Annual calamity at the Cottage: Fulham 3-1 Brighton photos

Another Premier League season, another set of photos from a Brighton defeat at Craven Cottage – this time with Fulham running out 3-1 winners.

You have to go all the way back to the Championship promotion campaign of 2016-17 to find the last time the Albion won in this part of West London.

Four subsequent visits, one draw, three defeats. Oh, and Brighton have not beaten the Cottagers at the Amex over the same period either.

Fabian Hurzeler did not help matters, getting his team selection and tactics badly wrong. Just as Roberto De Zerbi had when Brighton lost 3-0 at Fulham back in March and Glow Up Graham Potter did in a 2-1 reversal from August 2022.

Hurzeler switched to a back three to accommodate the return from injury of Lewis Dunk. The result being Brighton shipping three goals for the first time since Cole Palmer went berserk and scored four past the Albion for Chelsea in September.

Left winger Simon Adingra was unsurprisingly poor at right wing back. Georginio Rutter sat on the bench. And the problems with the starting XI were compounded by bad substitutions from The Youngest Permanent Manager in Premier League History.

Alex Iwobi put Fulham ahead inside the first five minutes thanks to a gift from Bart Verbruggen. The Dutch international goalkeeper got into a mess trying to play out from the back, passing it straight to Iwobi. The Fulham player had the simple task of guiding the ball into the empty net.

Carlos Baleba scored an excellent equaliser in the second half with a crisp distance strike following a lovely layoff from Joao Pedro.

But that was as good as it got. Brighton were unable to convincingly clear a Cottagers corner, leading to an own goal off the back of Matt O’Riley.

Iwobi then wrapped up victory for Fulham with three minutes remaining, making some space in the box and firing across Verbruggen.

If you have any photos you would like included in our Fulham 3-1 Brighton gallery please e-mail them to wearebrighton@hotmail.co.uk or tweet them to us @wearebrighton

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