Player Ratings - Fulham 3-2 Leyton Orient

Fulham did their best to throw the game away, coasting at 3-0, before hanging on towards the end. There were plenty of sparks of potential shown by the young side, including some very impressive debutants. Here is how they rated:

Joronen - 7 - An impressive and commanding display from Joronen, who will really benefit from a season out on loan. His distribution was good and he showed confidence in coming to collect crosses. He misjudged a teasing corner for their first goal goal and was outmuscled in a cross late on, but it would be unfair to be too critical of him.

Kavanagh - 3 - I was surprised to see that he is still at the club. Although playing out of position at right back, Kavanagh has had sufficient first team experience not to be entitled to allowances from the fans. His distribution was poor throughout and although committed and relatively pacy, he looked like he would have made Leyton Orient's subs bench. I suspect he is at the club due to a lack of takers. He did put in a good corner for the first goal.

Ream - 4 - A shocker from Ream today. On many occasions his distribution was poor and he was also very weak in the air. Balls forward to the strong Palmer seemed to cause Ream and Stearman no end of problems. He may have struggled for motivation, given the opposition, but Ream does not merit a first team place on this showing.

Stearman - 5 - Equally poor from Stearman, a defender who I have always been a fan of. He too may have struggled for motivation and remained in third gear for much of the game. He too lost out in physical battles with Palmer and contributed to a shaky and vulnerable looking Fulham defence. His distribution was generally ok, although he made a few very lazy balls forward (out of play). At 3-2 he seemed to spark into life and was aggressive in the air and the tackle as we hung on for the last ten minutes. This was a chance for him to dominate the back four and show he should be in the side, he did not take it.

Sessegnon - 7 - An excellent showing from the 16 year old. He looked strong, quick and assured throughout the game. He got forward well and showed a good understanding with Edun. To be critical, he was caught out of position a couple of times, but that is unfair. He has a huge amount of potential, as well as existing ability already.

Christensen - 7 - He drifted in and out of the game, but showed some excellent touches and was involved in most of Fulham's good play in the first half. Against lesser opposition, I would still have expected more from Christensen, who has the pedigree indicating he should have ran the game. Although it was a decent display from him, he did not force his way into Jokanovic's thinking on this performance.

Parker - 8 - The best player on the pitch and a very shrewd selection by Jokanovic. His composure and leadership radiated across the rest of the side. As always, he rarely gave the ball away and he was an excellent support to Adeniran, encouraging him to get on the ball and be involved.

Adeniran - 8 - He is one to watch. His style of play is not dissimilar to Kante, with terrific strength, tenacity as well as absolutely composure on the ball. He did not give it away, broke up the midfield and made his presence felt until he was taken off with around 20 minutes left, seemingly due to cramp. His desire to win the header for the first goal epitomised what Adeniran seems to be all about.

Edun - 7 - Fulham looked the most threatening down the left hand side, and the energy and innovation of Edun and Sessegnon were the reason for this. He was direct, with excellent technique and endeavour, but also defended well to support the side. Although very young, he was accomplished and confident throughout the game.

De La Torre - 6 - For the entire first half, De La Torre looked like he was going to create something spectacular. He was busy, showing great touches on the ball and always trying to advance with the ball, playing in a number 10 slot. Unfortunately, the game ran away with him and his impact filtered out during the second half before he was eventually replaced. Although not ready for the first team yet, he clearly has bags of potential. With the right encouragement, he could be a very exciting player for the future. As with Edun, Adeniran and Sessegnon, he played without any suggestion of fear or nerves.

Woodrow - 7 - This is a tricky one. His first goal was insane, an incredible strike from 35 yards out. His second goal was equally excellent, showing great running into the channels, strength to overpower the defender and then clinical composure to fire home from a difficult angle. His hold up and link up play was also to a very high standard throughout. Woodrow's technique continues to improve and he had a number of shots, all of which were on target. To this end, he showed that if he gets a chance, you would back him. Despite that, he did not lead the line and is a second striker, rather than a number 9. This will be a big season for Woodrow, to show whether he can meet the standard or where, as I suspect, he is actually a lower Championship / higher League 1 level striker - and a very good one at that.

Subs

Tunnicliffe - 6 - Came on for Adeniran and was steady in the centre of midfield, but did not exert himself.

Cairney - n/a - Only on for around 5 minutes.