Kamara in from the cold to fire Fulham to victory

Posted Saturday, November 23, 2019 by PA

Aboubakar Kamara’s first goals of the season fired Fulham to a 2-1 derby victory over west London rivals QPR.

French striker Kamara, whose career at Craven Cottage looked over last term, scored in each half to cancel out Jordan Hugill’s opener for Rangers.

Victory moved Scott Parker’s side up to fourth in the Championship to boost their bid for an instant return to the top flight.

Rangers were ahead inside three minutes, when Todd Kane drilled a low centre across goal and Hugill, on a season-long loan from West Ham, arrived at the far post to steer the ball into the net.

Fulham’s calamitous defending underpinned their relegation from the Premier League last season and it seemed little had changed when Tim Ream inadvertently almost doubled Rangers’ lead. The centre-half slid in to cut out another Kane cross and planted the ball straight onto the foot of his own post.

At the other end of the pitch Fulham were missing 12-goal striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Championship’s top scorer, through suspension.

His place was taken by Kamara, who in January was arrested after a clash at Fulham’s training ground, banned from the club and eventually sent on loan to Turkish side Malatyaspor.

When Denis Odoi crossed from the right Kamara, making only his second start of the season, helped himself to his first Fulham goal since netting the consolation in a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Day.

Odoi’s delivery was perfect and Kamara slipped between two defenders to head into the bottom corner, meaning Rangers remain the only club in the entire Football League yet to keep a clean sheet this term.

Fulham’s tails were up and five minutes later Tom Cairney fed Ivan Cavaleiro, who got beyond Grant Hall but crashed his shot against the near post.

Anthony Knockaert, who had endured a quiet first half for Fulham, came alive after the interval when he tiptoed into the QPR area and forced a fine stop from Joe Lumley.

Fulham’s pressure told in the 65th minute when Lumley’s poor clearance fell straight to the feet of Stefan Johansen. The Norwegian midfielder played the ball through to Kamara, who took a touch before beating Lumley inside the far post.

Knockaert almost doubled Fulham’s winning margin when his shot beat Lumley but came back off the inside of the post.