December 23, (THEWILL) — Nottingham Forest created the better early opening at Craven Cottage but left empty-handed after Raúl Jiménez’s first-half penalty gave Fulham a 1-0 victory on Monday night. Igor Jesus failed to capitalise when Morgan Gibbs-White threaded an inventive pass with the outside of his boot, setting up Callum Hudson-Odoi to deliver a cross that the forward could not finish.
The Mexican striker converted from the spot five minutes into first-half stoppage time after Douglas Luiz fouled Kevin inside the penalty area. Jiménez sent goalkeeper John Victor the wrong way with a low effort to the left, providing the only shot on target in a quiet opening 45 minutes.
Sean Dyche’s visitors improved after the interval, with Gibbs-White sending an overhead attempt past the far post before dragging another effort wide. The midfielder was withdrawn in the 73rd minute, and Forest were unable to find an equaliser despite their second-half pressure.
Fulham rarely threatened after the break, though Jiménez nearly doubled the advantage with a glancing header following build-up play from Josh King and Kenny Tete. The hosts managed the game effectively without needing a second goal.
The result moved Fulham five points clear of Forest in the table, whilst Dyche’s team remain five points above the relegation zone heading into the Christmas period.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
