Chukwueze, however, noted that the brace against Manchester City felt incomplete because Fulham lost the encounter.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger, Samuel Chukwueze, has reflected on Fulham’s dramatic 5-4 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday night, saying his club must keep their heads high despite the defeat.
He offered the words of encouragement after his first two Premier League goals almost helped the London outfit pull off one of the shocks of the season.
Man City, chasing Arsenal at the top of the table, started the night strongly with Erling Haaland opening the scoring in the 17th minute.
The visitors then doubled their advantage at Craven Cottage in the 37th minute through Tijjani Reijnders.
Phil Foden went on to strike twice—at 44′ and 48’—putting City seemingly out of reach, before a freak own goal by Sander Berge in the 54th minute further bolstered City’s tally.
Fulham, however, refused to go quietly as Emile Smith Rowe clawed one back at 45+2′, igniting belief among the home fans right before halftime.
The second half exploded when Alex Iwobi buried a 57th-minute effort, tightening the highly intriguing contest.
Chukwueze, a second-half substitute, then produced the moment of the night when he smashed in a fierce volley for his first league goal, and struck again minutes later from a loose ball after a corner, bringing Fulham within touching distance of a historic comeback.
The match ticked into the 89th minute with City desperately defending as the home side threw everything forward, but Guardiola’s men held firm to secure three vital points.
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Speaking after the match, Chukwueze praised his teammates for fighting till the end despite the defeat.
“It was a crazy game today,” he said in an interview with his official club website. “We conceded goals we shouldn’t have conceded, but I liked the spirit of the team for the comeback.”
He also attributed the players’ late surge in the match to the belief within the squad.
“For me, I always believe. If we don’t believe, we won’t score. Everybody believed—the team, the coach and the fans.”
Chukwueze also thanked the supporters for driving the team forward.
“The fans were amazing—supportive from 5–1 to 5–4. We gave everything… We have to lift our heads up and move on.”
Although the night marked his best performance since joining Fulham, he admitted his brace felt incomplete without a result.
“It’s a good feeling to score two goals but not a good feeling to lose,” he said. “If I had scored my two goals and we won, it would have meant a lot more to me.”
Chukwueze added that he is starting to grow in confidence.
“I think I’m finding myself. The coach believes in me… My teammates push me a lot, so I have to give them credit.”
Fulham will now turn their focus to Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace as they look to build on the positives from a wild night of football.
