RYAN Sessegnon scored his first goal in more than two years to help Fulham to a first league win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in 40 years as Rodrigo Muniz grabbed the winner on Tuesday night.
Sessegnon, making his first Premier League start of the season, wasted little time scoring his first goal since October 2022 – in a 3-2 win for Tottenham Hotspur at Bournemouth – when he beat Jose Sa 59 seconds in.
Joao Gomes equalised in the eighteenth minute before Muniz scored 63 seconds into the second half after he ran on to Adama Traore’s pass and chipped Sa.
It was only Sessegnon’s ninth appearance this season since he returned to Craven Cottage from Spurs last summer.
“He’s a lovely boy,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said. “It’s been tough for him. He’s had a lot of injuries which has taken a lot of confidence from him. We decided to bring him back. This season is crucial for him, he’s a very good tool for us, and for us in the future.
“I’m really confident in us as a club, it’s got to come from him too. Let’s hope the future is going to be bright for him.”
Sessegnon played left wing-back as Silva changed to a back three.
Silva said: ”We know Sess can play wing-back very well, he has the composure to attack the box like he did for his goal. With [Jorge] Cuenca there, we knew he was going to covered.
“Scoring early in each half made an impact. After we made it 2-1, we controlled the game in a different way.”
Silva was pleased with his side’s response after they lost 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend.
“The main thing for us was the game tonight, we wanted to bounce back after the game against Palace,” Silva said. “We have been responding to the downs really well. Some players will be ready, if I decide to start them in the next game.
“It’s not easy at this level when you make five changes. We knew we would need some fresh legs. We didn’t start with Alex [Iwobi], Willian is not ready to start a game yet, and we don’t have other wingers, that is the reality. That was why we changed the formation.
“I think our organisation, the way we defended, the togetherness was there. The last 20 mins, we had two clear chances with Raul [Jimenez] to kill the game.
“Over all, with the changes to the formation, the boys responded really well, and I’m really pleased for them.
“To see players like Sess for, I don’t know how long, two years without a Premier League start, to see him start the game – I knew we wouldn’t be able to play the 90 minutes – but it’s really nice to see it. Especially in a really demanding game away from home.”
“[It’s good] to give the feeling to the fans when they go on the road, they are going to be able to see Fulham winning games and to be competitive in the Premier League.”
