Fulham player ratings from 5-0 win against West Ham – Palhinha and Iwobi steal the show as Whites’ fine form continues

Fulham moved into the top half of the Premier League table making West Ham the victims of their second 5-0 win in the space of a week.

A superb first-half performance saw the Whites establish a dominant lead thanks to goals from Raul Jimenez, Willian and Tosin Adarabioyo before substitutes Harry Wilson and Carlos Vinicius found the net after the break.

Here are Dan Evans’ player ratings from Craven Cottage.

Bernd Leno – 7

Made a few early saves when the game was still in the balance and also dealt well with James Ward-Prowse’s dangerous set-piece deliveries.

Timothy Castagne –  7

One of the quieter performances in an outstanding team showing but was still solid in everything he did. Made three interceptions as well as two tackles.

Tosin Adarabioyo – 8

Has made it hard for Tim Ream to find his way back into the team on the back of two faultless displays. Was rarely troubled by a toothless West Ham attack but still won four of his five aerial duels and scored his first goal since September 2022 with a towering header from a corner.

Calvin Bassey – 8

The summer signing’s improvement began before Fulham started picking up results again, but he has not let his standards slip since. Looks even more comfortable on the left-hand side of defence next to Tosin, and limited Jarrod Bowen to very little in this one. A couple of sloppy moments on the ball, yet he is still looking more settled in that side of the game as well.

Antonee Robinson – 7

Looked set for a testing afternoon up against Mohammed Kudus but was barely tested by the West Ham wide man. Went off for a well-earned rest in the second half having made five tackles and won the majority of his duels.

Andreas Pereira – 8

Often a lightning rod for criticism when Fulham were struggling to score earlier in the season, but this was another performance that highlighted his best qualities. His movement and positioning match perfectly with Alex Iwobi’s willingness to dribble. Collected an assist with the corner that picked out Tosin but also produced six key passes in a sparkling Fulham display.

Joao Palhinha – 9

Continues to show that he is one of the Premier League’s most effective midfield players, and on days like this you can see why he is so regularly linked with a transfer to some of the giants of European football. Made more tackles than any other player on the pitch and matched West Ham’s early combativeness before showing his quality to pick out Jimenez with a glorious cross for the first goal.

Tom Cairney – 8

Continues to be the glue that holds the recent changes made by Silva together. Does not impact the game in the final third in the way that Pereira and Iwobi do but makes everything tick and looks so good whilst doing it. Had the second-most touches of any player on the pitch and picked out Harry Wilson to score his beauty of a strike in the second half.

Alex Iwobi – 9

Has been keen to play centrally since his move from Everton but he is impacting games more from the right and also making Fulham function better as a team at the same time. His relationship with Pereira is getting better with every game and the freedom he has to drift off the flank makes it so hard for opponents to pick him up. Will possibly be embarrassed to claim an assist after his mis-hit shot found Willian but he deserved at least a goal to crown this performance.

Raul Jimenez – 8

Another positive showing that should start to put to rest the doubts that surrounded his signing earlier in the season. Scored his first headed goal since the horrific injury he suffered playing for Wolves three years ago by connecting perfectly with Palhinha’s cross to open the scoring. Led the line well and seemed to enjoy his battle with Kurt Zouma.

Willian – 8

Another impactful performance from the Brazilian as he slotted home Fulham’s second goal of the afternoon before going off at the break with a knock. His composure helps bring balance to the energy and movement of Iwobi and Pereira, and this was shown when he stroked in his fourth goal of the season following a miskick from Iwobi.

Subs:

Harry Wilson – 8

Had a massive impact once again even though the game was all but over by the time of his half-time introduction. Scored a peach of a curling strike and then unselfishly squared for Carlos Vinicius to score in the dying minutes.

Fode Ballo-Toure – 6

Looked solid after replacing Robinson but will find it hard to break into the team given the USA international’s recent form.

Carlos Vinicius – 6

Managed to not do anything that could have got him sent off this week and even tapped home the game’s final goal.

Harrison Reed – NA

Bobby De Cordova-Reid – NA

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD