Fulham 2 Blackburn 1
Kit Symons admitted the key decisions went Fulham’s way as they earned a narrow and hard-fought victory against Blackburn Rovers at Craven Cottage.
Strikers Ross McCormack and Moussa Dembele put the Cottagers two goals to the good in the first half, before Jordan Rhodes equalised from the spot after the break.
But in the closing stages of an action-packed game, Grant Hanley’s effort crossed the line before Fulham midfielder Jamie O’Hara cleared it, only for the referee to play on and not give the goal.
“I’m not going to apologise for us having a bit of luck,” said Symons.
“We’ve had a lot of bad luck to deal with. I’ve only seen the still of the ball afterwards and it looks like it’s over the line.
“I’ve always been an advocate of goalline technology but not today!”
The Cottagers played some slick fast flowing football and were physical in their challenges during the opening half, much to the happiness of manager Symons.
“I thought we played really well first half and created a lot of chances,” he said.
“They had a couple as well, don’t get me wrong, and Andy Lonergan made some good saves.
“We played some exceptional stuff but you always want the cushion of that third goal.”
Blackburn upped their tempo after the break and got their penalty following a push by Fulham defender Tony Husband, with Rhodes calmly slotted the ball past Lonergan from the spot.
The final stages saw Blackburn press for the equaliser to no avail, leaving Fulham to celebrate a third consecutive victory in all competitions.
The win also saw the Cottagers move into the top half of the Championship on eight points from their opening six games.
Fulham will travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday looking to continue their recent improvement in form.
“We just need to push on, keep winning games of football and keep improving,” added Symons.
“I think we’ve got a squad with real genuine competition for places. I’ve got unquestionable belief in this group of players.”
Feature image courtesy of Fulham FC, via Youtube, with thanks
