Sessegnon Fires Fulham To Victory Over Aston Villa

Ryan Sessegnon scored the only goal as Fulham boosted their hopes of finishing in the European places by beating Aston Villa at Craven Cottage.

The win nudged the Cottagers up to 10th, at least for a short while, and they are now just two points behind sixth-placed Brighton and right among the other sides in the European mix.

Sessegnon, who signed a contract extension at Fulham this week, swept in the rebound after Emi Martinez saved Sasa Lukic’s header late in the first half.

The hosts also had a headed goal by Timothy Castagne ruled out for a foul on Villa goalkeeper Martinez in the second half.

With England head coach Thomas Tuchel watching, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers missed chances for Villa and Unai Emery’s side were lacklustre at the start of a crucial spell for them.

They play Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Victory over Fulham would have all but confirmed a top-five finish prior to that tie, but Villa instead still have work to do to confirm Champions League qualification via the league.