Ranieri triumphs as Hughes feels the heat
Nothing will ever equal the 5,000-1 miracle that Claudio Ranieri oversaw in his previous Premier League incarnation with Leicester City but only two teams in the competition’s history have had fewer than Fulham’s five points after 12 matches. Fast-forward 90 rollercoaster minutes and his new team were celebrating not just their second win of the season but moving off the bottom of the Premier League table.
It was never likely to be convincing – Fulham are far too defensively suspect for that – but the celebrations on the final whistle were still like nothing Craven Cottage has witnessed all season. The feelgood factor is at least fleetingly back and that was the very best anyone could have wished for.
“It was emotional to come back into the Premier League with Fulham, one of the most historical clubs,” said Ranieri. “I believe. I do this job because I live for the emotion.”
The usual post-match telephone call to his mother would soon follow and, while 99-year-old Renata never holds back in her assessments, Ranieri himself seemed very clear about Fulham’s deficiencies.
“We conceded too many chances and we must improve a lot, but we showed fantastic character,” he said.
Aleksandar Mitrovic was the difference and, in describing his striker as “one of the best in Europe”, Ranieri is at least enthused by attacking options which were hugely augmented by the performance of Ryan Sessegnon.
Mark Hughes, himself a former Fulham manager, was left to clutch for rather different straws after enduring the indignity of his own fans predicting that he will soon be looking for another job. “Predictable – no one is surprised and we are all frustrated,” said Hughes, when asked about the supporter unrest. “At times, it is unfair. Some people smell blood. You have to accept that – I have been through these periods before. It doesn’t faze me.”
With only two full days of training at his new club, Ranieri had very deliberately avoided the famed “Tinkerman” approach and made only one change for his first match, solidifying midfield with the presence of Jean Michael Seri.
Danny Ings, who had either scored or created almost two thirds of Southampton’s goals this season, had failed a fitness test but his team still made by far the more convincing start. Stuart Armstrong was behind most of their best play and, after Manolo Gabbiadini had wasted one excellent chance, pounced to finish Maxime Le Marchand’s partial clearance past Sergio Rico.
Scoring, however, seemed to negatively affect Southampton and they became more hesitant and less intense. Fulham exploited the dip and put together a wonderful flowing move that ended with Le Marchand crossing for Mitrovic to head beyond Alex McCarthy. With confidence surging, it took only another 10 minutes for Fulham to take the lead. Right-back Cyrus Christie had just flashed one shot across the face of Southampton’s goal before Sessegnon beat Cedric Soares and crossed for Andre Schurrle to finish.
Southampton recovered their dominance of possession at the start of the second half and, with Soares producing a back-heel to tee up Armstrong’s emphatic 20-yard finish, they did draw level. The goal, though, seemed again to subtly swing the momentum back with Fulham. Christie’s cross was delicately flicked on by Sessegnon and Mitrovic duly stepped forward with an unstoppable volley past McCarthy.
He was substituted with five minutes remaining and the standing ovation reflected how his contribution had not just been match-winning but potentially also season-changing.