Fulham moves out of relegation zone, West Ham go fifth
Fulham clim climbed out of the Premier League Leagu relegation zone on Monday aft after finally solving their penalty woes w in a shock 2-1 win at Leiceste Leicester, while West Ham rode their luck to move into fifth place with a dramatic dr 2-1 victory against Aston V Villa.
Scott Parker’s Parke side won for just the second time in the league this season th thanks to Ademola Lookman’s 30th 30t minute opener and Ivan Cavaleiro’s Caval penalty eight minutes later.
Fulham had missed three of their four previous pr penalties this term, but Cavaleiro held his nerve to convert conver from the spot for the crucial second sec goal. Harvey Barnes scored for f Leicester in the 86th minute, bu but Fulham held on and move one point above the bottom three. “Cav slipped last week and I’m not on Twitter or Instagram but I can only imagine what was being said, the jokes at his expense and Cav would have seen that,” Parker said of Cavaleiro’s recent penalty miss against Everton.
“I said to him: ‘Are you ready to take one if we get it?’ He looked at me dead in the eye and said: ‘I’m ready’.
“The courage to step up there are the things we need. There’s no denying there’s relief. I’ve spoken to them about not letting defeats cripple us.” It was an emotional success for the Cottagers, with Lookman celebrating his goal by displaying one of Papa Bouba Diop’s Senegal shirts after Fulham’s former midfielder died aged 42 at the weekend.
“That was a decision we as a club made and the players were happy to do it. For someone to lose their life at a young age is tragic,” Parker said.
Fulham’s second away win in the past 26 Premier League matches was their first since a victory at Bournemouth in April 2019. Leicester would have gone second with a win, but instead they remain fourth - three points behind leaders Tottenham - after a second successive league defeat.
At the London Stadium, West Ham earned a third successive victory after Villa striker Ollie Watkins missed a late penalty and then saw a stoppage-time equaliser disallowed by VAR.