Burnley are nine points from safety with seven games to play after falling 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, a result that felt like a tipping point in their relegation fight. Scott Parker, who guided Fulham to promotion in 2020 before they were relegated a year later, is now facing the prospect of repeating the trick at Turf Moor.
The goals all came in the second half after a first half so dull that Jaidon Anthony’s attempted long throw into the Fulham box sailed straight out of play for a goal-kick. Neither side was offering much, and Fulham’s best threat was Harry Wilson fizzing shots from distance.
Burnley broke through when Lyle Foster’s first-time cross reached Zian Flemming in space inside the box, and the striker swept it home confidently from ten yards for his ninth league goal. It looked like the platform Burnley needed.
It wasn’t. Fulham levelled within seven minutes through Josh King, the 19-year-old’s first Premier League goal, though he had goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to thank. The Burnley stopper fumbled Sander Berge’s cross under pressure from King, who had the simplest of tap-ins.
Six minutes later the game flipped entirely. King found Wilson on the left with a fine pass, Wilson cut inside on his preferred foot and drove a low shot through several defenders and inside the near post. It was his 10th league goal of the season and comfortably the strike of the game.
There was still time for drama. Substitute Raul Jimenez won and converted a late penalty after Burnley defender Josh Laurent brought him down as the last defender, earning a red card in the process.
Fulham climb to eighth on 44 points and are firmly in the hunt for Europe. The difference in their squad’s quality was evident throughout the second half, and Wilson in particular was at a level Burnley simply couldn’t match.
For Parker, the mathematics are stark. Burnley need to find a way of winning matches they have shown little recent ability to win. The clock has almost run out.
