Last gasp Mitrovic goal ends Fulham’s winless run

Fulham 1 : 0 Swansea

Aleksandr Mitrovic missed a penalty and then scored a vital winner inside five hectic minutes at the end of this midweek tie in South West London.

The goal earned Fulham a barely deserved three points on a night where they huffed and puffed but were well contained by a solid though unambitious Swansea side. It ends a run of three league games without a win.

Fulham still trail Leeds by five after their win in the Yorkshire derby at Middlesbrough. Tuesday’s night’s spate of losses by other playoff hunting sides limits the damage this loss does to Swansea’s hopes.

Fulham started the brighter but the game settled down. The home crowd were in louder than usual voice on an excellent night for football.

Swansea dealt competently with a series of corners on the quarter hour, the last of which was abysmally overhit by Ivan Cavaleiro. He then blasted a deflected shot over Freddie Woodman’s bar on 25 but the corner again came to naught. Mitrovic skimmed the bar a minute later and Fulham were drawing closer.

The Serb fired a belter just wide after the half hour. Arguably however Swansea had the best chance of the first half.

Jake Bidwell headed a Swansea corner wide when it looked easier to score nine minutes before half time. Tom Cairney fired over again but all it did was take the home side’s first half shot tally into double figures.

Fulham piled up more corners in the first 15 minutes of the second half, sadly none of them very good.

Impressive Swansea defender Joe Rodon produced a superb tackle to deny a likely goal as Fulham continued to press. He also put enough pressure on Mitrovic to deny him a cleaner header than the off target effort that resulted.

At the other end, Rhian Brewster flashed a drive wide in a rare Swansea foray forward. Andre Ayew then produced Marek Rodak’s first save having beaten Michael Hector too easily. Joe Bryan fired another effort wide for the Cottagers.

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Ayew thought he had a claim for a Swansea penalty but it was team mate Conor Gallagher who brought him down.

Then came the game’s big controversy.

Substitute Connor Roberts was adjudged to have fouled Neeskens Kebano in the 89th minute but some justice was done when Woodman dived to his right to keep Mitrovic’s penalty out.

Mitrovic however was to have the last laugh when he splendidly headed home a deep Aboubakar Kamara cross from the right beyond Woodman.

Fulham: Rodak; Hector, Odoi, Ream, Cairney (c), Decordova-Reid, Arter (McDonald 90′), Cavaleiro (Kebano 78′), Bryan, Knockaert (Kamara 83′), Mitrovic

Swansea: Woodman; Rodon, Fulton. Grimes (c), Kalulu (Garrick 64′), Brewster, Ayew, Bidwell, Naughton (Roberts 82), Gallagher, Cabango