Fulham secured a thrilling victory over Wigan Athletic in a tightly contested FA Cup fifth-round tie, triumphing 2-1 in front of 2,102 traveling fans. Rodrigo Muniz stole the spotlight with his exceptional performance, scoring both goals, including a decisive second-half strike that sealed the win. The match, held at Wigan Athletic's home stadium, extended Fulham's unbeaten run against Wigan to an impressive 20 matches.
Fulham's head coach Marco Silva made significant changes to the starting lineup, introducing ten new faces. This strategic decision paid off as Muniz opened the scoring with a spectacular diving header, igniting the proceedings for Fulham. Despite the visitors' dominance, Wigan mounted a comeback in the second half, with Jonny Smith equalizing to keep the contest competitive.
"Great competition between him [Muniz] and Raul [Jimenez]. It is always good to have two strikers scoring important goals for us." – Marco Silva
Fulham responded swiftly to the equalizer, displaying remarkable resilience and skill. Muniz once again emerged as the hero, driving home a powerful shot to restore Fulham's lead. His performance offered Silva a pleasant selection dilemma.
"Great response and great competition for me to decide the best solution." – Marco Silva
Wigan struggled to make significant inroads during the first half, offering limited offensive threats. Fulham's defense, marshaled by goalkeeper Benda, remained resolute, with Benda making several crucial saves to keep his team ahead. As the match drew to a close, Wigan thought they had found a late equalizer in stoppage time. However, the linesman's flag dashed their hopes, ruling out the goal for offside.
Fulham's second-half display earned high praise from both camps. Marco Silva lauded his team's performance, describing it as "brilliant" and indicative of their Premier League quality. Wigan boss Shaun Maloney echoed this sentiment, acknowledging Fulham's superiority throughout the match.
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