Sean Dyche admitted Nottingham Forest were not quite at the races after they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Fulham.
A first-half Raul Jimenez penalty condemned Forest to Christmas in the relegation mix.
They had travelled to west London on the back of last weekend’s 3-0 win over Tottenham and knowing another victory would have lifted them above Fulham into the relatively calm waters of 15th place.
But after a fourth defeat from four Premier League trips to Craven Cottage, the Reds remain just one place above the drop zone, albeit with a healthy five-point cushion between them and West Ham.
The game was lost in first-half stoppage time when the grounded Douglas Luiz attempted to hook the ball away from Kevin, only to catch the winger on the heel.
The incident looked similar to one at Everton on Saturday, when Arsenal defender William Saliba caught Thierno Barry but no penalty was given.
However, “the contact was sufficient for a foul” was the VAR’s verdict this time and Mexican frontman Jimenez duly stepped up and then stuttered before sending Forest goalkeeper John Victor the wrong way.
“It was a tough call, but nowadays when you get a touch in the box they go down and that’s the way it goes,” said Dyche.
“It was a low-level game, quality wise, a lot of huff and puff from both sides. In the second half we didn’t ask a lot of questions. We were not a million miles away, but not the same edge tonight. You can’t be good all the time.
“When you’ve got possession you’ve got to do something with it. It was all a bit wishy-washy I thought.”
It was Jimenez’s fourth goal of the season and his 11th successful Premier League penalty from 11 attempts.
“He’s a great penalty taker,” said Fulham boss Marco Silva. “The calmness, the quality, the braveness to wait until the last moment for the goalkeeper to move.”
Back-to-back victories have lifted Fulham above Bournemouth and Spurs into 13th spot.
Silva added: “The result, 100 per cent, is a massive three points and a massive win.
“We spoke about the importance of the game and getting back to winning ways at home after the Manchester City and Crystal Palace games.
“It wasn’t our best performance, but I don’t remember one chance for Forest all game.
“They had the possession but didn’t create and we managed the game well. A professional performance from the team.”
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