Harry Wilson hails Alex Iwobi after scoring worldie in Crystal Palace defeat

Fulham midfielder Harry Wilson has praised Super Eagles star Alex Iwobi for the clever pass that sparked his stunning goal in the 2–1 loss to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

The Cottagers hosted Palace in a tier-2 London derby and fell behind on the hour mark through Eddie Nketiah. Before then, however, Iwobi—operating deeper in a midfield pivot alongside Sander Berge—produced a moment of class that led to Fulham’s equaliser in the 37th minute.

The Nigerian slipped a precise pocket pass into Raul Jiménez at the edge of the box. The Mexican combined quickly with Wilson, who curled a sensational outside-of-the-foot strike beyond Dean Henderson to make it 1–1.

Speaking to Fulham’s official website, Wilson admitted the build-up wouldn’t have been possible without Iwobi’s contribution.

“It would’ve felt a lot nicer if the goal had led to three points, but it was a well-worked goal,” the Welshman said.
“Alex’s pass into me was great. I knew Raul was there for the one around the corner, and he gave me a perfect ball back for me to just use the outside of my left foot to find the far corner.”

Wilson described the strike as one he “quite enjoyed,” but added he was disappointed it did not change the outcome of the match.

Fulham thought they had turned the game around in the second half when Emile Smith-Rowe scored after Samuel Chukwueze’s initial effort was saved, but VAR ruled the Nigerian offside by the narrowest of margins.

Marco Silva blasted the decision, saying Chukwueze’s “toenail couldn’t have been any shorter,” and Wilson agreed.

“I saw how small the margins were,” he said. “When the margins are that small and go against you, it really hurts. It was a well-worked goal. Emile deserved it—again, fine margins.”

Fulham face a demanding run of fixtures, with their next six Premier League games against Burnley, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Liverpool on New Year’s Day.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

See Full Bio