Willian strikes twice from the spot as Fulham beat Wolves

LONDON: Willian scored twice from the penalty spot on Monday as Fulham beat Wolves 3-2 to notch their first Premier League win since early October and climb 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Marco Silva´s men were twice pegged back by the visitors at Craven Cottage but Brazilian winger Willian made no mistake deep into stoppage time. Fulham started the match brightly and took a deserved lead in the seventh minute with a nicely worked goal down the left.

Willian played in charging left-back Antonee Robinson, who pulled the ball back to Alex Iwobi. The former Arsenal man adjusted his body, collecting a ball that was just behind him and finishing smartly.

The dangerous Hwang Hee-chan nearly levelled minutes later, surging through the middle and collecting an incisive Mario Lemina through ball but his powerful shot flicked off the top of the crossbar.

The visitors were level midway through the half when Matheus Cunha headed home after sparkling wing play on the right by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who tied Robinson in knots before producing a pin-point cross to the back post.

Silva´s Fulham were enjoying the bulk of possession without creating many clear-cut chances. They had a slice of luck shortly before half-time when goalkeeper Bernd Leno slipped and lost the ball under pressure from but Lemina was unable to turn it in from a tight angle.

Referee Michael Salisbury pointed to the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half, ruling that Nelson Semedo had fouled Tom Cairney in the box, even though the defender appeared to have got a touch on the ball.

Following a lengthy VAR check Willian stepped forward and rolled the ball to the goalkeeper´s left, adding to the pain for Wolves boss Gary O´Neil, whose team have been on the wrong end of a spate of controversial penalty decisions this season.

Fulham could have stretched their lead but Iwobi´s shot was tipped over by Jose Sa. They were made to rue that missed opportunity when Tim Ream made a clumsy challenge on Hwang and Wolves had a penalty of their own.

The South Korean lashed home down the middle to pull his side level in the 75th minute. But there was still time for a third spot kick of the match. Salisbury waved away penalty claims when Joao Gomes appeared to make contact with Harry Wilson but VAR officials recommended he check the pitchside monitor and he overturned his decision, with Willian making no mistake.