Kevin’s spark, a freakish finish: Fulham finally ignite their season at the Cottage

Relief washed around Craven Cottage as a 94th‑minute own goal from Gabriel Gudmundsson finally prised open a game that had stubbornly refused to budge. After an afternoon of toil, Fulham claimed their first Premier League win of the season, 1-0 over Leeds United, thanks to a slice of fortune earned by late pressure and a decisive debut cameo.

For 58 minutes, Marco Silva’s side had not managed a single attempt. Then the dam cracked: Harry Wilson forced Karl Darlow into a flying save, the substitutes injected fresh thrust and, with seconds remaining, Kevin’s enterprise won the corner that produced the decisive ricochet. After recent frustrations – not least a perfectly good goal being ruled out at Chelsea last month – this was the catharsis Fulham craved.

Silva’s bench flips the switch

The first hour had been maddening. Passes went astray and attacks broke down against a Leeds midfield designed to suffocate. When the chance finally came, Wilson’s 25‑yard free‑kick – Fulham’s first shot of the day – was arrowing towards the top corner until Darlow clawed it away. It was a reminder of why Leeds had tried to sign Wilson on deadline day before that move fell through.

Silva’s changes recalibrated the contest. Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traoré arrived on the hour and immediately changed the temperature. Smith Rowe, drifting between the lines, clipped the foot of the post during a move that was whistled back; Traoré’s surge and directness repeatedly drove at Gudmundsson and pushed Leeds ever deeper. The momentum, finally, belonged to Fulham.

Kevin’s cameo and the corner that changed everything

Then came Kevin. The £34.6m Brazilian, recruited from Shakhtar Donetsk on deadline day, had only 14 minutes but used every second. Cutting in from the left, he whipped a curling effort that Darlow, excellent throughout, touched over at full stretch. The roar told you all you needed to know about the connection already building between player and stands.

From Sasa Lukic’s ensuing corner, fate intervened. Gudmundsson, under no pressure, stooped and headed the ball with such force that it flew into his own net from distance, leaving Darlow with no chance. Craven Cottage erupted, a surge of joy and release after a tense afternoon that Fulham had wrestled into their grasp.

Grinding through the gloom, then seizing the moment

Fulham’s back line and Bernd Leno kept the platform intact in the periods when Leeds were on top. Leno thwarted Brenden Aaronson at his near post early in the second half, just as he had dealt with Dominic Calvert‑Lewin’s first‑half header. Earlier, Sean Longstaff’s fierce drive grazed the bar to remind the hosts of the fine margins at play.

At the other end Rodrigo Muniz’s downward header was too tame to trouble Darlow, but the late onslaught told its own story: the substitutes tilted the pitch, the crowd sensed it, and Leeds’ resistance finally cracked. Fulham not only banked their first win, they edged above Leeds onto five points and rediscovered a route to force tight matches their way.

What this means for the Cottagers

Silva has spoken about needing different profiles to change games; here he had them. Traoré stretched the field, Smith Rowe found pockets and Kevin brought rare, fearless flair. “Kevin has something that is not easy to find,” the head coach said, praising the winger’s strength and decision‑making after a cameo that felt bigger than its minutes.

No one will pretend this was vintage Fulham. But on a day of meagre chances and heavy legs, they stayed patient, leaned on their bench and forced a break. After the sting of that disallowed strike at Chelsea, this felt like a small restitution – and, more importantly, a platform to build upon at the Cottage.