Fulham 1-1 Wolves: Manor Solomon’s fine finish sees hosts move within two points of fifth

There were Fulham fans waving Israel flags at Craven Cottage and you knew who they wanted to see. They were waiting for Manor Solomon, or ‘King Solomon’ as some have started calling him.

Yet again, he treated those supporters to another royally enjoyable evening in his company.

For the third Premier League game in succession, the summer signing from Shakhtar Donetsk was introduced as a substitute and scored, this time securing Fulham a hard-fought point.

It was an elegant effort from 20 yards which curled into the corner in the 64th minute that saved Fulham here. If ever a player is earning himself a reputation as a ‘super sub’, it is Solomon, though on the bench is not where he wants to be.

The 23-year-old Israel international has not yet started a Premier League game for Fulham. He cannot do much more than he is doing, and manager Marco Silva will reward him soon enough.

Manor Solomon (left) earned Fulham a point in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Wolves on Friday

The Israeli winger came on as a substitute at half-time and changed the game for the hosts

The Israeli winger came on as a substitute at half-time and changed the game for the hosts

His clever curling strike beat Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa and marked his third in three games

His clever curling strike beat Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa and marked his third in three games

January signing Pablo Sarabia (right) had opened the scoring for Wolves in the first period

January signing Pablo Sarabia (right) had opened the scoring for Wolves in the first period

Marco Silva's side went two points off fifth while Wolves went four clear of the relegation zone

Marco Silva’s side went two points off fifth while Wolves went four clear of the relegation zone

‘He’s showing the quality he has,’ Silva said. 

‘He’s working hard. He’s fighting for his position. I know he wants to start. Manor is not ready for 90 minutes.’

But Solomon is getting close and is now the first Israeli player to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances since Ronny Rosenthal in 1992.

A draw felt fair in the end. Little separated these sides, with Pablo Sarabia’s smart finish from a slick move handing Wolves a first-half lead.

‘Fair or not, we came here looking for the three points,’ Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui said.

Match facts and ratings

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Tete 6, Diop 6.5, Ream 7, Robinson 6; Reed 6 (Lukic 45, 6), Palhinha 6; De Cordova-Reid 6 (Solomon 45, 7.5), Pereira 6, Willian 6 (Wilson 83); Vinicius 6.

Subs not used: Rodak; Cedric, Tosin, Duffy, Kurzawa, James.

Goals: Solomon 64.

Yellow cards: Palhinha 19, Pereira 72.

Manager: Marco Silva 6.5.

Wolves (4-4-2): Sa 7; Semedo 6, Dawson 6.5, Kilman 6, Bueno 6; Sarabia 7 (Moutinho 76), Lemina 6, Neves 6, Nunes 6 (Podence 76); Jimenez 6 (Costa 84), Cunha 6 (Traore 60, 6).

Subs not used: Bentley; Jonny, Collins, Ait-Nouri, Gomes.

Goals: Sarabia 23.

Manager: Julen Lopetegui 6.5.

Referee: Michael Oliver 6.

Attendance: 24,399.

There was a slow start to this fixture and in the 18th minute, Joao Palhinha was cautioned for a late sliding tackle on Matheus Cunha. 

His 10th yellow of the season, Fulham’s defensive midfielder will miss their next two games against Brentford and Arsenal.

Sarabia was behind the game’s first attempt on goal, with the January signing from Paris Saint-Germain forcing Bernd Leno into a save.

But Leno could not stop Sarabia the next time he took aim. 

In the 23rd minute, he collected Raul Jimenez’s cushioned header. 

Sarabia set himself with his left foot and then blasted the ball with his right for a 1-0 lead.

Fulham’s first shot on target came from the head of Carlos Vinicius, though the ball flew into the arms of Jose Sa. 

Vinicius was filling in for Aleksandar Mitrovic, the injured striker who was watching from the stands, no doubt frustrated.

Trailing 1-0 at half time, Fulham had not offered enough in the final third. Silva made two changes at the break – Solomon for Bobby De Cordova-Reid, and Sasa Lukic for Harrison Reed.

In the 55th minute, Cunha and Sarabia dropped down injured for Wolves, who wanted the ball kicked out of play. 

Fulham refused. They played on in the hope of taking advantage of their opponents’ nine men, possibly suspecting it was a time-wasting ploy.

When Fulham’s attack came to nothing, pushing and shoving ensued between the players. Meanwhile, Cunha was carried away on a stretcher.

In the 64th minute, Solomon’s time arrived. With the ball at his feet, he skipped inside and curled a shot towards Sa’s goal. It had a long way to travel but Wolves’ goalkeeper wasn’t getting near it.

Solomon had done the business as a substitute for a third time. Quite the hat-trick from him.

Fulham thought they had won it amid eight minutes of stoppage time. Vinicius’s header looked destined for Wolves’ goal. But Sa somehow got a hand to it, and the spoils were shared.

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