Ben Fisher was at Cardiff City Stadium. Here’s his report. Enjoy that one ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!
Neil Harris is not happy. “Up to the drinks break, we were miles the better team. Two great chances but the ball wouldn’t go in the net for some reason. Fulham grew into the game, and in the second half ... it’s a great goal, but we’ve got to defend better, so it’s frustrating. We huffed and puffed. The next goal was going to be vital. In the first 20 minutes, Tomlin goes across Hector, who steps across him and wipes him out. No foul. That one knocks past Morrison, who has nowhere to go. I said to the ref, what are you doing? He said: two wrongs don’t make a right. What does that mean? There’s no consistency. But it’s a great free kick. We go to Craven Cottage and have to be positive; the first goal will be key.”
Scott Parker’s verdict. “We’re very pleased with the result. We need to stay level, there’s still a lot of football to be played, although we’re in a fantastic position. We had to fix things a little bit in the second half, and we were outstanding. We had a real control and caused them a lot of problems. We were solid and I’m really happy. We tried to get players between the lines and it worked.”
A word with man-of-the-match Josh Onomah. “We started quite slowly, but second half we came out sharp. We were determined to score, and after the first few minutes we knew we were going to score. Thankfully I got that goal! I’ve been working on scoring, and tried to keep my composure. I rolled a couple of people and passed it in. Once I scored it lifted our spirits and we controlled the game from there. I’m looking forward to the next game, and hopefully a game after that. Morale is high.”
Scott Parker tries hard, really hard, to stop a huge smile playing across his face. But the Fulham manager can’t stop himself. He’s full of the joys of mid-summer as he embraces Josh Onomah, who scored one of the goals of the season tonight. Parker’s opposite number Neil Harris trudges off with a cloud hovering over his head. His team gave as good as they got in the first half, but were totally outclassed after the break. Unless they pull something outrageous out of the bag at Craven Cottage on Thursday, they’ll be playing Championship football again next season.
FULL TIME: Cardiff City 0-2 Fulham
It’s a deserved victory for Fulham, who were by far the better side, scoring two quite magnificent goals. Mind you, the story could have been so different had Hector not sensationally denied Glatzel early on. The fine margins, huh. Fulham are hot favourites to make it to Wembley now.
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90 min +3: Odoi replaces Fulham’s free-kick hero Kebano.
GOAL! Cardiff City 0-2 Fulham (Kebano 90+1)
It’s a huge moment all right! Kebano shapes to send the free kick towards the top left, but adjusts his body position at the last and curls one over the wall and into the top right instead. A wonderful free kick! What a pair of goals Fulham have scored tonight.
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90 min: Cairney turns on the jets and drives down the inside-right channel. He one-twos with Decordova-Reid but slams straight into Morrison. A free kick, just to the right of the D. Huge moment coming up.
88 min: Vaulks launches yet another long throw. Hector clears. Bacuna delivers from the right. The ball drops to Morrison, six yards out, but he can’t connect and it flies straight through to Rodak. That was a superb chance, carved out of next to nothing, but it fell to the wrong man.
86 min: More of the Fulham passing, and the relentless march of time.
84 min: Fulham stroke it around the middle of the park as the clock ticks on.
82 min: Cairney slides in on a dozing Pack, a fine tackle that sets Kamara off down the left. Kamara returns the ball to Cairney, who hesitates fatally. A real chance to secure the first-leg win is spurned.
81 min: Knockaert is replaced by Kamara as Fulham make their first change of the evening.
80 min: Vaulks launches another throw into the box from the left. A half-cleared ball falls to Bacuna, who tries the spectacular from 25 yards. Nope.
78 min: Kebano sashays past Bacuna down the left and is hauled back. Yellow card, and a free kick just to the side of the Cardiff box. Reed hoicks a hopeless shot-cum-cross high over the crowded box and out for a goal kick. What a waste.
76 min: Bennett, clearly still a bit animated, bowls Decordova-Reid over in short order. Knockaert swings the resulting free kick straight down Smithies’ throat.
75 min: Onomah and Bennett tangle down the Fulham right. It briefly threatens to boil over, though Bennett’s the only one who looks a little bit intense when the referee gets involved. Almost total indifference from Onomah.
