Cairney was next to get in on the act as Fulham patiently worked an opening. Wilson’s horizontal run eventually saw him feed Kebano who in turn slipped Carvalho. He saw Cairney in space to his right, and the skipper coolly slid a low shot into the bottom corner via the post.

City did pull one back just as we ticked into first half stoppage time. Sunjic had space on the edge of the box but it seemed the angle was against him, only for him to smash a brilliant outswinging shot away from Marek Rodák who could only get the slightest of fingertips onto the ball as it sailed in via the upright.

Mitrović attempted to restore the Whites’ four goal lead heading into the break, but Etheridge did well to beat away his powerful volley.

The second half began with Tim Ream playing a 50-yard eye of the needle pass to Carvalho who had got in behind the Blues backline, but the angle was against him and Etheridge made a comfortable save.

Lukas Jutkiewicz then drew a couple of stops from Rodák, but nothing the Slovakia international would have been too concerned with.

The second period had been low on action, but Blues managed to haul themselves back into contention with another fine finish, this time with Gardner sending a daisy cutter beyond Rodák from distance.

The Fulham response was immediate, though. After Mitrović had seen a strong shot parried following good forward play from Harrison Reed, we kept the pressure on and restored the three goal advantage when Carvalho arrowed a shot across Etheridge and into the corner from the edge of the box.

Just as it looked as though the Whites would be unable to match Saturday’s scoreline, Robinson popped up in the final minute of stoppage time to make it six. Josh Onomah – who had been very lively since his introduction – teed him up outside the area and the left-back drilled a low strike through a raft of bodies to cap another terrific night for the Club.