Match ends, Fulham 4, Bolton Wanderers 0.
FulhamFulham4BoltonBolton Wanderers0
Fulham thrashed fellow strugglers Bolton for their third successive win under caretaker manager Kit Symons to increase the pressure on opposite number Dougie Freedman.
Hugo Rodallega slotted in the opener before Fernando Amorebieta headed in.
Bolton offered little, with Darren Pratley going closest with a volley.
Instead, Fulham took control as Lasse Vigen Christensen tapped in and Tim Hoogland drilled home as the Cottagers moved above Bolton into 22nd.
After losing seven of their first eight games under previous boss Felix Magath, Fulham have now collected six points from two games and need two points to move out of the bottom three.
The defeat for Bolton, though, will put further pressure on manager Freedman.
| Match facts | |
|---|---|
| Fulham have won their last three games in all competitions, after winning only one of their first nine games this season | Bolton have won only one of their last seven games in all competitions, losing the last three |
| They have now won four of the last six meetings at Craven Cottage in all competitions, drawing one and losing one | They have lost six of their seven away games in all competitions this season, winning one |
They have just five points, having won once all season and drop to 23rd.
Fulham, fresh from beating Birmingham 2-1 last-time out, were confident from the outset and Ross McCormack had the ball in the net within minutes of kick-off, but it was ruled out for offside.
Their opener came soon after, though, as Rodallega pounced on a defensive error by Matt Mills to slot in his third of the season.
Bolton keeper Andy Lonergan tipped Konstantinos Stafylidis's 20-yard strike on to the post as Fulham pressed in search of a second, which arrived in first-half stoppage time as Amorebieta headed in Bryan Ruiz's cross.
Bolton's only effort of note in the first-half was Pratley's strike, which grazed the top of the crossbar.
Any hopes of getting back into the game were ended for the away side midway through the second half when Danish youngster Christensen grabbed his first goal for the club, leaving Hoogland to wrap up the win when he drove the ball into the bottom corner for a late fourth.
Fulham caretaker manager Kit Symons:
"That performance and result certainly won't do me any harm.
"When I took over in I tried to galvanise the club and get everyone pulling together, and to start winning games, and on both counts it's going pretty well so far.
"It's a great feeling hearing the fans sing my name. I've had stadiums booing me before, when I played, so it's nice to have one cheering me now."
Bolton manager Dougie Freedman:
"It's a difficult job and it's proving to be more difficult that I thought but I feel very confident we can do it. Will I be given time? I think so.
"The performance was concerning. We've gifted them a goal once again. We've got to stop giving away silly goals.
"We need a result. I've told the players they are in a relegation battle, with a big 'R'."
Line-ups
Fulham
Formation 4-1-2-1-2
- 40Bettinelli
- 2Hoogland
- 6Bodurov
- 33Burn
- 5Amorebieta
- 8ParkerSubstituted forWilliamsat 71'minutes
- 21Christensen
- 3Stafylidis
- 10Ruiz
- 44McCormackSubstituted forRobertsat 80'minutes
- 20RodallegaSubstituted forWoodrowat 78'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Kiraly
- 9Smith
- 14Roberts
- 16Woodrow
- 27Williams
- 28Hyndman
- 32Kavanagh
Bolton
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 24Lonergan
- 29HerdBooked at 77mins
- 4MillsSubstituted forDaviesat 52'minutesBooked at 81mins
- 14Dervite
- 3Moxey
- 6Spearing
- 5Ream
- 7Feeney
- 21PratleySubstituted forMasonat 53'minutes
- 18Danns
- 28DaviesSubstituted forBeckfordat 52'minutes
Substitutes
- 9Mason
- 10Beckford
- 13Kenny
- 16Davies
- 19Garvan
- 27Lee
- 44Kamara
- Referee:
- Stuart Attwell
- Attendance:
- 14,496
Match Stats
Home TeamFulhamAway TeamBolton
- Possession
- Home53%
- Away47%
- Shots
- Home16
- Away8
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away0
- Corners
- Home6
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away8
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Fulham 4, Bolton Wanderers 0.
Post update
Attempt missed. Dorian Dervite (Bolton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Jay Spearing with a cross following a set piece situation.
Post update
Foul by Nikolay Bodurov (Fulham).
Post update
Jermaine Beckford (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Corner, Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Dan Burn.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Patrick Roberts (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by George Williams.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Konstantinos Stafylidis (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Cauley Woodrow.
Post update
Attempt missed. George Williams (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Mark Davies.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Cauley Woodrow (Fulham) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Patrick Roberts.
Post update
Attempt missed. Konstantinos Stafylidis (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Patrick Roberts.
Booking
Mark Davies (Bolton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Patrick Roberts (Fulham) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Mark Davies (Bolton Wanderers).
Post update
Attempt saved. Konstantinos Stafylidis (Fulham) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Bryan Ruiz.
Substitution
Substitution, Fulham. Patrick Roberts replaces Ross McCormack.
Goal!
Goal! Fulham 4, Bolton Wanderers 0. Tim Hoogland (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by George Williams.
Substitution
Substitution, Fulham. Cauley Woodrow replaces Hugo Rodallega.
Booking
Chris Herd (Bolton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
