Fulham v Leicester City Live Commentary & Result, 8/5/23, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City 0-0	38	28	6	4	94	32	+62	90	D W W W W
2	ARS Arsenal 0-0	38	25	7	6	83	43	+40	82	L L W W L
3	MUN Manchester United 0-0	38	22	7	9	56	42	+14	73	W W W L L
4	NEW Newcastle United 0-0	38	19	14	5	67	32	+35	71	D W D L W
5	LIV Liverpool 0-0	38	19	10	9	71	43	+28	67	D W W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0	38	18	9	11	71	51	+20	63	D W L W L
7	TOT Tottenham Hotspur 0-1	38	18	6	14	67	62	+5	60	L L W L D
8	AVL Aston Villa 0-0	38	17	8	13	49	45	+4	59	D W L L W
9	BRE Brentford 0-0	38	14	15	9	57	46	+11	57	W W L W W
10	FUL Fulham 0-0	38	15	8	15	54	51	+3	53	D W W L L
11	CRY Crystal Palace 0-0	38	11	12	15	39	48	-9	45	D W L W L
12	CHE Chelsea 0-0	38	11	11	16	37	46	-9	44	L L D W L
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0	38	11	9	18	31	53	-22	42	D L W L W
14	WHU West Ham United 0-0	38	11	8	19	41	53	-12	41	W L W L L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth 0-0	38	11	7	20	37	70	-33	40	L L L W W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest 0-0	38	9	11	18	37	67	-30	38	W D W L W
17	EVE Everton 0-0	38	7	13	18	33	57	-24	34	D L W D L
18	LEI Leicester City 0-0	38	8	8	22	49	67	-18	32	D L L D D
19	LEE Leeds United 0-1	38	7	10	21	47	75	-28	31	L D L L D
20	SOU Southampton 0-0	38	6	7	25	32	69	-37	25	L L L L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

Fulham end their three-game losing run and they stay 10th, moving onto 48 points. Next up for them is a trip to bottom-place Southampton. Leicester remain outside the bottom three on goal difference only, with three of the teams below them still yet to play today. They host Liverpool next Monday.

A brilliant game of football ends with Fulham beating Leicester 5-3. The Foxes collapsed in the first half and were 3-0 down at the break. Iversen failed to keep out Willian's free-kick before Vinicius and Cairney piled more misery on them. In the second half, Cairney got his second following a quick counter, but Barnes pulled one back just before the hour mark, firing in off the bar. Vardy then had a penalty saved before Willian whipped in a marvellous long-range shot. Maddison stepped up for Leicester's second spot-kick, coolly dispatching it before Barnes punished Fulham for some poor defending for their third.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: FULHAM 5-3 LEICESTER CITY.

90' + 5' Fulham are struggling to get a touch on the ball as Leicester attempt to scramble it forward. The visitors just can't get it into the box though.

90' + 3' Leicester are camped out in Fulham's half at the moment as they push for a goal that would make for a very nervy ending to the game. Soyuncu goes long again, but Leno confidently comes out to deal with this one.

90' + 1' Into the first of six added minutes here, and Barnes goes down without getting a free-kick at one end. Fulham then counter quickly, with Kenny Tete bursting down the right, but his cross is too close to Iversen.

P. Daka

Assist

89' Daka was slightly off balance after tripping over Leno's outstretched arm as he pushed the ball away, but he stayed on his feet long enough to pick out Barnes.

H. Barnes

Goal

89' BARNES SCORES AGAIN! It's a long ball over the top from Soyuncu that causes Fulham a problem as Duffy tries to head it back to Leno, who had moved to catch the cross. He scrambles to push it away from Daka, but the substitute reacts quickly to tee up Barnes, who drills it into the net. 5-3!

87' CHANCE! Kebano whips in a free-kick from the right this time, and Vinicius gets a flick-on at the near post. Duffy is unmarked on the far side and throws himself forward to meet it, but thumps his header wide.

85' Kebano takes the free-kick short, squaring it across to Solomon, who makes a late run to the edge of the box. He hits it first time, but Faes throws himself in front of the shot.

84' It's a lovely flick from Vinicius as he tries to return the one-two with Solomon, but he's upended by Soyuncu. Fulham win a free-kick in a good position.

N. Kebano

H. Wilson

82' And Wilson is the last to make way, with Kebano on in his place.

B. De Cordova-Reid

T. Cairney

82' Cairney is also taken off with two goals to his name. De Cordova-Reid is on for him.

M. Solomon

Willian

82' Fulham are making a triple change of their own now. Willian won't have the chance to go for a hat-trick as he's replaced by Solomon.

