The match kicks off at 19:45 on Tuesday 21st September in Craven Cottage.

Fulham have made a clear plan to get promoted back to the Premier League this season. They are currently in second place on goal difference after eight games. One problem is that their recent form has dipped losing two of their last three games in the league.

They reached this stage in the cup after beating Birmingham City 2-0 at the end of August.

Leeds have yet to find their true form in the Premier League. So far, they have only managed three draws, including a recent 1-1 stalemate against Newcastle on Saturday.

They reached round three after beating Crewe Alexandra 3-0 at home a month ago.

These two sides played against each other in the Premier League last season, with Leeds remaining and Fulham getting relegated. The Whites won both of the entertaining fixtures by singular goals.

The Gaffer! #BIRFUL pic.twitter.com/Q8Q5lTmz6V

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) September 15, 2021

Predicted Starting Teams

Fulham

Formation

4-2-3-1

Starting 11

Rodak (GK), Robinson, Adarabioyo, Hector, Odoi, Seri, Onomah, Kebano, Reid, Wilson, Mitrovic

Injuries / Suspensions

Carvalho (Toe), Tete (Hamstring), Kongolo (Physical discomfort), Cairney (Knee)

Leeds United

Formation

4-1-4-1

Starting 11

Meslier (GK), Firpo, Ayling, Cooper, Shackleton, Phillips, James, Klich, Dallas, Roberts, Bamford

Injuries / Suspensions

Forshaw (Muscle injury), Llorente (Muscle injury), Harrison (Covid-19), Raphinha (Hip), Koch (Groin)

What a goal by @LUFC

(via @NBCSportsSoccer)

pic.twitter.com/wzhHqkAhQj

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 17, 2021

Betting

Fulham 13/8

Draw 23/10

Leeds United 8/5

Score Prediction

This will be a close game between a top-flight side in bad form and a Championship team in good form. Fulham’s home advantage could make the difference in the late stages of this match, especially when the Whites are missing a few of their starting players.

Expect this game to end 1-1 after 90 minutes with Fulham claiming the victory in extra time.

"He's better than Zidane…" #FFC pic.twitter.com/j10FrOSAFq

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) September 16, 2021

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Lookman is also keen on a move away from the Bundesliga side after failing to break into the starting eleven.

He had made an impression as an 18-year-old at Everton and appeared 11 times for the England U21 national team but has failed to appear for the senior side as of yet.

The Englishman joined the club in 2019 from Everton for a fee of £16.2 million, according to German website transfermarkt.

He had a loan spell in Leipzig previous to joining permanently where he impressed and showed flashes of his potential.

The 23-year-old convinced the German club to buy him after five goals in 11 appearances during his loan spell.

However, he has not had the same success since then with only 13 appearances to his name since his permanent move and his most recent loan spell yielded only four goals and four assists in 35 appearances.

Yet, his attacking talents could prove useful if he joins Brendan Rodgers’ Leiecester City as he can provide the side with the same qualities that injured right-back Ricardo Pereira has.

On top of this, the attacker can play in several positions in the final third and can be a useful squad player for Rodgers as he looks to break Leicester into the UEFA Champions League spots this season.

Rodgers has a good record of developing promising young players with the likes of Harvey Barnes, Youri Tielemans and James Justin becoming better players while working with the Northern Irish manager.

Lookman falls into that category at 23 years of age and could benefit from a move to this ever-improving Leicester side.

The deal must be done before 11 pm on Tuesday night.

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Manchester United had the chance to reclaim their position on top of the league tonight with a win over Fulham.

Leicester City and Manchester City had overtaken them with wins over the past couple of days.

United needed a win to go 1^st once again.

FIRST HALF

It wasn’t the start Manchester United had in mind.

Fulham opened the scoring after just 5 minutes. Ademola Lookman was the goalscorer, he latched on to a Zambo Anguissa lofted ball and took a couple of tidy touches before producing a placed finish into the corner.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was partly to blame for the goal. His poor positioning allowed Lookman to time his run to perfection before putting the ball into the back of the net.

