Samuel Chukwueze produced a standout performance in Fulham’s thrilling 5–4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage, scoring twice after coming off the bench to register his first Premier League goals, according to Soccernet.ng.
The winger, on loan from AC Milan, has been in impressive form over his last three outings, contributing two goals and two assists, something that has greatly pleased Fulham manager Marco Silva.His lively showing also led to a light-hearted exchange with City manager Pep Guardiola after the final whistle.
Marco Silva hails Chukwueze’s impact once again
Silva had previously praised the Nigerian international after Fulham’s 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur three days earlier—a sentiment echoed by teammate Alex Iwobi, who jokingly referred to him as “Chukwu-magic.”
Chukwueze was equally influential against City, injecting energy and purpose as Fulham pushed for a late equaliser. Silva, however, stressed that the decision to start him on the bench was planned.
“He’s already making an impact. He did it last Saturday,” Silva said in his post-match press conference.
“Physically, we needed to manage him because he played almost a full match against Tottenham.
“That’s why he started on the bench. We wanted ESR [Emile Smith Rowe] and Alex [Iwobi] operating in those areas, almost without natural wingers, with Alex and Sander [Berge] inside.
“His impact was huge again, but other players also deserve credit. Emile put in a very strong performance and is showing real improvement.
“We made a change at half-time because we needed more energy on the right from Castagne, and Josh also deserves praise.”
Fulham set to lose Chukwueze for AFCON 2025
Chukwueze’s resurgence comes at a difficult time for the club, as Silva is preparing to lose him for the Africa Cup of Nations in a fortnight.
The winger has struggled with injuries following international duty in September and October, but has now rediscovered his rhythm with both goals and assists. Still, Silva is frustrated at the timing.
“Chukwu is showing what he’s capable of, he’s effective on both flanks and makes good decisions,” he added.
“He keeps improving. Unfortunately, we’ll lose him in 15 days, just as we have three times in the past few months. But that’s the situation, and until then we must make the most of him. Hopefully he can deliver again on Sunday.”
Fulham will also be without Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, with all three players named in Eric Chelle’s provisional AFCON squad.
