How USMNT’s Antonee Robinson is powering Fulham’s surprisingly strong start to the Premier League season

LONDON — After the balmiest of finishes at Stamford Bridge, two Harry Wilson goals at the death swinging a west London derby from Brentford’s favor to theirs, Fulham find themselves riding remarkably high in the Premier League. It isn’t just that they are ninth. The top four is only three points away. Newcastle and Manchester United sit in their rear view mirror. As Frankie Valli echoed around SW6 you couldn’t take your eyes off Fulham.

At the heart of this rise, and the exhilarating events of Monday night, was Antonee Robinson. Harry Wilson will steal the headlines for his brilliant brace, particularly a 93rd minute equaliser that will surely be in the mix for goal of the season, but it is fair to wonder whether Brentford’s usually excellent rearguard was worn down by a left flank anchored by the US international.

From the outset, Robinson and the former Arsenal duo of Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson schemed along their side, dragging the Brentford defense right to the touchline with wide overloads designed to create an avenue for one of the trio to slide in a through ball. Twice it was Robinson to offer that killer delivery, each of his team mates denied only by fine covering defending inside the first 17 minutes.

It was hardly a surprise to see two Hale End boys weave patterns they’ve been working on since they were barely out of primary school. Robinson, however, has spent most of this season with Alex Iwobi ahead of him. He didn’t seem to miss a beat. He remained the man to do it all for Fulham. No one had as many touches. No one delivered more crosses, even if his team mates had to wait until the 98th minute for one to land on their heads, Harry Wilson’s winner more than worth the wait for the home fans. Only Nelson bettered Robinson for expected possession value from passes, only Smith Rowe for chances created, only Iwobi for expected assists. In almost every attacking metric you can imagine, Fulham’s left back was at or near the top.

That the equalizer came from Fulham’s right perhaps spoke to a Brentford defense that had been putting too much into repelling the threat at the opposite flank, where 1.12 of the Cottagers 1.55 expected assists came from. When a flick of Wilson’s left calf broke the Brentford damn, Craven Cottage knew there was something left in this contest. .

Then, Robinson delivered the right cross, Wilson’s shoulder flicked home, and Fulham had their reward for a game they had dominated before and after Vitaly Janelt’s bolt from the blue. At the heart of that dominance, their left back.

Here’s the thing though. Robinson could absolutely have been forgiven a quiet night offensively. After all he was matched up against one of the most intimidating assignments for a left back in the league. This season it has been a thankless task trying to slow Brentford’s star forward Bryan Mbuemo. No matter what the circumstances, however the day is faring, he’ll get his shot away, and there’s a pretty decent chance it’ll end in a goal. Not when he is matched up with Robinson, however.

For the first time this season, Mbeumo ended a Premier League match without a shot to his name. The duels had not gone his way, Robinson had quelled him. One of the league’s most in-form forwards barely had a sniff.

Marco Silva’s first inclination is to credit the collective and rightly so. Kenny Tete was no less effective against Keane Lewis-Potter and in front of the back four Sander Berge was snaffling up possession at a remarkable rate. Brentford would end this match with just five shots and 0.59 xG. They’d put up better numbers at Tottenham and Manchester City.

“We played sixty, seventy percent of the time in our offensive half,” said Silva. “To give no chance not just to Mbeumo, Lewis-Potter, [Yoanne] Wissa, [Mikkel] Damsgaard behind the striker as well. We didn’t give one chance for them to have a dangerous counterattack. Our reaction when we lost the ball was top level. Our balance was always there.

“It was the fifth game for Brentford away, they’ve played against Manchester United, City, Tottenham and Liverpool I think away from home. If you analyse those games they’ve always been creating chances, always a threat in the attacking line. Tonight we kept them really quiet, didn’t give them anything to create chances apart from [one Carvalho] chance.

“We didn’t give anything for them.”

Silva might not want to pick out individuals but, hey, we’re a US publication. And this is a special US international. Monday might have been the best version of Robinson but it is not that far above the levels he has been reaching since at least the start of last season. That is long enough that it is fair to call him what he is: one of the best players in his position in the Premier League, at the very least. No wonder then that Fulham are enjoying such a bright start to the season.