There wasn’t too much in terms of chances for United in the first half, but when an opportunity presented itself, it fell to exactly the right person.

Edinson Cavani was in the right place at the right time as he equalized from an Alphonse Areola mistake caused by a Bruno Fernandes cross. The Portuguese international struck the post just moments earlier with a thunderous strike from outside the box.

Both teams had a handful of half chances thereafter, none of which ended up in the back of the net.

The first half finished level. Fulham gave a good account of themselves and would have been pleased with their first half performance.

SECOND HALF

Fulham started the second half well and nearly caught United out on the break on numerous occasions.

That said, however, United’s quality showed in the end. Moreover, Pogba’s quality. He received the ball and beat a couple of defenders on the edge of the area before unleashing a piledriver from the edge of the box.

Cavani nearly got his brace just moments later. He met a cross with a brilliant header inside the box but Alphonse Areola produced a brilliant save to atone for his previous error.

Rub Loftus-Cheek caused United problems on occasion and he could have got the Fulham equalizer in the 74^th minute. The Chelsea loanee shot from inside the box but unfortunately for him and Fulham, his shot was comfortably saved by David de Gea.

Loftus-Cheek again had a chance to equalize in the 82^nd minute. The ball fell nicely to Loftus-Cheek’s feet inside the box but he failed to make appropriate contact. Instead, he blazed his shot over the bar.

The match finished 2-1 to Manchester United as Fulham were unable to conjure up any further chances.

They move up to top position in the league after tonight’s win.

Up the Reds!

https://t.co/YS4CBzXRmU
#MUFC
#⃣ #FULMUN@Chevrolet

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) JANUARY 20, 2021

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The Tottenham vs. Fulham bout which was scheduled to take place this evening has been called off due to COVID-19 fears. The decision was made by the Premier League after a significant rise in cases within the Fulham camp.

Manchester City vs. Everton was also postponed during the week after an outbreak of cases in the City squad.

The Premier League today announced that fixtures would resume despite the increase in cases, a statement which they reaffirmed following the cancellation of this evening’s match.

“With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled.”, the Premier League stated.

The date for the rescheduled bout is yet to be confirmed.

Spurs’ fixture with Fulham, due to be played at 18:00 GMT this evening, has been postponed following a Premier League Board meeting

Full statement: https://t.co/KInrnKDl2D#TOTFUL pic.twitter.com/SjQUpOvVLv

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 30, 2020

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Premier League football resumed today after a short period of rest over the Christmas period. 6 matches were played on an action-packed St. Stephen’s/Boxing day. Here’s how they played out.

LEICESTER CITY vs. MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United travelled to the King Power Stadium in today’s early kick off. Much was at stake with the teams sitting 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 23^rd minute to give his side the lead. That goal would have come as a relief to Rashford, having missed a sitter earlier in the match. He was played through by a Bruno Fernandes touch before finishing expertly into the bottom corner while one on one with Kasper Schmeichel.

The lead wasn’t to last long though. Leicester struck back in the 31^st minute with Harvey Barnes providing the equaliser. He was given the ball after Manchester United lost the ball in their own half before driving towards goal and unleashing a powerful shot into the corner from just outside the box. Bruno Fernandes was partly to blame for the goal. The Portuguese international was closed down inside the Manchester United half which led to the turnover.

Manchester United were arguably the better side in the second half having created more chances than their opposition. Their pressure finally paid off in the 79^th minute. This time Fernandes turned from provider to finisher as he slotted past Schmeichel in the box. Substitute Edinson Cavani played a key part in the goal as he carried the ball under pressure and timing his pass into Fernandes to perfection.

United are no slouches when it comes to goalscoring but their defensive frailties have been exposed one too many times this season. Leicester didn’t create too much in the second half but all they needed was one chance. That’s all they needed as they equalised again in the 85^th minute. Ayoze Perez pulled back a brilliant low cross to Jamie Vardy who scored – or at least thought he did – with a low finish. Unfortunately for him, and unfortunately for Axel Tuanzebe, the goal was credited as an own goal after coming off the Manchester United defender.

