Fulham 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Calvin Bassey heads winner for hosts

Fulham have found wins hard to come by on their own patch of late, registering four draws and a defeat at Craven Cottage since 5 December.

This was a game where boss Marco Silva definitely did not leave the handbrake on, and perhaps afforded a bit of extra attacking leeway his Fulham players responded with a performance full of skill and swagger.

It was borne out in the statistics as well. Fulham had 24 shots, 10 of which were on target, and finished the game with an xG of 2.24. Forest did not get close by comparison.

At the heart of Fulham’s play was the impressive Traore.

Pistons bulging, and lightning quick, the winger frequently used his strength and speed to keep the Forest defence on the back foot.

His delivery for Smith Rowe’s opener was sublime. “What a ball!” he pointedly told his team-mates during the celebration.

There was no lack of heart from the 29-year-old Spaniard, either. When Murillo rampaged forward on the counter, evading tackles, it was Traore who recovered ground and raced back to stop him.

At times the Cottagers lack a bit of streetwise nous, so there were a few tetchy moments towards the end of the game – not least when Callum Hudson-Odoi curled an effort wide.

Traore was also quick to remind his team-mates to retain their shape as they held out to complete a notable league double over the visitors, having also won at the City Ground in September.