J. Maddison

Penalty Goal

81' MADDISON SCORES! After having a penalty saved against Everton last week, he makes no mistake with this one! He goes for the same corner that Vardy did, but this time, Leno goes the wrong way. He fires it down the right and it's now 5-2!

80' ANOTHER PENALTY TO LEICESTER! Palhinha cuts off Mateus Tete's run into the box, but it bounces to Maddison. He takes a touch before trying to cut back, which is when Palhinha clumsily takes his legs out. The referee points straight to the spot once more.

79' Ndidi nicks it off Lukic on the halfway line, and his first thought is to play it through for Maddison. He looks to pick out Barnes' run down the left, but doesn't get enough on it and Adarabioyo cuts it out.

S. Lukić

H. Reed

77' And Lukic is on for Reed.

S. Duffy

I. Diop

77' And there's a double change for Fulham too. Duffy is brought on in place of Diop.

K. Dewsbury-Hall

B. Soumaré

76' And Soumare is also going off, with Dewsbury-Hall replacing him.

L. Thomas

V. Kristiansen

76' Kristiansen is also taken off, with Thomas on in his place.

P. Daka

J. Vardy

76' Leicester's final change is a triple one. Vardy is the first to make way, with Daka on for him.

75' CHANCE! Maddison is still finding a lot of space through the middle and this time, he lays it off to Mateus Tete to the right. He knocks it past Robinson before curling a low shot on goal, but he sends it wide of the far post.

74' Leicester's frustration is starting to get the better of them as Soyuncu clumsily brings Wilson down from behind. Fulham have a free-kick and they're taking their time over it to slow things down a bit.

72' Maddison is tripped and Leicester win a free-kick just outside the box. He steps up to take it and looks to curl his shot into the top right corner, but it sails just over the bar.

B. Soumaré

Yellow Card

70' Soumare is booked while the celebrations go on for his foul on Palhinha in the build-up.

H. Reed

Assist

70' Before the ball is even at his feet, Reed gets his head up to spot Willian completely unmarked on the far side and fires it to him first time.

Willian

Goal

70' WILLIAN SCORES AGAIN! And what a goal it is! Palhinha is brought down by Soumare, but Fulham keep it alive through Reed as he switches it out to Willian on the opposite flank. He cuts inside, and the space just opens up for him so he has a go from range. He whips it out of Iversen's reach and into the back of the net. 5-1 Fulham!

68' Fulham go straight up the other end and try to regain some of their control in this game. Cairney slides it through to Vinicius on the edge of the box, but he's crowded off it by the two centre-backs.

J. Vardy

Penalty Miss

66' It's a poor penalty from Vardy, and he knows it as his head drops straight into his hands when Leno pushes it away.

B. Leno

Penalty Save

66' IT'S SAVED! Vardy steps up to take the penalty and aims for the right of the goal. It's at a comfortable height and not quite in the corner, and Leno goes the right way to push it wide and Barnes fires over the rebound. Still 4-1!

65' VAR is having a look at the penalty incident to check that Leno didn't get a touch just before Vardy knocked it past him. From the replays, it shows the keeper made no contact, and the onfield decision stands.

64' PENALTY TO LEICESTER! Castagne curls a cross into the box from the right, and Leno comes a long way off his line to get there. Vardy just pokes it out of his reach before being taken out by the keeper and the referee points to the spot.

62' CHANCE! Fulham struggle to clear Maddison's latest corner and it takes three of them to get it out of the box. Willian's header falls to Soumare, who lifts it back towards Barnes, but Kenny Tete nudges him away from it.

W. Ndidi

Y. Tielemans

60' Leicester are making their second change in the aftermath of their goal. Tielemans is taken off, with Ndidi replacing him.

J. Maddison

Assist

59' Maddison had space to shoot but held it up just long enough for Barnes to make the overlapping run from the left instead.

H. Barnes

Goal

59' BARNES PULLS ONE BACK! Tielemans plays it long over the top for Castagne, and he volleys a cross in from the byline. Maddison thinks about shooting, but unselfishly cushions it into Barnes instead. He goes for power, firing his shot in off the underside of the bar. 4-1!

J. Maddison

Yellow Card

58' Maddison isn't happy that a free-kick didn't go his way, and now that play has stopped, he's complaining to the referee. He's booked for dissent.

56' SAVE! Maddison is dragging Leicester upfield every time he gets the ball, but this time he goes it alone after a weaving run through midfield. He takes another shot from the edge of the box, but Leno holds onto it.

