'He blocks Mings' - Newcastle icon highlights Iwobi's role in Fulham goal against Aston Villa

Fulham suffered their second defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday, falling 3-1 to Aston Villa at Villa Park despite taking the lead inside the opening three minutes.

Attention had been on Alex Iwobi ahead of the matchday six clash, following his standout performance in a come-from-behind win over Brentford, which earned him a Premier League Player of the Week nomination and a spot in the division's Best XI.

Raúl Jiménez wasted no time making an impact, breaking the deadlock in under three minutes with a deft flick of Saša Lukić's corner over his shoulder and into the far post.

While Iwobi did not score or register an assist in the defeat, Newcastle United legend Shay Given praised the Super Eagles midfielder for his key role in the build-up to Fulham's early goal.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Given noted that Iwobi's clever positioning and tactical intelligence unsettled Aston Villa's defence, allowing Jimenez to finish with a header.

"Brilliant from Iwobi, great movement here, he blocks Mings, he can't get a clear header," Given said, breaking down the play.

He continued: "Keep your eye on Iwobi, he steps in front of Mings there, and then Jiménez is flying across, the delivery is perfect. 

"Brilliant timing from Jiménez and it's a fantastic header into the corner. Brilliant goal."

Unai Emery's Aston Villa, who have struggled to score goals this season, fought back to secure all three points, thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and Emi Buendía.

Iwobi made way for summer signing Kevin with twenty five minutes left on the clock.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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