Rampant Fulham in another goal-fest
BIRMINGHAM were battered but still came away feeling like they had got off lightly. For the third time in seven days, Fulham were in that ruthless kind of mood where any number of goals seemed possible. After seven at Reading and six against Bristol City, it was six again here. That was more than adequate to move them five points clear at the top of the Championship. A Marc Roberts own goal set them on their way before strikes from Neeskens Kebano, Fabio Carvalho and Tom Cairney settled it before half-time. Birmingham reduced the arrears to only two but another from Carvalho and a late sixth from Antonee Robinson made it 19 goals in 270 minutes. Fulham became the first second-tier club to score six or more goals in three straight league games since Everton in February 1954. ‘We got three points that were important for us and a fantastic score again,’ said Fulham manager Marco Silva. ‘It is a good sign for us that we are able to score six goals and our main striker (Aleksandar Mitrovic) doesn’t score.’ They were gifted the first when Roberts sent Harry Wilson’s cross past his own keeper but then blitzed Birmingham with three in eight minutes before half-time. Kebano slammed home from Denis Odoi’s cross then Carvalho glanced home Robinson’s ball. Cairney swept in the fourth. Ivan Sunjic curled home a sweet strike and Gary Gardner rifled in to give Birmingham hope. But Carvalho, 19, picked out the bottom corner for his second and Robinson added Fulham’s sixth in stoppage time. ‘They hurt us and punished us every time they went forward,’ said Birmingham boss Lee Bowyer. ‘They were a different animal to my team.’