Stoppage-time stunner for Albion

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Harry Wilson's late free-kick earns Fulham a 2-1 win after Yasin Ayari put Albion in front.

Bruce Talbot

2026-01-24T17:05+00:00

Yasin Ayari's powerful strike puts Albion in front at Craven Cottage. 📷James Boardman

Albion suffered more disappointment at Craven Cottage after Harry Wilson’s stoppage-time free kick condemned them to a cruel defeat.

Yasin Ayari’s third goal of the season midway through the first half gave Albion a deserved lead and the only frustration was that they didn’t add to it with Ferdi Kadioglu and Pascal Gross denied by goal-line clearances.

Sure enough, Fulham sub Samuel Chukwueze equalised 19 minutes from time before a marginal VAR offside call against Danny Welbeck prevented him from restoring Albion’s lead almost immediately.

Albion's sense of injustice got worse in stoppage time when Harry Wilson bent a free-kick around the defensive wall from 20 yards and past Bart Verbruggen. Albion are still to win a Premier League match in SW6 and this defeat will sting more than any of the others.

All join in: The subs are on the pitch to congratulate Yasin Ayari on his first-half thunderbolt. 📷James Boardman.

Olivier Boscagli, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba came into the side which drew with Bournemouth on Monday while Maxim De Cuyper was back on the bench after recovering from injury.

It’s been a while since Carlos Baleba and Pascal Gross operated alongside each other for Albion and Baleba made a superb recovery run when Fulham counter-attacked from an Albion corner to dispossess Wilson.

Jan Paul van Hecke stepped forward to offer another midfield option when Albion had the ball but neither keeper was called upon until Raul Jiminez worked his way to the edge of the six-yard box and Verbruggen was out quickly to block his shot.

Albion went ahead on 28 minutes from their first shot on target, and it was some strike by Ayari. Boscagli found the Swede who cut inside unchallenged from the left before cracking a swerving right-foot shot that Bernd Leno got two hands to it but couldn’t keep out.

Kaoru Mitoma in full flight at Craven Cottage. 📷James Boardman

Albion were then twice denied goal-line clearances by Timothy Castagne. Kaoru Mitoma had got in and Leno deflected his shot with his outstretched left boot into the air and Ferdi Kadioglu headed goalwards. With a bit more power it would have gone in.

Then Leno came racing out of his box to clear but was beaten to the ball by Gross who curled it goalwards from the byline and Castagne once again headed off the line.

Albion continued to look more threatening after the break. Lewis Dunk met Gross’s cross but his header bounced off Diego Gomez at the far post. A breakaway ended with Mitoma curling an effort wide before his cross just eluded Welbeck and Gross in the six-yard box.

Albion seemed to be in control when out of the blue Fulham levelled. Boscagli failed to deal with Joachim Anderson's long ball down the inside-right channel and Chukwueze was in to side-foot a left-foot shot beyond Verbruggen.

Welbeck thought he’d restored Albion’s lead a minute later when he guided a pass from Mitoma beyond Leno, but he’d strayed inches offside. The striker then forced Leno to turn his close-range header over the bar at full stretch.

Pascal Gross breaks forward. 📷James Boardman

Two minutes into stoppage time substitute Babis Kostoulas conceded a free kick 20 yards out. Wilson curled it around the wall and although Verbruggen, diving to his right, got a hand on it he couldn’t prevent it from going in.

Albion: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, van Hecke, Dunk, Boscagli (De Cuyper 88), Baleba (Milner 80), Gomez (Minteh 80), Mitoma, Ayari, Gross (Rutter 88), Welbeck (Kostoulas 88).