Fulham boost their promotion hopes by ending Aston Villa’s winning run

Fulham 2 Aston Villa 0: The home side went ten league games unbeaten and boosted their promotion hopes thanks to goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Floyd Ayite

Floyd Ayite is congratulated after his second-half goal (Getty)

Fulham made it seven home wins on the bounce as they beat Aston Villa in a convincing 2-0 victory at Craven Cottage.

Second-half goals from Ryan Sessegnon and a stunner from Floyd Ayite saw off the visitors, who themselves were looking for their eighth successive win.

Both teams hadn’t lost in the new year, and the back four on either side showed why with a solid display in the first half.

Aston Villa were coming into this with high spirits after a win in the Birmingham derby last Sunday, but they were without their top scorer Albert Adomah, who joined a number of others on the injury list for the visitors ahead of the trip.

Aleksandar Mitrovic made his first start for Fulham, and his first start in a league game since May 2017 – in Newcastle’s final match of the Championship season.

Sessegnon, the Cottagers’ own top scorer, was kept quiet too easily to begin with by Axel Tuanzebe, who was making his first start for Villa at right-back. As the hosts tried to opt for that side of the field they were kept out, with Villa finding similar trouble.

A packed Craven Cottage – this was their highest attendance of the season – had to wait until the second half for any real action. As Ryan Fredricks went on a driving run down the right-hand side, his pass into the box met Sessegnon, who was streaming in from the opposite flank. There was no Tuanzebe to hold him off this time and he found the net to the keeper’s right for 12th of the season.

Villa didn’t seem to have much in response, as they retreated back into their own half. Snodgrass tried to replicate his stunning goal just a few weeks back against Sheffield United, but the shot trickled easily through to the keeper.

Fulham had momentum on their side, and with 20 minutes to go, started to crank up the pace. A Villa free-kick from keeper Sam Johnstone landed dangerously at the feet of Floyd Ayite on the half-way line. With a gaping open goal, he went for the option everyone else was thinking. Johnstone scrambled to get back, but he didn't stand a chance. A stunning goal.

The chances then came flooding in for the Cottagers. Ayite came closest to making it three, heading over the bar from close range. Mitrovic also had an opportunity to impress, but found only Johnstone’s gloves.

A combination between Fredericks and Sessegnon with a couple of minutes to go tried to replicate the first goal, but the shot went flying wide.