After Fulham suffered a 3-0 loss at Craven Cottage, Aston Villa fired manager Steven Gerrard.
Prior to this match, Villa had only recorded two Premier League victories, and the visiting crowd booed them off at both halftime and the final siren. Harrison Reed's goal from the edge of the box in the 36th minute gave Fulham, who had lost their previous three games, a reward for their early pressure.
Following a VAR review of a small confrontation with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Douglas Luiz was given a red card in the second half, giving the hosts complete control.
Following Mitrovic's successful penalty kick for Marco Silva's team after Matty Cash handled the ball, Tyrone Mings scored Fulham's third goal by putting the ball in his own net. In the fourth minute, Willian missed Fulham's first decent opportunity by shooting directly at Emiliano Martinez. Then, a long pass into the area skillfully picked out Mitrovic, who nodded over the crossbar.
When Andreas Pereira missed the target after being set up by a Willian corner, Gerrard appeared to be getting closer to the breakthrough after a shaky start to the season.
Mitrovic attempted to score from another corner, but Mings blocked the shot on the line, forcing Martinez to dive low to stop it. In the 33rd minute, with Fulham pressing, the Villa goalkeeper once more needed to be alert to palm aside a curling low effort from Willian.
Finally, after the opponents failed to clear a corner, the game's first goal was scored. When Reed received the ball, he made no mistakes, taking a touch before beating Martinez with a shot.
Right before the break, Villa got their first noteworthy opportunity. Ollie Watkins' follow-up attempt was stopped on the line by Issa Diop after Bernd Leno was unable to gather after punching the ball skyward.
Beginning significantly more end-to-end, the second half included chances for both teams, though the Cottagers continued to appear the more dangerous. When Luiz was controversially dismissed in the 63rd minute, things only got worse for Villa and Gerrard. Luiz and Mitrovic had engaged in some light physical contact before the Villa midfielder was sent off for the incident.
Soon after, Fulham scored their second goal thanks to Cash's handball in the penalty area. When a Mitrovic shot was stopped by the Villa defender onto his own arm, referee Michael Oliver promptly signalled to the spot.
The Fulham No. 9 finished with his eighth goal of the year, making no mistakes. When Mings sent a Neeskens Kebano pass across the box into his own goal, the hosts secured the victory.
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