MAW TROUBLE
Alfie clued up to keep Cottagers from the drop
ALFIE MAWSON knows what it takes to win a Premier League relegation battle – and what the pain of going down is like.
After the big centre-back joined Swansea from Barnsley in 2016 he helped them survive after they looked doomed.
Last season he played every game but could not stop Swansea dropping into the Championship.
So the £20m defender, who joined Fulham in August after their promotion into the top flight, is determined not to go through that bitter experience again.
The Cottagers are deep in trouble after this dismal result, rooted to the bottom of the table with a frightening 42 goals conceded from 17 games.
The initial lift under new manager Claudio Ranieri looks like it might be already fizzling out, with 12 goals conceded in four games under the Italian.
But Mawson is up for the battle. He said: “I said to the lads I know can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we are doing the best job in the world and have to thrive off these situations and make sure we stay in the Premier League.”
Had Aboubakar Kamara not wasted a glorious early Fulham chance, when he allowed Lukasz Fabianski to save, it might have been different.
But a West Ham side playing with confidence then struck when the excellent Felipe Anderson set up Robert Snodgrass to fire home.
Fabianski made two more good saves but Fulham’s wobbly defence caved in again as Anderson crossed, the tiny Javier Hernandez won the header and Michail Antonio was all alone to convert.
Fulham had plenty of possession but never looked like stopping the Hammers from recording their fourth win in a row.
The Cottagers now face key games against teams around them in the table like Newcastle, Wolves and Huddersfield and they have to win points there... or else. ROBERT SNODGRASS revealed that it’s the one-on-one sessions with former Real Madrid and Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini that are transforming West Ham’s players – and their season.
Scotland international Snodgrass, 31, scored his second goal in successive games and Michail Antonio grabbed a second as the Hammers registered their fourth win in a row.
And the midfielder said: “This is a hell of a lot better than losing the first four games of the season.
“Maybe that was the best thing that happened to us – because it let everybody know we have to be at it in this league. The manager speaks to me a lot.
“He tells you how you can be better in this position. He’s a perfectionist.
“He has been at this level for a reason and you are starting to see his ethos in the way we are playing. He wants to try and help us become better.” FULHAM (4-4-2):
Rico 6; Odoi 5, Mawson 6, Ream 5 (Christie Bryan 5; 46, 6), CAIRNEY 7, Chambers (Johansen 6, Seri 6
61, 6), Schurrle 6 (Kebano Mitrovic 6, Kamara 77);
6. Subs: Bettinelli, Ayite, Vietto, Cisse.
UP NEXT: Newcastle
(a), Premier League, Saturday.
WEST HAM (4-4-2):
Fabianski 7; Zabaleta 7, Balbuena Masuaku 7, Diop 7,
7; Snodgrass 7, Rice (Obiang 7, Noble 7
62, 7), ANDERSON 8; (Diangana Antonio 7
85), Chicharito 7 (Carroll Subs: Adrian, 73). Cresswell, Agbonna, Nascimento.
UP NEXT: Watford
(h), Premier League, Saturday. Referee: Mike Dean
7. YOUR TURN: Which former England players – both now BBC on pundits – were opposite sides the last won time West Ham at Fulham, 3-1 in December
2010?