Wolves 1-2 Fulham: Cottagers bolster European hopes with narrow win at Molineux after goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Muniz

Once regarded as one of the brightest young players in European football, Ryan Sessegnon hopes his goal at Wolves will be an important step back towards that level.

Making his first Premier League start for two years, Sessegnon scored in the first minute at Wolves to help Fulham keep their hopes of European football alive.

Five years after joining Tottenham for £25million, Sessegnon returned to Fulham last summer on a free transfer after a career in north London disrupted by injuries.

When Sessegnon joined Spurs, he had been courted by all Europe’s top clubs. So the talent is there and now the 24-year-old hopes his body will allow him to fulfil it.

‘It’s a very proud moment for me,’ said Sessegnon. ‘It’s been a long time. I’ve had to be patient, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs with injuries, but I’m really feeling good now so I’m happy.

‘I was very confident. I knew Andreas Pereira was going to slide me through for the goal, and it was just about staying calm. That’s what I do after training every day so I was very confident.’

Rodrigo Muniz’s 47th-minute strike secured all three points for Fulham against Wolves

The Cottagers got off to the perfect start when Ryan Sessegnon slotted past Jose Sa in the first minute

Joao Gomes restored parity with a thumping half-volley in the 18th minute of the clash

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS

Wolves (3-4-2-1): Sa 6; Doherty 6, Bueno 5.5 (Sarabia 77, 6), Toti 6; Semedo 6, Andre 7 (Doyle 77, 6), J Gomes 6.5, Ait-Nouri 7; Bellegarde 6 (Strand Larsen 65, 6), Cunha 5.5; Munetsi 6.

Scorers: J Gomes 18

Booked: Bueno

Manager: Vitor Pereira 6

Fulham (3-4-2-1): Leno 6.5; Diop 6, Andersen 7, Cuenca 6.5 (Bassey 76, 6); Castagne 6.5, Lukic 6 (Iwobi 67, 6), Berge 7, Sessegnon 6.5 (Robinson 72, 6); Traore 7 (Willian 67, 6), Pereira 7; *MUNIZ 7.5* (Jimenez 71, 6).

Scorers: Sessegnon 1, Muniz 47

Booked: Lukic, Berge, Robinson

Manager: Marco Silva 7

Referee: Peter Bankes 5.5

Though Joao Gomes equalised for Wolves, they switched off again at the start of the second half, allowing Fulham to score a delightful winner.

Marco Silva’s side face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup and the Fulham boss is optimistic about Sessegnon’s future.

‘The last two years have been really tough for him,’ said Sessegnon. ‘At the age of 16, he was at a high level and people thought he would have an amazing career but sometimes football is not so easy.

‘He had a lot of injuries in a row which took away from him the confidence and sharpness you need for this level. We decided to bring him back and it is crucial to keep him in a good physical condition. The quality is there so I am really confident.’

This was a missed opportunity for Wolves to pull eight points clear of the bottom three and boss Vitor Pereira admitted his team had run out of steam. He said: ‘Our focus at the start of each half was not where it should be. And then after our second game in four days, I felt the team grew tired in the second half.’