Marco Silva’s side was on fire as they thrashed Reading 7-0 away from home for the second time this season, having also won 7-0 away to Blackburn Rovers in November. As you might expect, a team scoring seven goals away from home, much alone twice in the same season, is unusual.
In the tweet, Opta Joe confirms that this is a rare occurrence, with Fulham matching Liverpool in attaining this feat, with the Reds last doing so in the 1895/96 season. To put that in perspective, Liverpool was just in their fourth season at the time, and they were in the Second Division.
Match Highlights
Harry Wilson gave the west Londoners a 13th-minute lead, which they extended with an Aleksandar Mitrovic penalty on the stroke of half-time. In the second half, Fulham dominated as Reading crumbled, with goals from Wilson, Kenny Tete, Neeskens Kebano, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Mitrovic.
The visitors had not won in their previous five league games, with four of them ending in draws, and had dropped from first to third in the Championship, behind Bournemouth and Blackburn. However, they returned to winning ways in the FA Cup third round on Saturday with a 1-0 extra-time triumph over Bristol City.
Josh Laurent delivered a weakly attempted backpass to goalkeeper Luke Southwood, putting the home side 1-0 down. Wilson got the ball first and had the easiest task of the season, sliding the ball into the empty net for his eighth goal of the season.
Reading had displayed nothing in the way of attacking, but Mamadi Camara, an early substitute, could have equalized with an audacious backheeled prod from a Junior Hoilett cross. Fulham, on the other hand, was saved by Marek Rodak’s brilliant close-range save. Reading striker Andy Carroll then had two fantastic chances disallowed, one from an overhead kick and the other from a left-footed 20-yard volley.
Both goals were thundered past Rodak, but the former England star was ruled offside on both occasions. Fulham took advantage of their good fortune and was lucky to extend their lead in the third minute of the first half.
Mitrovic calmly dispatched the penalty for his 23rd goal of the season after Tom Holmes unnecessarily brought down Wilson in the box. At the start of the second half, Fulham raised the tempo, with Wilson dominating the right-wing once more. The Wales international got space at the far post but fired weakly into the side-netting, leaving Southwood exposed.
But it was only a little respite for Reading, as Wilson proved significantly more accurate at the hour mark. Wilson was on hand to help Antonee Robinson home unchallenged after he crossed low into the area.
Mitrovic nodded goalwards in the 68th minute, and Tete was on there to touch it past Southwood. Just two minutes later, Kebano drifted in at the back post to stab in a Wilson cross, making it 5-0.
Adarabioyo towered above the home defence to nod in a Wilson corner in the 75th minute, giving Fulham a 2-0 lead. They finished off the rout one minute before the end of normal time, Mitrovic tapping in after the Reading defense had been penetrated with ease once more.
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