Fulham were promoted to the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley.
Tom Cairney scored the only goal of the game in the first half, slotting the ball into the far corner after a terrific assist from Ryan Sessegnon. Slavisa Jokanovic’s men had Denis Odoi sent off in the 70th minute, but they held on to secure a return to the top flight after a four-year absence.
The pattern of the match was set early on, with Fulham looking to get on the ball and dominate possession while Villa focused on keeping a compact defensive shape. Kevin McDonald dropped between centre-halves Tim Ream and Odoi to allow Fulham’s full-backs to push forward, and Cairney and Stefan Johansen created clever angles for passes into midfield.
Villa struggled to mount any meaningful attacks before the opener, with Albert Adomah – usually their chief counter-attacking outlet – forced to spend most of his time tracking the surging runs of Fulham right-back Ryan Fredericks. Jack Grealish showcased his ball-carrying ability by drawing fouls from a host of opponents, but Villa were overly reliant on the 22-year-old and lone striker Lewis Grabban was left isolated at the top of the pitch.
Fulham, conversely, were fluid and fluent, knocking the ball around confidently and regaining it quickly when possession was ceded. They had their reward midway through the opening period when Sessegnon drifted infield and slid a tremendous pass through to Cairney, who coolly side-footed the ball past Sam Johnstone to give the Cottagers the lead. Alan Hutton was caught too high and John Terry was guilty of ball-watching, but the teenage Sessegnon showed brilliant composure and awareness to pick out his captain.
Steve Bruce’s side improved in the final 15 minutes of the first half, albeit without creating many clear-cut chances. Their best opportunity came when Grealish fired the ball over the bar after being picked out by Robert Snodgrass’ chipped free-kick, but that was one of only two shots Villa registered before the interval.
They made a brighter start to the second period, showing far greater intent both in and out of possession. Robert Snodgrass headed a difficult chance over and Grealish, under pressure from Marcus Bettinelli, did the same after a dangerous run in behind the Fulham backline. The Cottagers struggled to deal with several crosses into the box, with the lively Adomah becoming increasingly involved on the left flank.
Jokanovic’s men decided to take a leaf out of their opponents’ book soon after, Aleksandar Mitrovic escaping the attention of John Terry and flashing a header wide from the centre of the box. That was a let-off for Villa, who again pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Grealish fed Grabban but the striker took too long to sort his feet out and could not get a clean shot away, before Grealish tested Bettinelli after a superb run through the middle of the pitch.
Villa, roared on by their supporters behind the goal they were attacking, continued to pile on the pressure, but Fulham were able to take some of the sting of proceedings when Grealish was booked for a reckless tackle on Cairney. Johansen should have done better after being found by Sessegnon, before a powerful run from Kamara brought about hopeful appeals for a Fulham penalty.
Referee Anthony Taylor was right not to take any action – Hutton did not touch the Frenchman – and he made another correct decision seconds later when Odoi was shown a second yellow card for a wild foul on Grealish.
Despite their numerical disadvantage the next opportunity fell Fulham’s way, Mitrovic lashing a shot over from Fredericks’ driven cross. The classy Cairney was at the heart of the Londoners’ efforts to keep possession whenever possible, but they gradually sunk deeper as the clock ticked closer to 90.
Substitute Jonathan Kodjia put himself about at the other end but Villa struggled to turn possession into open-play chances, with one of their better opportunities coming when Snodgrass curled a free-kick wide of the post. Scott Hogan failed to get a meaningful connection on Adomah’s cross before Grealish went down in the box under pressure from Ream, but Fulham held on to earn themselves a place in next season’s Premier League.