55' Leicester just can't clear their lines at the moment and it's inviting more pressure. Soyuncu slices at a clearance and it gets as far as Cairney, who is on a hat-trick, but his shot is blocked by Tielemans.

53' As Leicester commit more bodies forward in search of what would already be a consolation, it's leaving a lot of space open. Fulham break on the counter again, but Kenny Tete can't pick out a cross this time.

K. Tete

Assist

51' None of the Leicester players track Kenny Tete's run down the right and he has time to pick his head up and spot Cairney's late run into the box.

T. Cairney

Goal

51' CAIRNEY SCORES AGAIN! It's a wonderful goal from Fulham! They win it deep in their own half, and Reed spreads it out to Kenny Tete on the right. He surges down the right, leaving Soumare behind before he curls a lovely low cross into the box. Cairney's first touch bounces up nicely and he slides the half-volley past Iversen. 4-0 Fulham!

49' GOOD SAVE! It's a very open start to the second half, with Leicester breaking on the counter again. Maddison holds it up before teeing up Barnes on the edge of the box. His low shot is pushed wide by Leno, who then collects the corner.

48' Tielemans stops Palhinha in his tracks and turns so he can play Maddison in through the middle. He decides to have another go from range, but he fires it straight against Adarabioyo.

46' Leicester get us back underway for the second half!

Tetê

D. Praet

46' There's a change for the Foxes at the break. Praet is taken off, with Mateus Tete coming on in his place.

The Leicester fans were making their displeasure clear as the players went down the tunnel, and Smith has got a lot of work to do. The visitors did create a couple of good chances for themselves but caused too many of their own problems at the other end. Fulham look to have put their recent losing run behind them, and Silva will be looking for more of the same.

Fulham are cruising at the break as they lead Leicester 3-0. They looked comfortable from the start and took a lead through Willian's free-kick on the left when the bounce of the ball caught out Iversen and went all the way through. Vinicius doubled their lead eight minutes later by coolly slotting into the bottom corner. Just before the break, Leicester sloppily gave it away deep in their own half and Cairney punished them for it.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: FULHAM 3-0 LEICESTER CITY.

Carlos Vinícius

Assist

44' Vinicius has his back to goal when it's played to him by Palhinha, and he instantly gets his head up to look for a better option.

T. Cairney

Goal

44' CAIRNEY SCORES! Leicester gift a goal to Fulham! Faes rushes a clearance out from the back and Palhinha is there to win it back. He slots it through to Vinicius, who does well to hold off Soyuncu so he can pick out Cairney. He gets it out of his feet, and the space opens up as he drills it into the far bottom corner. 3-0 Fulham!

43' Fulham play it out from the back neatly once more, with Robinson again looking to Willian to get them upfield. He checks back before whipping a shot on goal, but ends up smacking it into Reed's head.

41' Barnes is starting to get a lot more joy down the left, but he's still struggling to get a final ball into the box. He tries to clip it into the near post for Vardy this time, but a nick off Adarabioyo sends it over.

39' Willian breaks away from Castagne again and checks back before trying to curl it into Reed, who is unmarked at the far post. It's behind him though and it bounces harmlessly out.

37' CLOSE! Willian's ball flashes across the face of goal without anybody getting a touch and Reed keeps it alive by pulling it back for Tete. He curls it back in for Vinicius, but he thumps his header just wide.

35' Barnes nicks in front of Palhinha to win the ball and slides it into Vardy to start the counter. He has Maddison making a good run to his right, but sells him short with the pass and Robinson comes away with it.

33' Leicester are struggling to pass their way into the box like they want to, so when Soumare pulls it back to Maddison, he decides to try his luck from range. It's straight down the middle, and another comfortable save for Leno.

31' GOOD SAVE! Fulham switch it out to their left, and Willian finds a pocket of space to dart to the byline. He pulls it back to Reed on the penalty spot, and he takes the shot first time, but Iversen denies him with his legs.

30' After weathering a good spell of pressure from Leicester, Fulham look to get it up the other end through Reed. He has a free run down the right, but can't pick out a team-mate with his cross.

28' Maddison is bundled over by Palhinha just outside the box and he steps up to take it. He fires it low towards goal and it's deflected out for a corner off the wall.

26' SAVE! Maddison's throughball is cut out by Robinson, but Vardy is alert in the D to nick it off him. He quickly gets the shot away, snatching at it slightly, but it's a comfortable one for Leno.

H. Barnes

Yellow Card

24' Frustration gets the better of Barnes as he kicks out a leg to stop Wilson's run. He's shown the first yellow card of the game.

