ALEX Iwobi capped a dynamic display with a goal and an assist as Fulham came from behind to beat Brentford and secure their second Premier League win of the season.
The Bees took the lead when a careless pass from Josh King on the edge of the box was intercepted by Mikkel Damsgaard, who struck a composed low finish into the corner of the net.
Fulham equalised after Sasa Lukic’s shot ballooned up into a congested box and the ball dropped for Iwobi to sweep through the legs of Brentford skipper Nathan Collins and into the net.
The Cottagers then got themselves in front two minutes later and Iwobi was instrumental, bisecting the Brentford defence with a superb pass for Harry Wilson to fire home.
Fulham’s momentum continued into the second half and they increased their advantage when Ethan Pinnock misjudged a header from Ryan Sessegnon’s cross and diverted the ball into his own net off his shoulder blades.
Rodrigo Muniz thought he had notched a stunning fourth with a powerful angled half-volley that Caoimhin Kelleher could not stop.
However, referee Michael Oliver consulted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and chalked it off for coming together between Muniz and Collins which left the Bees defender with blood pouring from his mouth.
Fulham’s win helped them climb up to seventh in the table while Brentford slip down a place to 17th.
Before this encounter Fulham had scored just one goal from open play this season but Silva relaxed the sleeves of their defensive straitjacket against Brentford and his side played with more adventure.
That attacking ambition was spearheaded by the impressive Iwobi, whose intelligent use of the ball in possession and slickness in transition was key for the Cottagers.
For just the second time in his career – the first coming against Liverpool in April – he scored and assisted in a Premier League game.
It is rare for the joy of scoring a goal to be eclipsed by supplying one for a team-mate, yet this might have been one such instance.
Iwobi’s strike was a case of right place and right time, as he crisply whipped a low effort past Kelleher following Brentford’s bungled attempts to clear.
The assist for Wilson’s goal was the game’s stellar moment, though.
The Nigeria international exquisitely threaded an angled ball out of reach of the toes of Brentford’s defenders and Wilson dispatched it with aplomb.
Fulham’s third goal effectively sealed the result and it then became a Silva masterclass in organisation and discipline as they saw the game out without too much threat.(BBC Sport)