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73 min: Vaulks sends a quick throw-in into the mixer from the left. Tomlin swivels and shoots from a tight angle. Rodak and Hector combine to block and hook clear. Better already from Cardiff.
72 min: Fulham won’t be taking that tactical switcheroo lightly. No team’s substitutes have scored more goals than Cardiff’s this season. Their collective tally is 19; West Brom and Millwall are next on the list with a mere 14.
70 min: The game restarts, Cardiff having made a triple substitution that refreshes their entire front line. Mendez-Laing, Hoilett and Glatzel are replaced by Murphy, Vaulks and Ward.
68 min: Kebano whips one towards the top left, but it’s always sailing wide and was covered by Smithies anyway. And that’s time for isotonic beverages.
67 min: Morrison’s loose pass from the back is jumped on by Decordova-Reid, who is unceremoniously barged to the floor by Ralls. A free kick 25 yards out, just to the left of centre.
66 min: Morrison clanks a header clear. But Fulham took their sweet time over those two corners, and the clock is their friend right now.
65 min: Fulham hit it long and win another corner, this time out on the right. And from this one ...
64 min: Fulham triangulate in a very pretty style down the inside-left channel, Reed, Cairney and Decordova-Reid all involved. They force a corner, from which ...
62 min: It’d also have beaten Cardiff at their game, unafraid as they are of sending it long when required. They haven’t got that side of things together at all this evening.
60 min: A long Ream pass down the middle. Onomah rises highest to cushion the ball down for Decordova-Reid, who from 25 yards sends a first-time screamer inches over the crossbar. That was caught so sweetly, and had it been a couple of inches lower, it’d have nestled into the top right, Smithies beaten all ends up. That would have been a picture-book goal.
58 min: Fulham are in complete control at the minute, looking very comfortable and assured. Cardiff may need to shake things up a wee bit, or this tie could soon run away from them.
56 min: Knockaert tries to score one of those long-range dippers Matthew Le Tissier used to specialise in during the mid-90s. He tries to send the ball arcing over Smithies from 30 yards, but it’s not close enough to the top-right corner and easy pickings for Smithies.
55 min: Fulham have only lost six points from winning positions all season. It’s a record that has only been equalled by the champions Leeds. Cardiff are in a little bother here.
54 min: The ref’s not really interested in this, either: Bacuna goes sliding in, studs up, on Bryan. There didn’t seem much need for it, and Bryan’s taken a sore one, but it’s just a free kick. Bacuna is fortunate to escape a booking there.
53 min: Knockaert gives Bennett a slap on the Adam’s apple as the pair tussle down the Fulham right. Bennett goes down in pain but neither ref nor linesman are interested.
51 min: Fulham have won five and drawn one of their previous six games without Mitrovic this season. Onomah’s genius will make it six from seven as things stand. Serious problems for Cardiff now, given Fulham’s fine home record.
GOAL! Cardiff City 0-1 Fulham (Onomah 49)
This is sensational! Kebano dribbles down the left and crosses. It’s headed clear. Reed intercepts and lays off to Onomah, his back to goal, to the left of the D. Onomah spins Pack with ease, then slaloms, Maradona-style, between Morrison and Nelson and sidefoots into the bottom left having given Smithies the eyes! What an outrageously good goal.
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48 min: Mendez-Laing backs himself in a footrace with Bryan down the right ... and loses it. He’s not been able to get into the game this evening at all.
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46 min: Fulham start the half by quickly re-establishing their dominance of possession.
It’s the second half! Cardiff get the ball rolling again. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. Simon Burnton bravely rakes over the ashes of Watford’s relegation to the Championship. This one’s hot off the press; we’re so good to you.
HALF TIME: Cardiff City 0-0 Fulham
Nothing comes of the resulting free kick. Fulham come again, and Cairney sends a curler towards the top left. It’s beaten Smithies but shaves the outside of the post. And that’s the end of the first quarter of this semi-final tie. It’s not been a bad match - it’s been reasonably open and both teams have gone close - but it’s not quite taken off yet. Still, that’s no reason to give up on us. No flipping!
