Iwobi Goal Gives Fulham First Win of Season in 1-0 Victory Over Hull

Fulham beat Hull City 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, October 17, 2026, to record their first Premier League win of the season. Alex Iwobi scored the only goal in the 33rd minute. The result lifted Fulham off the bottom of the table and gave head coach Alvaro Arbeloa his first league win in charge.

Fulham had taken two points from their first six league games, with four defeats and two draws. Their last outing ended in a 2-1 loss at Ipswich Town, where they conceded late goals after leading. Hull arrived in better shape, with only one defeat in their first six top flight fixtures, and they made Fulham work for every chance in a tight first half hour.

Iwobi finishes a messy move

The goal came from a move that nearly broke down twice. Sander Berge kept his head inside the Hull area after Brooke Norton-Cuffy muscled Josh King off the ball and then cleared the ball straight back to Berge. Berge stayed calm and teed up Iwobi, whose first time shot from the edge of the box squirmed under Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis and in.

It was Iwobi's first league goal of the season. Fulham had controlled long spells of earlier games this season without scoring the goal that mattered, and the home crowd knew what this one meant. The hosts pushed for a second goal after the break and kept Hull at arm's length for most of the second half.

A tense finish

The last minutes were not calm. Fulham lost Josh King and Oscar Bobb to injuries in the 78th minute, with Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney coming on. Sessegnon's night ended early. He was sent off in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Fulham had to see out the closing seconds with 10 men. They did, and the final whistle brought a loud release from the home stands.

Arbeloa said the win belonged to the supporters and his players. "I am very happy, especially for the supporters, they deserve this win, for the players, they were looking for this victory and have been working so hard," he said, in comments reported by VAVEL. "We controlled the game, had many chances and didn't concede any clear chances to Hull, a very good team. They are tough to beat."

What it means

The win was also Fulham's second clean sheet of the season. It does not solve their start, but it changes the mood before a hard week. Arbeloa said his team now faces Coventry City and then Crystal Palace in the space of seven days. "It's a massive game for us, a massive week," he said. "We know how we need to play and compete, we have to be competitive in this league."

Hull leave London with a rare defeat and no goal to show for a disciplined away performance. For Fulham, one goal was enough. After six games without a win, enough is plenty.