Newcastle lose to Fulham in a fitting ending to a poor Premier League season

Fulham's Tom Cairney celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates
Fulham's Tom Cairney celebrates scoring their second goal with teammatesReuters/Andrew Boyers

Fulham closed out their Premier League (PL) season with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle at Craven Cottage, claiming just their third win in 13 league games.

Both teams were hoping to claim a top-half finish, and it was Marco Silva’s Fulham who went ahead just before the midway point of the first half when Kevin’s free-kick from 25 yards struck the crossbar but Issa Diop was alert to head home the rebound. 

Newcastle responded well after falling behind and gradually grew into the contest through Bruno Guimaraes, who was pulling the strings in midfield.

William Osula and Jacob Murphy both threatened on the counter as the visitors searched for an equaliser, while Bernd Leno was forced into a couple of important saves before the break.

Once play resumed for the second half, it was evident this was an end-of-season dead rubber with a clear lack of intensity. Both coaches made changes in an attempt to inject energy but both sets of players were tuned out. 

Joe Willock tried an attempt from distance but his weak shot summed up a contest lacking a punch.

Tom Cairney made the crowd finally rise from their seats when he produced a bullet from 20 yards, lashing a powerful effort into the top-left corner.

In the end, the goals in each half were enough for Fulham to finish off their campaign on a positive.

A season that looked highly promising at one stage, with a potential European place within reach, has finished off with a bit of a whimper.

The question now is whether Silva will remain at the helm, while Eddie Howe will be glad the season is over as they look to reset and regroup ahead of the next PL season at Tyneside. 

Flashscore Man of the Match: Alex Iwobi (Fulham)

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