The match finished 2-2 as both teams failed to pick up what could have been a vital 3 points. Liverpool fans would have been satisfied with the scoreline as neither team could close the gap on the title challengers.

FULHAM vs. SOUTHAMPTON

Fulham started the season poorly but have showed steady signs of improvement over the last few weeks. Southampton, on the other hand, have surpassed all expectations so far this season and currently sit in 7^th. The two teams faced each other in one of two 3 o’clock kick-offs today.

Shane Long started his first game of the season, but he was unable to influence the game all that much in the first half. In fact, neither team really got going. Only 3 shots were produced in the first 45 minutes, the lowest tally of any Premier League game so far this season.

The second half produced far more entertainment than the first. That said though, the match ended scoreless. That would probably not have been the case in the pre-VAR era.

Shane Long was the first to put the ball in the back of the net but his goal was ruled offside. He was also involved in Southampton’s second disallowed goal. He played through Che Adams who crossed into the feet of Theo Walcott who then applied the finish. The goal looked legitimate but upon inspection from VAR, Che Adams was just offside in the build-up.

Fulham had their fair share of chances in the second half, also. Ivan Cavaleiro had Fulham’s best chance of the game, by far. He was in space as Antonee Robinson’s perfect cross found his head but he was unable to keep his header down. His chance was similar to Marcus Rashford’s sitter in the Manchester United – Leicester game.

The match finished 0-0 at Craven Cottage. Neither teams could complain too much, both were evenly matched throughout.

ASTON VILLA vs. CRYSTAL PALACE

Aston Villa faced Crystal Palace in the other 3 o’clock kick-off. Aston Villa have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far. Their early season form was particularly impressive, they’ve dipped slightly since but still remain in the top half of the league.

Jack Grealish has been the talk of the town in recent weeks but it was Bertrand Traore who opened the scoring for Aston Villa. He got on the end of a rebound in the 5^th minute to make it 1-0 to Villa.

Crystal Palace had a potential penalty shout in the 23^rd minute after a Matty Cash challenge on van Aanholt. The issue was taken to VAR but after a period of deliberation the decision was no penalty.

Tyrone Mings made life a lot harder for Villa just before half time. The centre back picked up his second yellow of the night to reduce Villa to 10 men going into the second half.

The red card didn’t seem to effect Aston Villa all that much. In fact, they doubled their lead in the 67^th minute. Kourtney Hause scored this time from another rebound. This time Ollie Watkins hit the bar from a header and Hause reacted quickest to make it 2-0.

Villa all but wrapped up the game in the 76^th minute. Anwar El Ghazi stepped up to the plate this time with a scorcher from Anwar El Ghazi. He took a first time shot which hit the far post and went into the net.

The match finished 3-0 to Aston Villa. The Villains currently sit 6^th in the table, but could move up to as far as 2^nd with their game in hand.

ARSENAL vs. CHELSEA

Arsenal took on Chelsea at 5:30 in a vital London derby at both ends of the table. Mikel Arteta in particular needed a win to ease the ever-increasing pressure on his shoulders. Arsenal won just 1 game in their previous 10 Premier League games leaving the Gunners in 15^th. Chelsea, on the other hand, needed a win to pressurize Liverpool at the top of the table. A loss for Chelsea would leave them 9 points behind the leaders, depending on the Liverpool result tomorrow.

Arsenal started the game better than Chelsea before fading for a period. They did, however, contain Chelsea, not allowing any big chances to be created. Rob Holding in particular was impressive during that period, marshalling Timo Werner time and time again.

Their defensive quality paid off in the 35^th minute when Kieran Tierney was fouled in the box leading to an Arsenal penalty. Alexandre Lacazette stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake from the spot to give Arsenal an unexpected lead.

