Iwobi stars in Fulham’s thrashing of Brentford in West London Derby

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Fulham staged an impressive comeback to defeat Brentford 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with Nigerian international Alex Iwobi producing a stellar performance that turned the tide in the Cottagers’ favour.

The visitors drew first blood in the 20th minute when Mikkel Damsgaard pounced on a misplaced pass from Josh King.

The Danish midfielder wasted no time, firing a precise low shot beyond Bernd Leno to give Brentford a deserved early lead.

But Marco Silva’s men refused to buckle under the pressure, and Iwobi led the charge. In the 38th minute, the Super Eagles midfielder showed his trademark composure inside the box, reacting quickest to a deflected shot from Sasa Lukic to slot home the equaliser.

His influence continued two minutes later when he unlocked Brentford’s defence with a clever through ball that found Harry Wilson, who buried a superb finish to put Fulham 2-1 ahead before the interval.

Brentford attempted to rally after the break, pushing numbers forward in search of an equaliser, but Fulham’s defence stood firm.

The game was effectively sealed in the 52nd minute when Ryan Sessegnon’s dangerous cross forced Ethan Pinnock into an own goal, extending Fulham’s advantage to 3-1.

From then on, Fulham controlled the tempo, frustrating their rivals and ensuring the three points stayed at the Cottage.

Iwobi was deservedly named man of the match, recording a goal, an assist, and dictating play with his intelligent passing and tireless energy.

The result lifted Fulham to seventh in the Premier League table, while Brentford’s away struggles continued as they slumped to a third straight league defeat on the road.