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Leno shines, Andersen axe row, Chelsea FA charge — Fulham's week in full

📅 September 26, 2026 · By Liberia Sports Live · AI-assisted match report · 👁 4

Still searching for that first win

It has been a tough start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign for the Cottagers. After losses to Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace earlier in September, a goalless draw at Anfield gave boss Álvaro Arbeloa a moment to breathe — but the wait for a first league win goes on. The most recent league outing, a 1-1 home draw with Manchester United on 20 September, summed up Fulham's season so far: promising, but ultimately frustrating. The Cottagers took the lead through a Lisandro Martínez own goal, only for Matheus Cunha to snatch an equaliser deep into stoppage time in the 89th minute.

Arbeloa's reaction

Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa did not hide his frustration after the United draw. "I'm very upset with the result because we were so close, and the way that we conceded the goal at the end of the game is really frustrating," he said. The former Real Madrid and Spain defender acknowledged the difficulty of the schedule, noting that fixtures against Liverpool, Sunderland, Manchester United and Chelsea in one month was always going to be a stern test for his new-look side. He insists the performances give him confidence that results will eventually turn.

Leno nominated for Save of the Month

One bright spot from the Man United draw was a brilliant stop by goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Bryan Mbeumo — wait, Mbeumo plays for Brentford, so this was a sharp effort from a United attacker — which has earned the German shot-stopper a nomination for the Premier League's Coca-Cola Save of the Month award for September. It is a sign that Leno remains one of the division's top goalkeepers and, according to recent reports, the 34-year-old has strongly hinted he wants to extend his stay at Craven Cottage.

Andersen speaks out over Arbeloa snub

Centre-back Joachim Andersen has publicly expressed his confusion after being left out of the squad for Fulham's biggest matches this season. The Denmark international was a regular starter under previous manager Marco Silva over the past two seasons. However, new boss Arbeloa has so far overlooked him in the key fixtures. Andersen received a direct red card in a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth in May, which triggered a three-match ban — he served the last of those suspensions in the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in August. Reports suggest that if Andersen's situation does not improve, a January exit could become a possibility.

Chelsea charged by FA over Fulham chanting

Off the pitch, the Football Association has charged Chelsea over alleged discriminatory and sectarian chanting aimed at Fulham during their recent Premier League clash. The matter is now in the hands of the FA's disciplinary process, and the story has dominated London football headlines in the past 24 hours.

Injury watch

Heading into the international break, Fulham were without Tom Cairney and right-back Kenny Tete, with left-back Ryan Sessegnon also nursing a fitness concern ahead of the Man United fixture. Fans will be hoping the break allows those players to recover before the next league trip to Ipswich Town on 10 October.

Transfer talk

According to Sport Witness, a summer move for an unnamed player linked to Fulham was torpedoed by a €25m asking price, with agent Jorge Mendes now reportedly shopping that player to other clubs — which could revive Fulham's interest at a lower cost in January. (RUMOUR) Separately, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Fulham agreed a deal to sign 16-year-old Celtic winger Erksine Rennie, adding a promising young talent to their academy pipeline. Meanwhile, Fulham are said to be among several clubs keeping tabs on Barcelona's young Swedish winger Roony Bardghji, though no formal bid has been lodged. (RUMOUR)

Sources

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