That goal gave Arsenal a newfound confidence. They began to control the game and looked more dangerous in the final third than they have been in recent months.

They doubled their lead just before half time from another dead ball situation. Bukayo Saka won a free kick from well outside the box. Granit Xhaka stepped up to take and the distance of the free kick was no problem for him as he rifled the ball into the top corner.

Arsenal held a shock – but deserved – 2-0 lead going into half time. Frank Lampard, clearly not happy with his team’s performance, brought on Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jorginho for the second half.

Chelsea’s substitutions did nothing to disrupt Arsenal’s momentum. In fact, Arsenal were arguably better in the second half.

They made it 3-0 in the 56^th minute through Bukayo Saka. Although *probably* intended as a cross, Saka lofted the ball over Mendy into the Chelsea goal from an acute angle. He deserved a goal for his performance on the night, whether it was deliberate or not.

Chelsea got a goal through Tammy Abraham in the 85^th minute to give them the slightest bit of hope. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after deliberation from VAR the goal was deemed to be legitimate.

Chelsea were given a chance to make it 3-2 in the 90^th minute as Pablo Mari gave away a penalty. Jorginho, normally so reliable from the penalty spot, stepped up to take it. Bernd Leno had other ideas as he saved from an unusually weak Jorginho penalty to relieve the increasing pressure.

Arsenal’s defence stood firm thereafter as the match finished 3-1 to the Gunners. The win was much needed, particularly from Mikel Arteta. This evening’s result could be the catalyst to a much-needed winning run for Arsenal.

SHEFFIELD UNITED vs. EVERTON

Sheffield United had picked up just 2 points all season, meaning a win is much needed at this stage of the year. They took on high flying Everton in one of two late kick-offs. Contrastingly, Everton have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season finding themselves in 4^th prior to the match.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the best chance in a lacklustre first half. He brilliantly controlled Michael Keane’s long pass before taking the shot on the volley which went just wide of the post. It would have been one of the goals of the season had it gone in.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first half. Both teams struggled to create opportunities with the final ball being especially poor.

It took until the 79^th minute for either team to get a shot and target. Unfortunately for the struggling Sheffield United, that shot resulted in an Everton goal. Gylfi Sigurdsson finished accurately into the bottom corner after some neat interplay in the box involving Bernard and Doucoure.

The match finished 1-0 to Everton in a match of few chances. Sheffield United’s winless run continues as they sit bottom of the league while Everton move up to 2^nd, just behind their rivals Liverpool.

MANCHESTER CITY vs. NEWCASTLE

The odds were firmly stacked against Newcastle as they took on a Manchester City team stacked with quality, despite a less than impressive start to the season. Newcastle’s confidence would have also taken a hit on Tuesday given their elimination from the EFL Cup at the hands of Brentford.

City, as expected, opened the scoring in the 14^th minute. Raheem Sterling should receive huge credit for the goal as he evaded a number of defenders in the box before squaring to Ilkay Gundogan who applied the finishing touches.

Manchester City largely controlled much of the remainder of the half after the goal. Kevin De Bruyne had a great chance to make it 2-0 after a Man City break but his shot from close range was saved well by Karl Darlow.

Newcastle still had reason to believe going into the second half with the scoreline at 1-0. City were far from their best, despite controlling much of the half.

That hope quickly faded away, though, as City made it 2-0. Ferran Torres tapped it in from close range after Fernandez’s block/clearance fell straight to his feet. Joao Cancelo did brilliantly in the build up to create the goalscoring opportunity.

Raheem Sterling, although a very capable goalscorer, is inclined to miss the odd sitter. He had a nearly unmissable chance to make it 3-0 in the 59^th minute but he failed to hit the back of the net. He blocked his own shot as his standing leg got in the way of a certain goal. Bernardo Silva had another good chance from the follow up but he was also unable to apply the finish.

Manchester City enjoyed near total domination in the second half and always looked good value for the win. The match finished 2-0 to City who move up to 5^th following the victory.

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