Fulham vs Norwich

Norwich struck first inside 20 minutes. Mathias Kvistgaarden pressed high, won the ball deep in Fulham territory, and squared to Ben Slimane, who converted from six yards out for his first goal of pre-season.

The Tunisian international, making his first appearance of the summer after returning from World Cup duty, almost turned provider before half-time. He slid Matěj Jurásek clear, but the Czech winger's dinked effort was repelled by Bernd Leno.

Fulham made 11 changes at the interval — Arbeloa fielded a completely different XI — but Norwich continued to look the more threatening. Kvistgaarden forced a low save from Benjamin Lecomte early in the second period.

The decisive moment arrived from a set piece. Jacob Wright's corner was met at the back post by Dylan Jones, who headed back across goal for an unmarked Harry Darling to nod into an empty net. Darling had been introduced at centre-back at half-time, replacing José Córdoba.

Late on, Jones almost added a third when sent clear by London Agyemang-Maghoma, but his shot curled beyond the far post.

Fulham's 11-man rotation at half-time felt less like a tactical reset and more like a squad split-session. The disjointed second-half display — Lecomte needed to make a smart save from Kvistgaarden within minutes of the restart — suggested Arbeloa's side are still early in their fitness build. Darling's 62nd-minute header, scored against a patched-up defence, effectively ended the contest.

Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich) — Scored the opener, teed up Jurásek for a second chance, and set the tempo in his first pre-season outing since returning from international duty. His pressing triggered the first goal.

Mathias Kvistgaarden (Norwich) — The Danish forward was a persistent nuisance. He won the ball for the opener, forced a second-half save from Lecomte, and his movement stretched Fulham throughout.

Harry Darling (Norwich) — Introduced at half-time, the centre-back scored the second goal and helped Norwich see out the clean sheet with minimal fuss.

Bernd Leno (Fulham) — Kept the scoreline respectable with a sharp save from Jurásek's dinked effort before being replaced at the break.

Player of the match: Anis Ben Slimane

The provider payload records a 0-2 scoreline with Norwich's goals arriving in the 19th and 62nd minutes. The match was played behind closed doors at Fulham's Motspur Park training base — Norwich's own match report describes "a sunny and warm afternoon in south-west London." Fulham made 11 half-time substitutions (their entire outfield and goalkeeper), while Norwich made six changes at the break and five more on the hour mark. Both teams used the fixture primarily for minutes rather than result.

For Fulham, this was Arbeloa's first match as head coach after replacing Marco Silva. The Spaniard — a former Real Madrid and Liverpool defender who previously managed the club's U21s and then Rayo Vallecano — will have drawn limited conclusions from a game where his side played two separate XIs for 45 minutes each. Fulham's next pre-season test comes against Al-Ahli on 28 July 2026.

For Norwich, this was their third pre-season friendly and second clean sheet (after a 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon on 22 July and a 3-0 win over St. Gallen on 17 July). Clement's side return to Carrow Road for their penultimate friendly against CA Osasuna before the Championship season begins. Norwich remain unbeaten in pre-season with two wins and a draw.

A disciplined, professional display from Norwich against a Fulham side still finding its feet under new management. Clement's side pressed intelligently, took their chances, and looked the sharper outfit despite the gulf in league status. Arbeloa will have learned more about his squad's depth than about his starting XI, but the performance underlined the work ahead before the Premier League campaign begins.