Ryan Sessegnon scores again as Fulham win at Derby

Posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 by PA

Ryan Sessegnon continued his remarkable scoring run as Fulham won 2-1 at Pride Park to go above Derby in the Championship.

The 17-year-old scored his 10th goal in 12 league games after Aleksandar Mitrovic had put Fulham ahead in a first half dominated by the London side.

Derby hit back through Tom Huddlestone and could have snatched a point in stoppage time, but with Tom Cairney delivering a fine display in midfield the visitors deserved their 10th win in 13 matches.

The first chance fell to Fulham in the fourth minute when the ball broke to Sessegnon 10 yards out on the left but Scott Carson got down well to save at his near post.

Derby swept upfield and Andre Wisdom whipped in a low cross from the right which Andreas Weimann turned in only to be denied by an offside flag.

Fulham were ahead in the 10th minute when a corner was lobbed back in by Stefan Johansen and the ball bounced off Craig Forsyth for Mitrovic to beat Carson from eight yards.

Derby responded well with first Cameron Jerome having a shot blocked by Denis Odoi before Kevin McDonald got across to take the ball away as the former Norwich striker was poised to strike.

Wisdom fired wide after cutting in from the right in the 17th minute but Fulham scored again in the 22nd minute when Johansen’s back-heel wrong-footed the defence and Sessegnon drove a shot across Carson and inside his left post.

Fulham were close to a third when Floyd Ayite had a shot charged down by Wisdom and Mitrovic saw a shot flash just wide in the final minute of the first half.

The Serb striker had another chance in the 52nd minute when a Matt Targett cross was deflected into his path at the back post but he stabbed the ball wide.

Cairney was running the game but Derby were back in it in the 68th minute when a Tom Lawrence free-kick was headed across the face of the area and Huddlestone took a touch inside before firing a low shot into the bottom left corner.

Fulham almost gifted Derby an equaliser in the 78th minute when Marcus Bettinelli spilled the ball as he tried to collect a defensive header but Lawrence’s follow-up was blocked by Tim Ream.

Derby twice went close in stoppage time as first Lawrence had a shot deflected behind by McDonald and then Bettinelli turned over a Richard Keogh drive but Fulham held on for another victory.