There could be a statue of Ademola Lookman outside Craven Cottage next summer.
Heading into this season, and even as transfer deadline day approached, the general consensus was that Fulham were in real trouble. They lacked any real quality and hadn't made any major signings - a stark contrast to 2018/19 when the club infamously splurged £100m and went down.
Then Lookman joined on loan from RB Leipzig and, all of a sudden, the future doesn't seem so bleak for Fulham.
The 22-year-old winger impressed in his brief cameo against Wolves before the international break and was deservedly handed his first start in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United. Judging by his performance, he might not be giving his spot up any time soon.
Lookman was in inspired form throughout, but his quality was often overshadowed by Fulham's lack of cutting edge. He would drive at Sheffield United's defence but find himself swarmed by defenders who quickly recognised he was the only threat.
It took him nearly 80 minutes to make a breakthrough, but what a breakthrough it was.
⚽ Ademola Lookman has scored his first PL goal (in 37 appearances) since his debut in the competition in January 2017 (for Everton v Man City) pic.twitter.com/YFr4EFdPn1
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) October 18, 2020
The Englishman cut through the Blades' defence with terrifying ease and thundered an effort past the otherwise impressive Aaron Ramsdale, and it should have earned all three points, but Aleksandar Mitrović foolishly gave away a clumsy penalty late on.
Scott Parker will already know that he must build his side around Lookman, but to the boss' credit, plenty of his late signings looked impressive against Sheffield United.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek's debut was promising, albeit a little frustrating at times, while former Manchester City youngster Tosin Adarabioyo was a star at the back for Fulham. With Alphonse Areola impressing in goal, the Cottagers actually had something of a spine.
Make no mistake about it, Fulham still have a lot of work to do if they are to survive this season. They were fortunate not to be five or six behind at half time and looked to be lacking the general quality needed to make an impact this season.
However, if Lookman, Loftus-Cheek and Adarabioyo can build on this momentum, Fulham might just have a chance.
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Source: 90min