45 min: And here comes the first yellow card of the evening, awarded when Hoilett slides across Christie and nicks him to the ground. It’s a foul for sure, but there was no aggression in the challenge and he was hardly out of control. But here we are.
44 min: Glatzel brings a long pass down near the Fulham box, but is penalised for sticking an arm across Ream. Now it’s Fulham’s turn to get a decision from an overly fussy ref.
42 min: Knockaert and Christie combine well down the right. A diagonal ball is scooped into the box for Knockaert to chase. He brings it down with his chest, but there’s a bit of shoulder in there too, and the referee decides it’s enough to award a free kick for handball. A bit generous to Cardiff, who were nearly prised open there.
41 min: ... as are the following two minutes.
39 min: The resulting corner is a non-event.
38 min: More space for Kenabo out on the left. Kebano swings it deep. Onomah, racing in at great speed and with great purpose from the right, connects with the dropping ball. But his volley is bravely blocked and turned round the post by Smithies.
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36 min: Onomah romps down the middle of the park with options either side. He slips Kebano free down the left, but the resulting cross is aimless and easily cleared by Nelson. Fulham had Cardiff backpedalling in a panic there, and should have done much better, working Smithies at the very least.
35 min: Now it’s Cardiff’s turn for a period of sterile possession.
33 min: Tomlin faffs about near the centre circle and allows Kebano to tear off with the ball. The Fulham winger makes it to the edge of the box, a fine run that doesn’t end with a shot to match.
31 min: Hoilett nips in from the left, cleverly slipping between a couple of Fulham players, and feeds Tomlin, who plays a long pass first time down the same wing for Glatzel. The striker drops a shoulder to come infield and sends a tame effort into the arms of Rodak. That was a lovely move, though, and a textbook example of how dangerous Cardiff can be on the counter.
29 min: Fulham continue to stroke it around, but it’s all harmless stuff inside their own half.
27 min: Fulham have enjoyed 64 percent of possession during the last ten minutes. They haven’t really done a great deal with it, mind you.
26 min: The game restarts, and a refreshed Glatzel tries to spring Hoilett clear down the middle. Rodak is out to claim, and the flag goes up for offside anyway.
24 min: That, ladies and gentlemen, is drinks.
23 min: Bryan also looks fit to continue. We go again.
22 min: More injury worry for Fulham, as Bryan falls awkwardly on his right knee and looks in some distress. The physio puts in another shift.
20 min: Bacuna and Onomah battle hard for a loose ball down the Fulham left. A hard but fair tussle threatens momentarily to escalate into an earnest shoving match, but the temperature drops fairly quickly, neither player in the mood to do anything so stupid as getting themselves sent off. After the referee tells them what’s what, we play on.
18 min: Christie combines well with Decordova-Reid and curls in from the right. Nelson does extremely well to clear from a busy box.
16 min: And they nearly open Fulham up again, Tomlin making some space on the right with a cute backheel and spin - it’s not quite a Cruyff Turn - and dinking inside for Hoilett, who cushions a header down for Glatzel. The resulting whack goalwards is parried by Rodak. Cardiff are asking Fulham some serious questions here.
15 min: It’s been a confident start by Cardiff, who are rank bottom of all the fancy passing and possession stats this season, while Fulham are right up at the top. But they’re knocking it around in a very aesthetically pleasing style right now.
13 min: Suddenly the hosts pour forward. Bacuna sends a long-distance swerver towards the bottom right. Rodak stops, but the ball squirts to his right. It looks a nailed-on tap-in for Glatzel, rushing in to bundle home, but Hector somehow extends a telescopic leg to block on the line and then hook clear. That’s an outrageous last-ditch stop! How on earth was Glatzel denied there?
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12 min: Cardiff string a few more passes around, this time in their own half. Fulham seem happy enough to let them do it.
10 min: Reed, moving much more naturally now, takes the corner from the left. It’s worked out to Bryan, who takes a dig from 25 yards. It’s going wide, but nearly finds the head of Decordova-Reid amid a melee. The flag goes up for penalty-box nonsense, and Cardiff are able to clear their lines.
9 min: But Fulham are beginning to find their range. Decordova-Reid whips into the box from the right. Bacuna is forced to slash wildly over his own bar under pressure from the lurking Kebano. Here comes the first corner of the tie.
