Fulham vs Norwich

Norwich, in their fourth week of pre-season, looked sharper from the outset. Slimane fired into the side-netting inside five minutes after a swift break involving Oscar Schwartau and Mathias Kvistgaarden.

The breakthrough came on 19 minutes. Kvistgaarden pressed high and won possession deep in Fulham territory, squaring for Slimane to convert from six yards — his first goal since returning from World Cup duty with Tunisia.

Matěj Jurásek almost doubled the lead before half-time, played through by Slimane, but saw his dinked effort saved by veteran goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Fulham made 11 substitutions at the interval — their first friendly of the summer under Arbeloa, who replaced Marco Silva — but Norwich continued to look the more threatening side. Kvistgaarden forced Benjamin Lecomte into a low save early in the second half.

Vladan Kovačević had a quiet afternoon until the hour mark, when he pushed Ryan Sessegnon's deflected shot past the post.

Norwich wrapped up the win from a well-worked corner. Jacob Wright's delivery found the back post, where substitute Dylan Jones headed back across goal, leaving Darling with a simple header into an empty net.

Kvistgaarden's high press in the 19th minute set the tone. The Dane won the ball in a dangerous area and teed up Slimane for the opener, forcing Fulham to chase the game in their first outing under Arbeloa. Norwich never looked back.

• Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich) — Player of the Match: Scored the opening goal, created a clear chance for Jurásek, and showed sharpness on his first pre-season appearance after World Cup duty.
• Mathias Kvistgaarden (Norwich): His pressing directly led to the opener and he forced a second-half save from Lecomte. A constant threat down the right.
• Vladan Kovačević (Norwich): Barely tested but made a crucial near-post save from Sessegnon's deflected shot at 1-0, keeping the clean sheet intact.
• Josh King (Fulham): One of the brighter performers for Fulham in the first half, seeing a shot cleared off the line, after returning from England's pre-World Cup camp.

Norwich's second consecutive clean sheet of pre-season (after 0-0 vs AFC Wimbledon) reflects Clement's emphasis on defensive structure. Fulham, fielding a completely different XI in each half, understandably lacked cohesion — their best chance came from a set-piece (Cairney free-kick) rather than open play. The scoreline undersells Norwich's dominance: they created the clearer chances throughout.

For Fulham, this was Arbeloa's first match since replacing Marco Silva. The Spaniard used 22 players across two halves, with 18-year-old striker Jonah Kusi-Asare (permanent signing from Bayern Munich) and academy product Macaulay Zepa among those given minutes. Fulham next face Al Ahli in Portugal before hosting VfB Stuttgart at Craven Cottage.

Norwich extended their unbeaten pre-season run. Clement's side have not conceded a goal in friendlies this summer. The Canaries' Championship campaign is approaching, with their penultimate friendly against La Liga's CA Osasuna at Carrow Road next Saturday, followed by Cambridge United and a Carabao Cup opener against MK Dons.

A routine pre-season win for Norwich, whose superior sharpness — four weeks of training versus Fulham's one — told the story. Arbeloa will take the minutes across his squad as more important than the result, but the defensive organisation Clement has instilled at Norwich is already evident.