This event at Craven Cottage was not quite a game. It did not leave much of an impact on those in attendance. There was no sense of excitement or risk, and Rotherham did not seem to have a chance at causing an upset. Their only goal was to minimize damage, which they accomplished, although without truly attempting to eliminate Fulham from the FA Cup.
The situation was clear and easy to comprehend. Rotherham is currently in last place in the Championship, with seven points separating them from Huddersfield Town in 21st place. They have only managed three wins in the entire league season. It’s understandable if they prioritize realism over romantic notions. It’s possible that Leam Richardson’s team even saw their 1-0 loss against a mid-table Premier League team as a moral victory.
Despite this, Fulham emerged as the victors in the fourth round, breezing through this match that pitted their offensive skills against their opponents’ defensive tactics. The team was able to maintain their composure, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s impressive early goal securing a comfortable win for Marco Silva’s side. They were relieved to have the opportunity to rest and conserve their energy before facing the more challenging task of a Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Silva declared that the job was successfully completed and it was the top priority. The performance was highly professional, despite making eight changes which had an impact. However, the preferred dynamic was not present due to the opposing team’s deep defensive strategy. Nonetheless, we were able to create opportunities to score more goals and ultimately deserve to advance to the next round.
Silva aimed to maintain the energy of his team before their trip to Anfield for the initial match of the semi-final on Wednesday. Fulham could not be accused of disregarding the cup as they opted to rest most of their usual players. It was not a surprise that they easily defeated Rotherham, despite Bernd Leno being given a break in goal and Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi being absent. João Palhinha, Raúl Jiménez, Willian, and Antonee Robinson were only named as substitutes in case of any urgent need.
Silva had to rely on Rodrigo Muniz to fill in for Jiménez as the forward. The statistics that were troubling Rotherham indicated a clear outcome. Even the 700 resilient fans in the opposing end could not have predicted their team’s first victory away from home in 29 tries, a disappointing streak that dates back to November 2022.
During the initial moments of the match, Jordan Hugill missed an unimpressive header from a long throw, but this should not be interpreted as a display of courage from Rotherham. Their strategy was extremely restricted, and they struggled to advance past their own half in the first 20 minutes, only holding onto 16% possession.
Fulham were utterly dominant, if a little blunt at first, but they were ahead after 24 minutes. Perhaps eager to get a feel for the ball, Sebastian Revan became casual when he received possession inside the Rotherham area. The press duly came, Harry Wilson dispossessing Revan, and the subsequent shot from De Cordova-Reid was enough to make any defender think twice about dawdling on the ball. Viktor Johansson, Rotherham’s goalkeeper, had no chance of saving the winger’s rising effort from 20 yards.
Silva must have been frustrated that Fulham was unable to secure a win before half-time. Rotherham had a chance to tie the game, but Hugill’s goal was disallowed due to being offside after redirecting a missed shot from Tom Eaves.
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To combat Rotherham’s defensive strategies, Fulham had to increase their effort and pace in the attacking third. They had a few chances, including Andreas Pereira hitting the post from a Kenny Tete cross and Muniz being denied on the rebound, but overall opportunities were scarce. Fulham struggled to come up with new approaches against opponents who focused on defending with 10 players. Pereira, playing as a creative midfielder, was not quite accurate with his passes. Muniz needed to show more strength.
In the second half, Fulham saw the advantages of increasing their speed as Wilson made a move from the right and connected with Timothy Castagne. Harrison Reed was unlucky to not score from the left-back’s cross.
Rotherham started to feel the pressure, as Johansson’s mistake nearly resulted in a goal for Muniz. Adarabioyo came close with a strong header, but Johansson made a good save. Richardson commended the players for their performance, and believes it will benefit the team as a whole.
Rotherham made an attempt to apply pressure towards the end of the game and were able to earn a couple of set pieces. However, they were unable to produce any shots on goal. Fulham’s goalkeeper, Marek Rodak, had a relatively uneventful evening.
Source: theguardian.com
