Nigerian forwards Tolu Arokodare and Samuel Uche both faced tough starts to their Premier League campaigns, with Arokodare suffering a defeat and Uche failing to make an impact from the bench, while Samuel Chukwueze remained sidelined for Fulham’s first win of the season.
Arokodare made his debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers in their 1-0 loss to Newcastle United at St James’ Park. The Nigerian forward started the match but was substituted in the 66th minute for Jhon Arias. Despite a spirited performance, Wolves couldn’t hold off Newcastle, who clinched the victory through Nick Woltemade’s powerful header in the 29th minute from a Jacob Murphy cross.
The defeat meant Wolves had lost their opening four matches of the Premier League season, a first in the club’s 127-year history. Arokodare had an early opportunity to make his mark, almost scoring from a back-post tap-in, but Newcastle’s Fabian Schar managed a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny him. Wolves now face a tough task to turn their season around as they continue to search for their first points.
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Meanwhile, Uche, who came on as a substitute in the 84th minute for Yeremy Pino, was unable to spark a late winner for Crystal Palace in their goalless draw against newly-promoted Sunderland at Selhurst Park. Despite dominating possession, Palace were thwarted by Sunderland’s goalkeeper Robin Roefs, who made several key saves in the dying moments to deny Daichi Kamada and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The draw extended Palace’s unbeaten run to 10 matches and kept them in eighth place in the Premier League standings, while Sunderland climbed to sixth. Uche will be hoping for more playing time as Palace continue their quest for a top-half finish.
Over at Craven Cottage, Fulham managed to secure their first Premier League win of the season with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Leeds United. However, Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze remained an unused substitute throughout the match. His compatriots Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both started for Fulham, with Bassey playing the full 90 minutes and Iwobi being replaced in the 76th minute.
The only goal of the match came in stoppage time, when Leeds’ Gabriel Gudmundsson inadvertently scored an own goal, handing Fulham the victory. The win lifted Marco Silva’s side above Leeds, moving them into 14th place with five points. Despite the win, Chukwueze will be looking to break into the starting XI in the coming weeks.
