TEN-UP TAMMY A BORN PREDATOR
Double trouble for Slav and Co
TAMMY Abraham scored twice in 15 minutes of football at Fulham to see Bristol City to victory. The second goal just happened to come three days after the first.
Abraham scored the 90t minute winner in the EFL Cup on Wednesday then got his tenth goal of the season just ten minutes into this league game to kickstart an emphatic win at Craven Cottage.
Further strikes in the second half from Luke Freeman, Bobby Reid and Aden Flint ensured Robins boss Lee Johnson was in raptures post-match.
“It was our best performance of the season,’’ he said. “Fulham are a good side and you come to a place like this, it’s a fantastic stadium, lovely place to come and we were buoyed by many fans. It was a really proud club day for us, given the fact that we beat a decent side comfortably in the end.
“Abraham is a poacher. If you add up all his goals, distancewise, it probably doesn’t make 30 yards yet and he’s scored ten. It’s that natural instinct, you can’t teach that.
“I can help and try and make him better outside the box, and his movement just inside the box, but when it comes to that instinct of moving towards the goal when everyone moving away from as he’s moving towards it, it’s Lineker-esque. That’s the difference.’
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic was less than impressed with side’s collapse.
“We didn’t offer enough quality, enough character, we didn’t deserve a different result,” said the Serbian. “At the end the result is completely realistic of what we found here in our stadium.
“After half-time we were not solid like in the beginning of the season. Before they scored the first goal they had two very good chances and after that they scored.
“We moved the ball, we shot 15 times but only twice on target.
“We didn’t find any end product. Generally we play around but in our box we were not solid enough. In the opposition’s box we don’t have the end product.”
Abraham reached double figures for the season when he met Jamie Paterson’s firm cross in the tenth minute. It was impres- sive work from the rangy striker to get across Ragnar Sigurdsson and crash the ball home off the underside of the crossbar.
After Abraham’s goal Fulham woke up and began controlling the game. Chris Martin headed their best chance just wide from Ryan Sessegnon’s cross.
Accuracy was the home side’s biggest problem in the first half. Despite creating plenty of chances Frank Fielding was rarely called upon to make a save.
The pattern continued after the break with Sone Aluko’s half-volleyed effort striking the angle of post and bar to further frustrate the home fans.
As so often happens when you do not take your chances you are punished. Lee Tomlin ensured just that. His mazy dribble past three Fulham players opened up space for Freeman to double City’s lead.
After the second, Fulham collapsed. Reid made it 3-0 with a fantastic low drive from 25 yards with just over 20 minutes left that broke the home spirit.
Things would get worse for Fulham. Kevin McDonald was given a harsh straight red for a mistimed challenge minutes before Flint tapped home for a late fourth.