Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 17.
Player analysis: Harry Wilson (Fulham)
It is no exaggeration to suggest Wilson is on fire as we head into the busy festive period, with Nottingham Forest at home next up for Fulham.
The Fulham midfielder has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last eight appearances for club and country.
This red-hot run of form includes four goals and three assists across Fulham’s last seven Premier League fixtures.
During this spell, the 28-year-old’s strikes against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley also turned out to be winners.
In fact, going into the weekend, since the start of November, only three in-form top-flight stars, Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, had been involved in more goals than Wilson.
Most goal involvements 1 Nov-19 Dec
| Player | Goals | Assists | Total |
| Bruno Fernandes (MUN) | 3 | 6 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland (MCI) | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Phil Foden (MCI) | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Harry Wilson (FUL) | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Rayan Cherki (MCI) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Watch: Every Wilson goal and assist this season
Head coach Marco Silva is certainly delighted with Wilson.
“In my opinion he’s in the best moment of his career and this season is going to be his best in terms of numbers," Silva said after Fulham's win at Turf Moor.
The Portuguese is correct in his assessment of his wingers’ output. As it stands, Wilson is delivering more goals and assists (GA) than in any of his previous top-flight campaigns.
Wilson's last five seasons compared
| Season | Club | GA per 90 |
| 2025/26 | Fulham | 0.67 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Fulham | 0.54 |
| 2023/24 | Fulham | 0.56 |
| 2022/23 | Fulham | 0.41 |
| 2019/20 | Bournemouth | 0.38 |
Thriving on loan
Wilson was a Liverpool player between the ages of eight to 25 but made just two first-team appearances for the club, both in cup competitions.
The left-footer was always a wanted man in the loan market though.
After an early spell at Crewe Alexandra as a teenager in 2015, Wilson caught the eye greatly during successful Championship loans with Hull City and Derby County, scoring 25 goals in 63 combined appearances for those two clubs.
Wilson scored on his Premier League debut for AFC Bournemouth, the first of seven in the 2019/20 campaign, including this very special free-kick against Manchester City.
WATCH: Wilson's free-kick v Man City
Another move to Cardiff City in the second tier followed, before Fulham recruited him on loan for their title-winning 2021/22 season under Silva in the Championship.
Starting 40 league matches, Wilson scored 10 times and provided an incredible 19 assists before sealing a permanent transfer for a reported fee of £12million.
Wilson's mins played last four seasons
| Season | Starts | Sub apps | Mins |
| 2025/26 | 13 | 2 | 1,077 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 12 | 13 | 1,159 |
| 2023/24 | 16 | 19 | 1616 |
| 2022/23 | 13 | 16 | 1099 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Across each of the past three seasons prior to this one, Wilson made more appearances as a Fulham substitute than he did as a starter.
Moving up a level it took a while for him to earn the trust of his manager in 2022/23, spending most of the season on the bench before a run of nine successive starts at the end of the season.
In the following two seasons, the Wales international's form was a little inconsistent.
Viewed by some as a ‘moments’ player, and perhaps not a winger who contributes greatly when Fulham are out of possession, a starting role was never locked in.
Last season, Wilson also earned himself the tag of "Fulham’s super sub" by scoring five Premier League goals after coming off the bench in 2024/25. He netted one other time last season as a starting player.
WATCH: Wilson's heroics v Brentford
As he has proved this season, Wilson is good enough to contribute consistently as a starter, but Silva cannot be blamed for using him off the bench so much.
Producing a direct goal involvement every 96 minutes (see below), he is clearly an individual who can hit the ground running late on in matches.
Wilson's starts and sub appearances compared at Fulham
| Stats | Starts | Sub apps |
| Appearances | 54 | 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 4,080 | 864 |
| Goals | 11 | 6 |
| Assists | 10 | 3 |
| Goal involvements | 21 | 9 |
| Minute per involvement | 194 | 96 |
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What’s changed?
Wilson's crossing has never been more effective than it is at the moment, and that is bound to have been recognised by his manager.
The Fulham No 8 is producing a greater number of successful crosses in open play and creating more chances from set-piece deliveries.
Crucially, his shot conversion rate of 17.24 per cent will also be a record high for him in Premier League football, if it can be maintained until the end of 2025/26.
Wilson's creative stats compared in the last five seasons
| Season (Club) | GA | Chances created | Chances created (set-pieces) | Open-play crosses | Conversion rate |
| 25/26 (FUL) | 0.67 | 1.26 | 0.50 | 0.33 | 17.24% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 (FUL) | 0.54 | 1.56 | 0.39 | 0.16 | 13.95% |
| 23/24 (FUL) | 0.56 | 1.23 | 0.11 | 0.50 | 10.00% |
| 22/23 (FUL) | 0.41 | 0.98 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 11.11% |
| 19/20 (BOU) | 0.38 | 0.76 | 0.05 | 0.11 | 12.50% |
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When you look at how accurate and efficient he has been over the past six or seven weeks inside the final third, it is easy to see why Silva’s belief in his end product has grown.
Wilson's left foot has always been a weapon in Fulham’s armoury, but right now it is also extremely reliable.
Wilson’s role has not changed this season, other than that he makes more starts.
Despite playing in different positions for Wales, often as a central midfielder, No 10 or "false nine" striker, he has almost always been used on the right wing for Fulham.
Wilson mins per position: 2025/26 | Fulham overall
How can Wilson step up as team-mates go to AFCON?
Over the next few weeks, Fulham must make do without their three Nigerian internationals, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze, who are playing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The absence of Chukwueze and Iwobi’s creativity places an even greater emphasis on Wilson to continue his hot streak, starting with an influential display against Forest.
Opponents know that Wilson’s left foot has potential to hurt them, but when he cuts inside, he is not always easy to stop.
Remarkably, he has never scored a right-footed Premier League goal. All but three of his 24 top-flight strikes have come via his trusted left, with the remaining three goals (all last season) coming from headers.
There is also a pattern to where Wilson tends to place his shots, with all but three of his Premier League goals for Fulham aimed into the same corner! Curlers into that side of the goal have long been his trademark.
Where Wilson scores his goals for Fulham
Currently, John Victor has been in goal for Forest in place of the injured Matz Sels, however, no matter who starts on Monday, that goalkeeper will need to be wary of Wilson’s tendency to strike from distance.
Sels in particular will have to be alert having conceded seven times from shots outside the box this season – the joint most alongside Spurs' Guglielmo Vicario.
And those fierce hits from long range have been Wilson’s forte ever since he broke into senior football.
Of all the players across the EFL and Premier League to have scored a minimum of 40 goals since Wilson’s first goal in February 2018, his percentage of goals from outside the penalty area is incredibly high.
Highest share of goals scored from outside the box (since Feb 2018)
| Player* | Goals | Goals outside box | % of goals outside box |
| Lewis Wing | 56 | 37 | 66.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Twine | 57 | 29 | 50.9 |
| Jonny Smith | 41 | 17 | 41.5 |
| James Ward-Prowse | 51 | 21 | 41.2 |
| Cameron Brannagan | 61 | 24 | 39.3 |
| Harry Wilson | 69 | 27 | 39.1 |
| Luke Molyneux | 47 | 18 | 38.3 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 74 | 27 | 36.5 |
*Players across the Premier League and EFL with 40+ goals. Scroll horizontally to see full table on mobile.
Wilson's next goal from distance would take him past Man City legend Kevin De Bruyne, on to 28.
Such is his form, do not count against Wilson doing exactly that.