Fulham striker Ademola Lookman has apologised for the penalty he missed in stoppage time of Saturday’s Premier League game which West Ham United won 1-0.
It was an action-packed ending to the match as Tomas Soucek fired the Hammers ahead in the 91st minute, after he was assisted by Algeria’s Said Benrahma, but Fulham could have avoided defeat at the London Stadium.
A few minutes after Soucek’s opener, VAR spotted a foul on Tom Cairney at the death of the game which resulted in a penalty.
Lookman stepped forward to take the spot-kick but his 'Panenka' style kick was easily saved by goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski.
The Anglo-Nigerian promised to convert the next penalty opportunity he gets after taking the responsibility for the miss.
“After yesterday’s mistake, I take full responsibility and onus for it. To my teammates, manager and the supporters, I vow to put the next one in. I will not let one failure hold me back,” Lookman tweeted.
Saturday’s result was Fulham's sixth defeat in the Premier League which left them 17th in the league with four points after eight games.
After expressing disappointment with the missed effort, manager Scott Parker backed Lookman, who has scored just one league goal this season, to get better.
“The character in him will need to dust himself down and learn from tonight and not hide,” Parker told the club website.
“Ade’s made a mistake tonight: not because he’s missed the penalty but when you take a penalty like that in that moment of the game you put yourself on show.
“He’ll bounce back well; I know he will. He’s an unbelievable character. A great pro who wants to learn. The team will get around him, we move on. It’s a young team with young players who are learning. We need to learn fast and keep improving.”
Lookman’s former teammates at Everton, Yannick Bolasie and Oumar Niasse, have also shown support for the 23-year-old and backed him to learn from the lesson.
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