Fulham 2022/2023 season review: A new hope!
Despite losing to Manchester United in the last game of the season, it has been an incredible return to the Premier League for Fulham.
The Cottagers not only beat relegation odds, they did it with ease, finishing 10th in the table with 52 points, just one short of their best record under Roy Hodgson in the 2008/2009 season.
The impressive 2-2 draw in the opening game at home to Liverpool set the tone for what was to come, as the team scored their highest number of goals in a first-division campaign since the 1967/1968 season.
Fulham beat Chelsea in the Battle of West London
The Marco Silva-coached side has exceeded expectations in many metrics this season, but for fans, perhaps the sweetest conclusion to the last ten months will be finishing above West London rivals Chelsea for the first time in 40 years.
Fulham finished with a comfortable eight-point lead over 12th-placed Chelsea, as well as taking four points from the 2021 European champions, which included a raucous 2-1 win at Craven Cottage in January.
Another great achievement was a double Premier League win over Brighton, particularly the second game at the Amex Stadium, where a Fulham side had just 34% possession but still managed to score the only goal of the game in the 88th minute.
Fulham took on the role of “managerial executioner”
Marco Silva and his team also took on the role of managerial executioners in October when a resounding 3-0 win against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa saw the English manager sacked just 90 minutes after the final whistle.
And three days later, a 3-2 win at Elland Road increased the pressure on then Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who struggled for a while before finally being replaced by Javi Gracia, who also failed to stop Fulham subsequently.
Joao Palhinha and Aleksandar Mitrovic, keys to success
Joao Palhinha is probably Fulham’s player of the year and has certainly been one of the signings of the season; his ability to shoot from long range was first revealed in a September away win against Nottingham Forest, the third team to be beaten by Fulham both at home and away.
Elsewhere, Aleksandar Mitrovic has had another season to remember, showing that he can do it in a big way with 14 league goals despite an eight-match ban and injury problems.
After two highly successful seasons, it’s hard not to feel like Marco Silva is up to something good at Craven Cottage.