Iwobi strike finally gives Fulham lift-off against Hull

Fulham finally had something tangible to show for their control, with Alex Iwobi's goal sealing a first league win under Alvaro Arbeloa in a match they spent long periods monopolising. For all the home side's dominance, however, the closing stages still carried an edge of anxiety that has become familiar in recent weeks.

At Craven Cottage, Fulham were the more assertive side from the outset, moving the ball with confidence and pinning Hull back for extended spells. The issue, as it had been before, was turning superiority into a margin of comfort. That failure to kill games off ensured that even a blunt visiting side could keep hope alive deep into stoppage time.

Iwobi makes pressure count

The breakthrough eventually arrived through Iwobi, whose intervention gave Fulham the reward their overall display deserved. It was the kind of contribution Arbeloa badly needed from one of his attacking players: decisive, timely and enough to prevent another afternoon of self-inflicted frustration.

Fulham's display suggested a side with a clear plan but one still learning how to make matches safe. Their possession was heavy, their territorial advantage obvious and their control over Hull's attacking threat significant. Yet because the second goal never came, every missed chance and every delayed decision inside the final third kept the contest alive longer than it should have been.

Hull struggle to ask questions

Hull offered little going forward for much of the second half and rarely looked capable of punishing Fulham. That made the late nerves all the more striking. When Mohamed Belloumi stood over a free-kick after the fourth official signalled three minutes of added time, there was a brief sense that Fulham might once again be caught by a familiar twist.

Instead, Belloumi fired over, and with that the tension inside the ground began to drain away. It was, by that stage, one of Hull's closest moments of the half, underlining just how little they had created from open play. Fulham had not been flawless, but they had been the only team consistently trying to impose the game.

What the result means for Arbeloa

This was more than a narrow victory; it was a release. Arbeloa's start had been clouded by the feeling that respectable performances were not being converted into points. A game like this, even without a sparkling scoreline, can matter because it validates the process and removes some of the noise around a new head coach.

There is still work to do. Fulham must become more ruthless if they are to avoid similar late stress in future matches, particularly against opponents with more attacking punch than Hull showed here. But a first win changes the tone. It gives the manager breathing room, restores a measure of confidence to the squad and offers a platform rather than another near-miss.

For Hull, the concerns are different. Their lack of incision was impossible to ignore, and they will need far more ambition and quality in the final third if they are to turn competitive passages into points. Fulham, meanwhile, can leave with relief as much as satisfaction: not perfect, but at last victorious.