Nottingham Forest defeated as Raúl Jiménez penalty earns Fulham win

With a brilliant penalty kick, Raul Jiménez scored his 50th Premier League goal, and Fulham’s fantastic season began at Nottingham Forest.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) encouraged referee Josh Smith to examine the pitchside monitor, which resulted in Fulham being awarded a penalty early in the second half.

It appeared as though Smith had missed the infraction. The replays showed that Forest defender Murillo had scraped his studs along Andreas Pereira’s leg. The goal broke up what had previously been a close match as the directness and deftness of Forest substitutes Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga gave the home side greater purpose.

Jiménez took the ball off Pereira – amid some disagreement between the pair – and emphatically buried the spot-kick. Jameson came close to scoring a second goal when he curled wide from a good position, but Marco Silva’s team maintained composure to fend off Forest’s late pressure.

Fulham’s victory was their third of the season and helped them move up to sixth in the table – just four points off leaders Liverpool. Hudson-Odoi went close after a mazy dribble when he cut in from the left. However, he could only lift his shot over the crossbar while Fulham keeper Bernd Leno had his palms stung by a spectacular volleyed effort from Jota Silva.

With just four points separating them from leaders Liverpool, Fulham moved up to sixth place in the standings with their third win of the year. Between 2018 and 2020, Jiménez scored 13 and 17 goals in his first two Premier League seasons with Wolves.

Since sustaining a broken skull in November 2020 that almost ended his career, his goal scoring returns have been somewhat low. Jiménez psychological scars from the devastating accident sidelined him for over seven months. This made it clear that he would never be the same player.

Jiménez came up to the visiting fans shortly after the final whistle, taking off his Fulham jersey. He showed his shirt to a surprised Fulham supporter who was sporting a Mexico national team jersey.