Oscar Bobb's late moment of quality lifted Fulham out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 victory at Coventry City. The £27m January signing from Manchester City curled home his first top-flight goal for the club in the 80th minute to end a nine-match winless run on the road.
Alvaro Arbeloa's side built on their first league win of the season against Hull City a week earlier. Josh King had struck the post for Fulham in the first half, while Coventry's main threat, Brandon Thomas-Asante, was forced off injured just before the hour mark. The hosts, managed by Frank Lampard, offered little to trouble Bernd Leno and remain second-bottom after eight games.
A decisive intervention
The match appeared destined for a goalless draw until Bobb collected the ball on the right, danced into the area and found the far corner. It was a finish that justified his substantial transfer fee and provided the cutting edge Fulham have often lacked. "I think we are improving as a team," said Arbeloa.
Coventry had two penalty appeals waved away, one for an alleged shirt-pull on Calvin Bassey and a late handball claim against Shea Charles, with the video assistant referee checking both. Lampard acknowledged the fine margins. "If it ends 0-0, I think both say fair play," the Coventry boss said.
The result moves Fulham up to 12th in the table, giving them vital breathing space ahead of a challenging run of fixtures. Their next assignment is a home match against Aston Villa. Coventry, now five points from safety, face a trip to Newcastle United.
Fulham's resilience away from home, a persistent issue, finally showed signs of hardening. They restricted Coventry to few clear chances, with Matt Grimes seeing a powerful strike blocked in the first half and Leno comfortably gathering a long-range effort from Liam Walsh. The clean sheet, only their second of the league campaign, was as important as Bobb's winner. For a side that had not won on their travels since a 2-1 victory at Wolves in February, this was a significant step forward in their battle for survival.
Read the full report at theguardian.com
