Wolves signed off their final home game of the season with a victory over Fulham to put themselves on the brink of history and securing their highest Premier League finish. Dendoncker’s first Premier League goal was enough to overcome a resurgent Fulham side whose recent progress ground to a halt after more sloppy defending led to their demise.
The first half produced few exciting moments between the Premier League new boys. Fulham surprisingly had control of the majority of possession which epitomises the confidence and style Scott Parker is sewing into his team.
The closest to a goal was from a Dendoncker header which rattled the bar from close range but Fulham had a couple of chances which called Rui Patricio into action, tipping over the bar. The first half portrayed an end of season friendly despite Wolves being able to put themselves on the border of Europe and securing seventh.
The second half continued in the same vein of the first and proved to be tame. Wolves slowly grew into the game with Jota leading the creative attacks and building the momentum.
Wolves began testing the Fulham goal through the likes of Jimenez and Dendoncker until the Anderlecht loanee finessed a fine volley from Doherty’s pullback after intricate build-up play down the right. The play leading to the goal came from more sloppy defending from Fulham, something that’s plagued the London club this season.
Jota continued his sterling performance and nearly scored a scintillating strike which was tipped onto the bar by Rico. Leading the charges forward he continued to challenge the Fulham goal to push for Wolves’ second goal. Wolves continued to dominate the game and bombarded the Fulham defence until the final whistle. Their final home game ended in triumph, finishing 1-0 to the Midlands club.
Premier League new boys: stories of elation and elimination
For these two clubs, their return back to the Premier League couldn’t have been any different. Saturday’s match saw these two Premier League new boys of the 2018/19 season stage a final league fixture face-off before parting ways. While Wolves will remain in the Premier League, Fulham are already destined for life back in the Championship.
Saturday’s result excelled Wolves to reach the pinnacle of their season, all but guaranteeing seventh and a Europa League spot if Leicester and Watford fail to overcome their respective league and FA Cup games against current champions, Manchester City.
Despite Scott Parker reviving some life into the Cottagers in recent weeks, it was all too late for the London club, who have been locked in relegation for some time. So Wolves have managed to exceed all expectations, conquering the league outside of the top six, reaching Europe and an FA Cup semi-final while Fulham have failed to promote any sort of hope that their club was to have a successive season in the promised land of the Premier League.
Wolves took the Championship by storm last season whereas Fulham were promoted being the inform team after a late charge saw them reach and get through the playoffs.
Therefore, Wolves had a more stable team and base to build on and carry through this season. Form being temporary shone through Fulham this season as they failed to convince many that they would survive from the off.
Nuno stuck with what he knew and his small squad have been fortunate to not pick up significant injuries and force large rotations in team selection. Fulham have not been able to boast the same consistency in their starting eleven with their numerous managers favouring different tactics, players and formations, which did not instil stability or build on Fulham’s strengths that haven’t been clearly identified this season.
Compared to other unorganised and lacklustre Fulham teams this season, Scott Parker’s Fulham have displayed different energy and tenacity despite being out of the race for survival, and it isn’t fair to question their season from Saturday’s performance.
Wolves, on the other hand, have managed to make Molineux a formidable place to visit and have taken a good haul of points from the Premier League’s big clubs. At times they have failed to capitalise on easier fixtures and have dropped points against many teams in the bottom half of the table.
However, their organisation and determination have kept them many clean sheets as well as stealing games in the last few moments to secure points. These contrasts in the two clubs highlight why Wolves are 31 points ahead of Fulham with one game remaining.
Fulham’s momentum to fare well in the Championship?
They may have been relegated well before the end of the season and it could’ve been seen coming from a mile off, but their end to a disappointing Premier League campaign may set them up nicely for life in the Championship.
Not many teams turn up to Wolves and control possession while minimising the chances for the home side. However, Fulham were able to prevent any real chances being created for their Midlands opponents while producing promising attacking spells throughout most of the game.
Heading into this game, Fulham had won three on the bounce, something they failed to manage while competing for survival. These run of good results have been backed up with decent performances while maintaining two clean sheets in that run. The Championship is a competitive league and involves a long season of matches, making it difficult for teams to string together consistent runs.
However, Fulham have managed to get the good results along with good performances, something they haven’t done all this season. While this campaign has given few positives to cheer about for the Cottagers, they can definitely enter the Championship chaos with the confidence they can fight to return back to the top tier of English football.
Their run of form got them into the Premier League as unlikely outsiders and their run going into next season could be the motivation they need to set off at a good pace. Though it is a marathon and not a sprint in the Championship; something thing Fulham seem to have not grasped in their short return to the Premier League.
How will Wolves triumph on two fronts?
Wolves have set the bar high this season, they have toppled some of the league’s best sides, had a successful cup run and are likely to finish in seventh. They have hit a few roadblocks, failing to beat weaker teams than them and lack of a backup plan which threatened to overshadow their season. However, Saturday’s victory has all but sealed their success for the season.
While Wolves wrap up the season and wait on whether they will be confirmed as Europa League participants, they will no doubt already be planning for next season.
With the smallest squad in the league and the possibility of competing most Thursday nights, they will definitely want to expand their squad without breaking the bank and upsetting the status quo which has seen them conquer the Premier League outside the top six.
Bringing in more talent may give them the option to become more versatile and produce a backup plan when their strengths seem to fail. As well as new blood, they will look to permanently secure those who have contributed to their success this season, including Saturday’s goalscorer Dendoncker.
There’s no doubt that Wolves will be able to go toe to toe with Europe’s elite teams as they build themselves for these big fixtures. The long and frequent fixtures could take its toll on the club if they don’t build and prepare for another competitive Premier League season and another good cup run on top of playing in Europe.
Match Verdict
The game started very slow and low-energy. You could tell it was an end of season fixture but Wolves still had something to play for. A more organised Fulham may have surprised their opponents whose expectations of their opponents may have made them slow out the blocks.
The home side picked up the pace in the second half with the Portuguese winger, Jota, leading the charge in most attacks. His creative, direct and fast build-up was proving difficult for the Fulham players to cope with. Fulham eventually buckled under the pressure and made a mistake, cheaply giving the ball away leading to the fine Dendoncker goal.
After that, Wolves were in control and went on the hunt for more but failed to beat Rico again. All in all, Wolves would’ve been expected to leave victors but their form against teams in the bottom half of the table has been poor.
They overcame that negative stat to add to their impressive home record and take all three points to make history for the club. Wolves were the better team in the end but Fulham showed positive spells throughout the game which may have changed their season’s fortunes if they could have produced such organisation earlier in the season.
