West Ham United beat Fulham 3-2 on 14 January.
West Ham United beat Fulham 3-2 on 14 January.

West Ham United v Fulham 'strange' moment baffles live on Sky Sports

Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

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Jobi McAnuff was surprised as Alex Iwobi scored an almost-identical goal to his first effort in West Ham versus Fulham on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old's brace at the London Stadium was nothing more than a consolation for the Cottagers, with goals from Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta enough to seal all three points.

Graham Potter will certainly have issues to address following the 3-2 win on 14 January, but it was important for the new manager to claim his first home victory since being appointed last week.

Speaking live via Sky Sports News, McAnuff said: "Fulham are back in it again, and it's really strange, almost a carbon copy of Iwobi's first goal. It's a floated cross from the left-hand side, in-swinging and going towards the back post.

"Harry Wilson tries to get across it and head it in, and he misses it completely. Fabianski gets done by that, like he did for the other goal. It's two goals for Iwobi from crosses.

"That leaky West Ham defence isn't holding up too well at the moment."

West Ham defensive issues remain in Fulham victory

The Hammers raced into a two-goal lead despite a slow start to the game, scoring twice in two minutes following Soler's 31st-minute opener.

With Soucek doubling the lead before the half-time whistle blew, it was a complete performance from the Irons, that was until it began to unravel after Iwobi grabbed one back for the Cottagers.

Although Danny Ings' presence was enough to stun Bernd Leno, allowing Paqueta a third, Potter's side did not make it any easier for themselves, having to keep a slim lead for over 10 minutes.

It was a rather disappointing performance from Lukasz Fabianski in between the sticks, largely being blamed for the two Fulham games, but the 39-year-old has been brilliant in recent weeks.

He's done well enough to remove Alphonse Areola from the starting XI, and just because of a single blip, the new manager should not feel inclined to drop him for the next game.

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