On 24 May 2009, Smalling made his Premier League debut for Fulham, replacing Aaron Hughes in the 77th minute in the final match of the 2008–09 season, a 2–0 home loss to Everton. Smalling made his first start for Fulham on 17 September 2009, in an away tie with CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League, with the match ending 1–1. On 28 December 2009, Smalling made his first league start for Fulham, in a 2–1 loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Fulham's final match of 2009 and scored a decisive own goal in the 75th minute of the match. He was not included in the matchday squad for the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final, in which Fulham were beaten 2–1 after extra time by Atlético Madrid at the Volksparkstadion.