Raul Jimenez converted from 12 yards to earn Fulham a narrow Premier League success against Nottingham Forest, helping the hosts regain momentum after a difficult week.
Raul Jimenez converted from 12 yards to earn Fulham a narrow Premier League success against Nottingham Forest, helping the hosts regain momentum after a difficult week.
The decisive moment arrived in first-half added time when referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot following Douglas Luiz’s challenge on Kevin inside the area.
Forest pushed hard after the interval and threatened to snatch an equaliser, but they could not sustain the momentum that had recently helped them climb away from the bottom three under Sean Dyche.
Fulham, still feeling the sting of their Carabao Cup quarter-final exit to Newcastle United, held firm to climb to 13th position and record another positive result against Forest.
Jimenez stepped up calmly to take Fulham’s first penalty since January, sending goalkeeper John Victor the wrong direction despite attempts to distract him.
The goal marked the Mexican striker’s third league strike of the season and maintained his flawless penalty record in England, equalling Yaya Toure’s Premier League conversion mark.
That single effort separated the teams at the interval, even though both sides had earlier chances through Brazilian attackers Kevin and Igor Jesus during an open and lively opening phase.
Brazil assistant coach Paul Clement, watching from the stands, witnessed a match that swung back and forth before Fulham finally seized control through the spot-kick.
Marco Silva was forced to cope without several regulars due to Africa Cup of Nations duties, with Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze all unavailable.
Despite those losses, Fulham began with confidence, Kevin bursting beyond the defence inside the opening minute and flashing a dangerous cross across the goalmouth.
The 22-year-old winger, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in September for a club-record fee, played with flair and imagination during his fourth league start.
His close control and willingness to take on defenders eventually drew the foul from Luiz that led to the winning goal, before he made way late on for teenage substitute Josh King.
Nottingham Forest emerged after halftime with greater urgency, illustrated by early attempts from Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White within minutes of the restart.
Although they enjoyed longer spells in possession, most of their efforts came from distance, with Murillo testing Bernd Leno and Gibbs-White firing narrowly wide.
Despite boasting attacking options such as Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi, the visitors managed only two efforts on target and an expected goals figure of 0.60.
The defeat halted a run that had included four league victories under Dyche and served as a reminder that Forest still requires greater attacking output to secure safety.
