Fulham beaten at home by Forest

Fulham 1 Forest 2

A Lewis Grabban double sank Fulham’s Championship momentum on a hot, frustrating afternoon at Craven Cottage.

Unlike their total domination against Millwall on Wednesday evening, the Whites were lethargic in the opening exchanges and it took only four minutes for Grabban to put the visitors in front.

Joe Lolley brought the ball across the width of the pitch for Jack Robinson to whip in a dangerous cross, which Grabban volleyed powerfully past Marcus Bettinelli, before strong appeals for a Fulham penalty were waved away.

The Whites settled as the half went on and Joe Bryan went close twice before the break – first with a long-range drive that flashed past the far post, then with a half-volley from the edge of the box that swerved wide.

Only one shot managed to reach the target, however, and Forest were a threat on the counter-attack with Grabban drawing a good save from Bettinelli with the angle against him.

The home side came out with far more energy after the restart as half-time substitute Bobby Decordova-Reid almost pulled Fulham level on 52 minutes, but his header was pawed away by debutant Brice Samba.

But a lapse in concentration on the hour mark from Steven Sessegnon – making only his third senior league appearance – allowed Grabban to slam the ball home off the post and double Forest’s lead against the run of play.

The teenager almost reduced the deficit immediately after, with Samba impressively pushing his deflected volley wide, and Fulham eventually broke down the stubborn Forest defence with eight minutes to go.

Aleksandar Mitrović stabbed home substitute Aboubakar Kamara’s cross for his fourth goal of the season to spur a frantic finish, but it wasn’t enough as the East Midlands side clinched a first win at Craven Cottage since 2016.