Fulham 1-0 Hull City: Iwobi strike ends winless run despite late Sessegnon red card

Fulham finally got their Premier League season up and running with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Hull City at Craven Cottage, a result that lifts some of the pressure that had been building on the club. The win moves Fulham up the table to 15th on five points, while Hull remain in the top half on nine points despite the defeat.

The only goal of the game arrived in the 33rd minute when Alex Iwobi fired home from the centre of the box, finishing with his right foot into the bottom corner after being set up by Sander Berge. It proved enough to see Fulham over the line, with the Cottagers dominating possession throughout and racking up 18 shots to Hull's five.

There were nervy moments late on. Ryan Sessegnon, who had come on as a substitute for the injured Josh King, was shown a straight red card deep into stoppage time at 90+4 minutes, leaving Fulham to see out the closing stages a man light. Fulham had also made a second enforced change on 78 minutes when Tom Cairney replaced the injured Oscar Bobb.

Cards were handed out on both sides during the first half, with Hull's Lucas Herrington booked in the 22nd minute and Regan Slater following five minutes later, while Fulham's Josh King was also cautioned in the 27th minute for a foul. Sander Berge picked up a late yellow of his own in the 84th minute before later being replaced.

Statistically it was a one-sided affair, with Fulham enjoying 76.2% of the possession and completing 652 of 716 passes compared to Hull's 218 attempts. Fulham also won ten corners to Hull's two, though Hull's goalkeeper was called into action more often, making five saves to Fulham's none, a reflection of how toothless the visitors were going forward with no shots on target all afternoon.

The Guardian reports that the win lifted the pressure on head coach Álvaro Arbeloa, noting it almost felt inevitable he would eventually be denied given how dominant Fulham were without previously finding the breakthrough (The Guardian). BBC Sport reports that Arbeloa praised his side as "brilliant" after securing his first league victory in charge (BBC Sport).

With the three points finally banked, Fulham will hope this can serve as a platform to build some momentum, even if the late red card for Sessegnon means a suspension could be on the horizon. For Hull, the trip to west London continues a mixed run of form as they look to arrest a dip in results after a promising start to the campaign.

Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.