Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder Alex Iwobi was not available for Fulham on Saturday as they defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in an English Premier League clash at Craven Cottage.
The ever-present Iwobi missed the fixture due to a hamstring strain, but his fellow Nigeria internationals Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze were in Fulham’s starting line-up, with the former playing the full game.
Ryan Sessegnon scored the only goal of the encounter as Fulham boosted their hopes of finishing in the European places with the victory.
The win took Fulham the up to 10th, at least for a short while, and they are now just two points behind sixth-placed Brighton and right among the other sides in the European mix.
Sessegnon, who signed a contract extension at Fulham this week, swept in the rebound after Emi Martinez saved Sasa Lukic’s header late in the first half.
The hosts also had a headed goal by Timothy Castagne ruled out for a foul on Villa goalkeeper Martinez in the second half.
With England head coach Thomas Tuchel watching, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers missed chances for Villa and Unai Emery’s side were lacklustre at the start of a crucial spell for them.
They play Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
Victory over Fulham would have all but confirmed a top-five finish prior to that tie, but Villa instead still have work to do to confirm UEFA Champions League qualification via the Premier League.
