Sessegnon hits hat-trick as Fulham win nine-goal thriller

Sheffield United 4 Fulham 5


Teenager Ryan Sessegnon scored a hat-trick on his 50th appearance for Fulham as they ended a six-match winless streak in thrilling fashion.

Winger Sheyi Ojo, on loan from Liverpool, grabbed the Whites’ other two goals on his return from a seven-week injury lay-off.

He had not played since dislocating his shoulder in the Whites’ win at QPR on 29 September – coincidentally, their last victory.

Fulham went in at the end of a breathless first half 3-2 up, despite falling behind after only six minutes.

Whites keeper David Button failed to hold John Fleck’s swerving shot and Leon Clarke snapped up the rebound.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side turned the game on its head with goals on 28 and 30 minutes.

First, Ojo pounced on an underhit Cameron Carter-Vickers backpass to clip in a left-footed shot and then Sessegnon curled in from the edge of the box.

Clarke levelled with his second of the evening, firing under the body of Button from an acute angle, but Sessegnon restored Fulham’s advantage as he met Ojo’s cross with a right-footed volley.

Substitute Aboubakar Kamara set up the fourth on the break, feeding Ojo whose shot took a deflection and nestled in at the near post.

Sessegnon then drilled in a low shot with 11 minutes to play as Fulham became the first team to score five on the Blades’ own patch since Oldham Athletic in January 1988.

But the hosts were not finished. Samir Carruthers pulled a goal back before Clarke completed a hat-trick of his own in injury time, heading in from close range, but Fulham held on.

Fulham: Button; Fredericks, Kalas, Ream, Odoi; Cairney, McDonald (Johansen 82), Norwood; Ojo (Fonte 74), Ayite (Kamara 68), R. Sessegnon.
Subs not used: Bettinelli, Edun, De La Torre, Kebano.