8 min: Reed comes back on, sprinting ostentatiously. Fulham launch their first attack, Decordova-Reid taking a shot from a tight position to the left of the Cardiff box. It’s blocked. No real rhythm to this match yet.
6 min: Reed’s up and about again, though he’s testing the sore leg out with a few shuttle runs by the dugout.
5 min: This could be a big early blow for Fulham. The busy midfielder Reed is down holding his knee. A wee shake of the head as the physio comes on to take a look.
4 min: Cardiff continue to dominate the early stages. Fulham, who usually take the lion’s share of possession, are getting a small taste of their own medicine.
2 min: It’s been a busy start for Hector, who heads the set piece clear. Hoilett returns the ball with feeling, but his shot is blocked. He’s after a penalty for handball, but the referee shows no interest whatsoever.
1 min: A quick start by Cardiff, as Hector is hassled off the ball by Pack and Ralls. The hosts attack, Tomlin working hard out on the left. He’s bundled over by Hector, and it’s a chance for Cardiff to load the box at a free kick.
Here we go, then. Fulham get the first half of the first leg of the second Championship play-off semi-final underway. But not before the players take a knee of solidarity. Black lives matter.
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No word from Neil Harris, happy to let his team do the talking. They take to the field in their famous blue shirts, while Fulham sport their equally classic white. A rousing version of Cwm Rhondda pours from the PA speakers. We’ll be off in a little while!
Scott Parker explains the absence of 26-goal Mitrovic ... sort of. “He has been a large part of what we have done this year, so it’s a big blow for us. He’s got a slight problem he’s picked up, and this is over two legs, it’s not going to be decided tonight, so we’ve had to make a calculated decision on getting him right and ready for Thursday. It’s too big a risk tonight for what he’s got. We adapted well [when he was recently suspended for three matches] and people stepped up. That’s going to be needed tonight. We’ve gone three games without him straight after lockdown, so hopefully we can do that again. We’ve come here to try to win.”
Cardiff boss Neil Harris is very much a disciple of the If It Ain’t Broke philosophy. The Bluebirds are three wins on the bounce right now, so he names the same XI that started the 3-0 win over Hull City.
Fulham make three changes to the team named for the 1-1 draw at in-form yet doomed Wigan Athletic. Cyrus Christie, Harrison Reed and Bobby De Cordova-Reid replace Denis Odoi, Harry Arter and Championship top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has picked up a knock and been given the night off as a precautionary measure. Ivan Cavaleiro remains hamstrung.
The teams
Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Pack, Ralls, Tomlin, Mendez-Laing, Hoilett, Glatzel.
Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Vaulks, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.
Fulham: Rodak, Hector, Kebano, Cairney, Ream, Cordova-Reid, Reed, Christie, Bryan, Knockaert, Onomah.
Subs: Bettinelli, Mawson, Sessegnon, Odoi, Le Marchand, McDonald, Johansen, Kamara, Jasper.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).
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Preamble
The Championship play-offs have a distinctly Cymraeg flavour this season. Swansea are already halfway to the final, having beaten Brentford 1-0 in the first leg of their semi last night. Now it’s their old pals Cardiff’s turn, as the Bluebirds attempt to get a result against Fulham that makes the prospect of an historic South Walian stramash at Wembley that little more likely.
The only problem for Cardiff is that Fulham are one of the form sides in the country right now. Scott Parker’s team have won five and drawn two of their last seven games. The Cottagers ended the season in fourth, one win shy of automatic promotion - and that end-of-season streak included a 2-0 victory over the Bluebirds. They also earned a draw at the Cardiff City Stadium back in August when down to ten men.
Cardiff can, however, point to some very decent form themselves. They won the last three games of the regular season, the strongest finish at the extreme business end of all teams in the division bar champions Leeds United. That run allowed them to tear past a rapidly splintering Nottingham Forest and take the prize of a place in these play-offs. They’ll be full of confidence as well.
So Fulham go into this two-legged affair as favourites ... but nothing’s ever certain in the play-offs. It could be cagey. It could be crazy. Mae ymlaen!
Kick off: 7.45pm BST.
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