They came more in hope than expectation. But while the wait for a first-ever Premier League point goes on after substitute Carlos Vinícius secured Fulham’s first home win of the season, Luton’s supporters still have plenty of reason to feel optimistic despite now occupying bottom spot.
Having conceded nine goals in their first three matches at football’s top table, this was a markedly improved performance from Rob Edwards’ side as it took until midway through the second half for Fulham to find the breakthrough within minutes of Vinícius’s introduction off the bench. Up to that point, it had been the visitors who had created the better chances after weathering an early storm, with Jacob Brown and Amari’i Bell both spurning excellent chances that could have made this a very different scoreline.
Edwards was stung this week by criticism from Garth Crooks after the BBC pundit said he “can’t take them seriously” and tipped Luton to be relegated by Christmas. The former Tottenham striker has since been invited to take part in a training session to “show him what we do with our plan” but Edwards knows that only picking up points will earn his side respect. Luton made four changes from the side that lost to West Ham in their first home of the new campaign, with Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga making his debut in midfield. Fulham, who paid tribute to former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed after his death last month at the age of 94 with a scarf-whirling welcome before kick-off, welcomed back Willian and Joao Palhinha for his first appearance since his proposed transfer to Bayern Munich fell through.
The Portugal midfielder extended his contract until 2028 on Friday to provide some relief at last for Silva following a difficult summer that saw Fulham lose top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabia. Having finally cracked avoiding immediate relegation at the third attempt last season as they exceeded all expectations by finishing 10th, this campaign may be more of a struggle despite the quality still at Silva’s disposal. Mitrovic’s replacement, Raūl Jiménez, was a willing runner in attack and attempted a spectacular overhead kick that led to Fulham’s first real opportunity of the afternoon after 20 minutes as Kenny Tete headed over a corner from close range.
Raúl Jiménez attempted the spectacular in the first half at Craven Cottage. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters
Yet Luton’s defensive doggedness and team spirit has driven their rapid climb up the leagues and they seemed to grow in confidence as the first half continued. Fulham were grateful for a last-gasp challenge from Palhinha’s long legs to stop a counterattack in its tracks before a brilliant cross from Issa Kaboré was headed against the post by Jacob Brown. Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski then managed to get himself booked for time-wasting in the 36th minute of the match as Fulham ended the half having racked up almost 80% in possession but with little to show for it in terms of cutting edge.
Only Bell will know how he failed to provide the breakthrough within seconds of the restart after Brown picked out the left wing-back unmarked on the back post, with Bernd Leno well positioned to make the save from point blank range. Fulham responded by picking up where they had left off in the first half in terms of dominating the ball and saw Palhinha’s header drift just over the crossbar as they mounted the pressure. Luton stuck to their gameplan as they camped out midway in their own half and dared their opponents to try and break them down on a sweltering afternoon by the Thames.
Silva opted to play his hand early by introducing debutant Alex Iwobi and Vinícius off the bench in the 62nd minute and it paid off almost immediately. Willian found some space down the left flank and his teasing ball caught Kaminski in two minds as he could only palm the ball straight into the path of Vinícius, who made no mistake with an instinctive finish. Willian went close to extending their lead as Fulham smelled blood but Luton refused to give up without a fight and saw captain Tom Lockyer head wide in the dying minutes as they ended the day with nothing to show for their concerted effort.
