Fulham played hosts to Derby County as part of the second leg of their Championship playoffs semi-final tie. The Cottagers were looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first-leg going into this clash. The home team started the match on the front foot but failed to find the back of the net in the first half. However, the Cottagers carved up the Rams defence early in the second half and scored the opening goal of the game courtesy of Ryan Sessegnon’s emphatic finish from close range in the 47th minute.
They doubled their lead in the 66th minute through Denis Odoi’s goal which ultimately ended up sending Fulham into the final of the Championship play-offs. The contest ended with a 2-0 scoreline in favour of Slaviša Jokanović’s team.
Let’s shed some light on how each Fulham player fared during the encounter against the Rams.
GK: Marcus Bettinelli – 7.5/10
The Fulham goalie distributed the ball well and made a few smart saves to earn a clean sheet on the night.
RB: Ryan Fredericks – 8/10
He was a wonderful outlet down the right flank and created a lot of free space for his teammates with his darting runs into the Derby box.
CB: Denis Odoi – 9/10
The centre-back scored the crucial second goal of the game which sent Fulham into the final of the Championship playoffs. He also managed to keep the Derby attack at bay and earned a well-deserved clean sheet on the night.
CB: Tim Ream – 6/10
He made a few errors during the game and but did enough to secure a shut-out during the contest which keeps his team’s promotion hopes alive.
LB: Matt Targett – 6.5/10
It was his cross which led to the Fulham opener when he floated in an inviting ball which Johansen chested to set up Sessegnon, who finished emphatically from close range.
CM: Tom Cairney – 8.5/10
He controlled the game well and sprayed some wonderful passes to set up his teammates. The Fulham skipper rose to the occasion and delivered a classy performance in midfield.
CM: Kevin McDonald – 8/10
He put in another strong display at the heart of the Fulham midfield. The Scotsman had a great match at the centre of the park as he put in a number of good tackles to win back possession for his team.
CM: Stefan Johansen – 7/10
The Norwegian went missing in the first half but was responsible for the opening goal when he chested the ball expertly into Sessegnon’s path who converted the chance with ease.
RM: Aboubakar Kamara – 7/10
He was a menace for the Derby defence and his pace was a wonderful asset for the home side.
ST: Aleksandar Mitrovic – 8/10
Another outstanding showing from the Serbian, he held the ball up well and won a lot of aerial duels in the opposition half.
LM: Ryan Sessegnon – 8/10
The 17-year-old found it difficult to get himself involved in the game before the half-time break. However, he came back to put in a strong showing in the second half which was capped off by a goal in the 47th minute.
Substitutes:
CB: Tomas Kalas – 7/10
He came off the bench to see out the 2-0 victory for the home team.
CM: Oliver Norwood – N/A
He came on in injury time to ‘run the clock’ and hardly had any time to make an impact.
