Ryan Sessegnon scored the only goal as Fulham ground out a narrow 1-0 victory over a flat Aston Villa at Craven Cottage, boosting their hopes of finishing in the European places. The homegrown forward, who signed a contract extension this week, swept in a rebound just before half-time to settle a tie of few clear-cut chances and end his side's goal drought.
Played out against a backdrop of warm spring sunshine in front of a vociferous crowd, this was a soporific affair in which Fulham did little more than what was required. The win nudged the Cottagers up to 10th, at least for a short while, leaving them just two points behind sixth-placed Brighton and firmly among the sides scrapping for European qualification. Villa, by contrast, missed the chance to leapfrog Manchester United into third and instead left west London with work still to do.
A Soporific Start Under Tuchel's Gaze
With England head coach Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands, this was billed as a chance for Villa's forwards to impress before the World Cup. Instead, the opening half hour offered minimal goalmouth threat. Raul Jimenez headed straight at Emiliano Martinez when unmarked 10 yards out, Emiliano Buendia rounded off a fast Villa break by firing wide, and a wild attempt from Morgan Rogers sailed away into the sun-drenched supporters behind Bernd Leno's goal.