Raul Jimenez offered a stark reminder to Sean Dyche that Nottingham Forest’s relegation battle remains far from over.

Since taking the helm at Forest, Dyche has managed to secure 13 points from his initial eight Premier League matches, providing some relief for fans at the City Ground. However, the team’s lackluster performance against Fulham highlighted the challenges that still lie ahead.

Despite Fulham’s recent struggles, Jimenez’s controversial penalty in first-half stoppage time secured a vital victory for Marco Silva’s side, propelling them to 13th in the league standings.

RIO UPON THAMES

In attendance at Craven Cottage was Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant, Paul Clement, who was keen to observe the five Brazilian players who started the match. Four of these players took the field for Forest, while Kevin lined up on the left wing for Fulham.

Raul Jimenez’s penalty was enough to give Fulham all three points against Nottingham Forest

Fulham have played better and lost recently but they did enough to get the job done on Monday

There is still work to do before Sean Dyche can consider a relegation fight a thing of the past

The match showcased an intriguing twist, with as many players eligible to represent Brazil as England. This unusual scenario included two English No.10s on the pitch, challenging the traditional stereotypes and reinforcing the belief that Premier League academies are churning out technically skilled players at the expense of other attributes.

For Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White assumed the No.10 role, supported by wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Omari Hutchinson. The midfield featured Elliot Anderson alongside Douglas Luiz, forming a dynamic Anglo-Brazilian attacking setup.

Emile Smith Rowe was the lone English representative for Fulham, who lined up with a team of 11 different nationalities.

MISERABLE RETURNS FOR LUIZ

Not a lot has gone right for Douglas Luiz since his return to the Premier League, on loan at Forest on loan from Juventus. First, he was among those identified by Edu that drove Nuno Espirito Santo, the head coach who led them back into Europe, apart from owner Evangelos Marinakis.

With Nuno gone, Luiz was sidelined by injury and on this return to the team, his recovery nicely timed with Ibrahim Sangare off on international duty with the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), he conceded a penalty in first half stoppage time with a kick from behind on Kevin.

It was firmly in the soft category. Kevin overreacted and Forest complained but once given by referee Anthony Taylor it was not going to be overturned.

Still, there were two minutes spent prevaricating. John Victor was then booked for delaying it further and we were into the fifth added minute by the time Raul Jimenez stuttered up to the ball and scored his third Premier League goal of the season from the only shot on target in a forgettable first half.

Douglas Luiz has struggled since moving to Nottingham and gave away a penalty for his side

RAUL’S HAUL

Jimenez remains a master in the art of the centre forward. He is 34 and getting very little relief at the moment with Rodrigo Muniz out injured but he never fails to disturb the central defenders or threaten in the air.

He missed two very good chances, a near post header into the side netting in the first half from the corner of six-yard box from a cross by Antonee Robinson cross. It was an excellent chance by his standards. He missed another late in the game.

KEVIN STILL STRUGGLING

Having spent a club record £34.6million to bring him in from Shakhtar Donetsk the jury is still firmly out on Kevin and in the absence of Samuel Chukwueze, one of three influential Fulham players away with Nigeria at the AFCON, it was a chance to settle in the team, pick up the tempo of the English game and impress.

He won the penalty thanks to his quick feet and persistence but more often a source of frustration. He aggravated the home crowd at Craven Cottage as moves broke down on him with careless passes and poor decision making when in promising situations. He also upset those in the away end with his falling down and rolling around routine.

Kevin is only 22, clearly talented with time on his side, although his struggles are a reminder of other wingers who failed to make the step from Ukraine’s wartime football and establish in the Premier League, such as Mykhailo Mudryk and Manor Solomon.

The cheer when he was replaced by Josh King near the end was tinged with relief.

Kevin is Fulham’s record signing and won a penalty on Monday but his slow start is continuing

FOREST RESPONSE

Neco Williams summoned Forest’s first shot on target early in second half, although it was nothing more than a routine save for Bernd Leno.

The visitors certainly improved after the interval, peppered Leno’s goal with shots from distance and yet found it difficult to penetrate Fulham’s back line, superbly marshalled by Joachim Andersen and Jorge Cuenca, deputising for Calvin Bassey, also at the AFCON.

Perhaps Nikola Milenkovic was trying to jolt his team into life and rattle the centre halves when he squared up to Cuenca late on. It didn’t work.