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Fulham Fall to New Low With Late Defeat to Ipswich at Portman Road
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- Fulham Fall to New Low With Late Defeat to Ipswich at Portman Road
Tom Masters explains why Fulham's defeat to Ipswich is such a disaster.
It does not get much more disastrous than what happened to Fulham at Portman Road today.
Leading as late as the 87th minute, it seemed the Cottagers would finally break their duck and get their all-important first Premier League win of the season.
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But then that word disaster struck again, just like it did late on against Manchester United in the game immediately preceding the international break.
Fulham conceded.
Three points became one, and then the absolute worst happened - Fulham conceded again.
Disaster.
This was the match in which Fulham had to get their first win of the season; they simply had to.
But in the end, all it has brought is doubt, worry and the unfortunate, knowing feeling among many Fulham supporters that this season was heading in this exact way.
Two hugely experienced Fulham figures of last season were pivotal to Ipswich's efforts.
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Whoever watched Issa Diop's World Cup displays with Morocco and felt they could sell him to a potential rival should be sacked with immediate effect.
Issa Diop showed his class as Ipswich overcame Fulham at Portman Road. Image Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Sasa Lukic's performances may be slightly less obvious, but he remained at worst a hugely useful squad player.
Losing Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez also did not help and many were worried losing all this experience was going to make this a tricky season.
For 87 minutes, it seemed as though maybe this Fulham side would simply learn on the job in their bid to survive.
But in the final six minutes, that feeling was entirely unravelled.
Ryan Sessegnon's goal was a thing of beauty, and it really seemed that it was going to be the pivotal moment that perhaps would be enough to see Fulham to safety.
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It was not to be.
Two minutes from time and Abdoul Outtara stuck the ball into the bottom left corner with another excellent goal.
Ultimately, a point away from home is never going to be a totally awful result.
But when you have yet to get a win under your belt, and you face a newly-promoted side, you not only should be getting all three points, but quite frankly, you have to.
But it went from bad to worse in stoppage time, with Jack Clarke's teasing ball met well by Dara O'Shea.
I previously wrote that there is no need to be overly concerned about Fulham's early season form and that they would find a result from somewhere.
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Today is the day that feeling has gone - make no mistake about it, Fulham will be fighting for their lives come the end of this season.
Hull next week is another must-win, as is Coventry the week after that, if Fulham fail to win either of those, they are heading for a fate similar to that of Wolves last season and Alvaro Arbeloa may well be on his way out.
It is make-or-break for Fulham after just six matches.
Disaster.