22' That Vardy chance seems to have woken Leicester up, and they're starting to push upfield with more purpose. Maddison jinks away from Tete before drilling a low cross in, but he can only pick out Reed.

20' GOOD SAVE! It's a really poor square pass from Robinson as he gifts it straight to Vardy. He cuts inside, wrongfooting Diop to get into space before curling a shot on goal, but Leno pushes it wide.

H. Wilson

Assist

18' Wilson wasn't closed down by any of the Leicester players as he surged through the middle and he had a lot of time to pick out his pass to Vinicius.

Carlos Vinícius

Goal

18' VINICIUS SCORES! Soumare is caught on the ball by Palhinha and Fulham surge upfield on the counter. Leicester are all over the place at the back as Wilson threads it into Vinicius on the edge of the box and he keeps his cool to slot it past Iversen into the bottom right corner. 2-0 Fulham!

16' BLOCK! Fulham quickly work it upfield from the goal-kick, with Reed playing a one-two with Wilson to get into the box. He drills a low shot towards the near post, but Soyuncu slides in to send it wide.

15' CHANCE! Soumare is backed into a corner, but he manages to turn and squeeze a pass back to Maddison. He fizzes a dangerous cross in from the right, and Barnes gets a touch in the middle, but can't turn it towards goal.

14' Fulham are knocking the ball around confidently in their own half, and Leicester are letting them have it. There's a half-hearted attempt at a press by Vardy, but with no one helping him, he quickly backs off.

12' Leicester have now conceded first in every game under Smith, and Fulham really look up for it now. Soyuncu knocks it back to Iversen, who looks nervy as Vinicius closes him down, but the keeper manages to clear his lines.

Willian

Goal

10' WILLIAN SCORES! Fulham win a free-kick on the left wing, and he swings a dangerous ball into the box. It's in front of everyone in the crowd, but Ivernsen misjudges the bounce right in front of him and it goes past him and straight into the back of the net. 1-0 Fulham!

8' Leicester try to break following a Fulham corner and Barnes sends it forward for Praet to chase. Cairney almost gifts the ball to him in his attempt to clear it and does get it away with his second try.

6' Willian neatly spins away from Praet and looks to get Fulham on the front foot. He drives through the middle, but can't pick out Wilson, who was offering support to his right.

4' Leicester are starting to up the pressure here, but when Barnes can't find a way down the right, he pulls it back to Faes. He goes long over the top towards Maddison, but he slips at the wrong moment.

2' Soumare trips Wilson to give Fulham an early free-kick down the right. Willian swings it into the middle towards Diop, but Faes thumps it away just in front of him.

1' After a slight delay to kick-off due to a problem with the referee's microphone pack, Palhinha gets the game underway for Fulham!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Leicester won three consecutive Premier League games without conceding before the World Cup break. Since the resumption, they've won just one of their nine on the road in the competition (D2 L6), failing to keep a single clean sheet.

Smith also makes two changes from their draw with Everton last time out, as Kristiansen and Praet come into the team. Thomas and Ndidi both start on the bench, as do Evans and Pereira, who are deemed fit enough after recovering from respective calf and thigh injuries.

Marco Silva makes just two changes to the side that lost to Liverpool in midweek. Tete and Reed are both brought in, while Cedric and Lukic drop to the bench.

LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Mateus Tete, Jonny Evans, Danny Ward, Luke Thomas, Patson Daka, Ricardo Pereira, Harry Souttar, Wilfred Ndidi.

LEICESTER CITY STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Daniel Iversen; Timothy Castagne, Wout Faes, Caglar Soyuncu, Victor Kristiansen; Youri Tielemans, Boubajary Soumare; James Maddison, Dennis Praet, Harvey Barnes; Jamie Vardy.

FULHAM SUBS: Sasa Lukic, Manor Solomon, Cedric Soares, Shane Duffy, Matthew Dibley-Dias, Luke Harris, Neeskens Kebano, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Marek Rodak.

FULHAM STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Kenny Tete, Tosin Adarabioyo, Issa Diop, Antonee Robinson; Joao Palhinha, Harrison Reed; Harry Wilson, Tom Cairney, Willian; Carlos Vinicius.

Leicester come into this game in 16th place, only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference, but a win today would give them a huge boost going into the final three games of the season. After losing their first game under Dean Smith, they're unbeaten in their last three (W2 D1), though they have conceded the first goal in all of those outings. As for Fulham, they've lost their last three on the bounce in the Premier League, and have only won two of their last 10 matches in all competitions before today (L8).

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Fulham and Leicester City at Craven Cottage!

Fulham v Leicester City Live Commentary, 8/5/23

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