Lookman assist not enough as Fulham lose to Leeds United

Ademola Lookman provided an assist as Fulham lost 2-1 to Leeds United in Friday’s Premier League game at Craven Cottage.

The forward was handed his 25th league start and gave a good account of himself, although his effort was not enough to save his side from defeat.

Lookman formed a three-man attack for the Cottagers along with Nigeria international Josh Maja and Ivan Cavaleiro.

Fulham began the game on the back foot allowing Leeds United to open the scoring in the 29th minute through Patrick Bamford.

Moments before the half-time break, Lookman set up Joachim Andersen with a fine pass to reduce Fulham’s deficit.

The 23-year-old Nigerian forward has now been directly involved in Fulham’s last five Premier League goals at Craven Cottage.

After the restart, Raphinha scored the match-winning goal in the 58th minute after receiving an assist from Bamford.

With the defeat, the Craven Cottage outfit remain in the relegation zone after gathering 26 points from 30 games.

Lookman featured for the duration of the game along with his compatriot Tosin Adarabioyo while Ola Aina was replaced in the 72nd minute by Kenny Tete.

Maja only played for 46 minutes before he was taken off for Aleksandar Mitrovic while Cameroon’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was on parade for the entirety of the game.

Lookman has scored four goals and provided three assists for Fulham, amid other dazzling displays since teaming up with the Cottagers last summer on a season-long loan from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.

The forward played for Charlton Athletic and Everton before he left for Germany to join Red Bulls initially on loan before signing a permanent deal. 

While the forward is still awaiting Fifa clearance to play for the Nigeria national team, his teammate Aina has featured 17 times for the Super Eagles.

The defender is part of the squad to take on the Republic of Benin and Lesotho in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.