Made in Hale End: Iwobi provides assist for Smith-Rowe as Fulham beat Newcastle

Hale-End Academy products Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith-Rowe were in scintillating form as Fulham secured a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on Saturday. 

The win marked Fulham's first triumph over Newcastle since 2017, when they claimed a 3-1 victory at St. James' Park in a Championship clash.

Alex Iwobi, who made the switch to Fulham from Everton in the summer of 2023, and Emile Smith-Rowe, who arrived from Arsenal last summer, were instrumental in Fulham's success.

Both players, products of Arsenal's famed Hale End Academy, were at the heart of Fulham's fluid attacking play. 

Raul Jimenez opened the scoring for the Cottagers in the fifth minute, slotting home a low effort into the bottom corner following a well-placed cross from Adama Traore.

The lead was soon doubled when the Hale End duo combined brilliantly. In the 22nd minute, Smith-Rowe finished a slick exchange of passes between him and Iwobi, driving a shot past Nick Pope to give Fulham a  2-0 lead at the break.

Newcastle pulled one back immediately after the restart, with Harvey Barnes calmly finishing from Jacob Murphy’s pass in the 46th minute. 

However, Fulham held their ground and were able to seal the win deep into stoppage time.

Reiss Nelson, another Hale End graduate, capitalized on a mistake from Bruno Guimarães, scoring Fulham’s third in the 92nd minute.

While Iwobi played the full 90 minutes, Smith-Rowe was replaced by Issa Diop in the 84th minute after his tireless shift.

Both players have been pivotal for Fulham since the start of the campaign. Iwobi has registered one goal and one assist in five appearances, while Smith-Rowe has contributed two goals and an assist in five games.

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey also played the full match for Fulham, putting in a solid performance as the Cottagers earned three vital points.

Adeyemi Adewale

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