Fulham’s decent early-season form came unstuck at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, as the Cottagers suffered a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa despite taking an early lead. For the short journey up from Putney, travelling supporters were briefly optimistic when Raúl Jiménez headed the visitors in front inside just three minutes.
But that hope proved fleeting. Aston Villa, who had been struggling for goals this season with just one league strike to their name before this match, found their shooting boots in emphatic fashion. Joachim Andersen’s misjudgement of a long ball allowed Ollie Watkins to steal in and lob Bernd Leno for the equalizer, before John McGinn and half-time substitute Emiliano Buendía struck twice in quick succession early in the second half.
Marco Silva’s frustration was palpable. The Fulham boss admitted his side were “too soft for the level that the Premier League demands” and revealed they’d anticipated Villa’s tactics but failed to execute defensively. “We knew that they were going to try to get in behind… we planned for it, we knew the way the ball is going to go in behind for Watkins,” Silva explained. “Because of that, we have to blame ourselves.”
The defeat was compounded by Jiménez’s early injury exit and Rodrigo Muniz’s absence, forcing Adama Traoré into an unfamiliar striker role. Silva lamented: “Things that you cannot control… it’s happened too often this season so far for Fulham.”
Wimbledon’s Winning Streak Continues
Down in League One, AFC Wimbledon are building genuine momentum. The Dons made it three consecutive league victories with their 2-1 triumph over Wycombe Wanderers at Plough Lane on Saturday – their third straight win in all competitions.
Omar Bugiel opened the scoring in the 10th minute, nodding home Steve Seddon’s free-kick, before the partnership struck again when Bugiel won the ball and rolled it to Seddon, who calmly found the bottom corner for 2-0.
Manager Johnnie Jackson praised how his side showed both attacking flair and defensive resilience: “What we did to upset the opposition, to score the goals that we did… In the second half we had to show the other side to us. We had to dig in, tackle, fight and run.”
Looking Ahead
Fulham face a quick turnaround with a Friday night trip to AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium (October 3rd, 8pm) – a chance to bounce back immediately before hosting Arsenal on October 18th.
AFC Wimbledon travel to Bloomfield Road to face Blackpool on Saturday, October 4th (3pm), before hosting Port Vale the following weekend on October 11th. With three wins on the bounce, the Dons are building the kind of form that turns mid-table respectability into playoff aspirations.
For Putney residents, it’s contrasting fortunes but shared determination as both clubs push forward this autumn.
