Evans sent
By John Richardson
CHED EVANS celebrated Lancashire Day with a controversial goal to throw another spanner in the works for Fulham.
Once the promotion hopefuls’ storming start had blown itself out, Preston – who had already inflicted a first defeat of the season on the Championship’s other pacesetters, Bournemouth – came to the party.
And in the end it was Marco Silva’s side, whose seven-game winning run came to a halt against basement side Derby County in midweek, who were left hanging on.
He said: “It’s been a tough week and unfortunately we haven’t played the last two games the way we would have liked. Our start was at the level that we normally play and we controlled the game.
“The second half was different and we have to analyse why. We started to lose some energy as well. We finished the Derby game on Wednesday at 10pm and started here at 12.30pm but that’s what it is, it’s the schedule.
“I changed three players but probably I should have changed more to be fresher.
“Our reaction in the second half wasn’t the best.”
Trailing to a 15th-minute header from Tim
Ream (right)
Preston hit back with 18 minutes left. Growing in confidence, and with Emil Riis frightening the life out of the visiting defenders, Wales international Evans was released from the substitutes bench to aid the Riis cause.
And from a dangerous Ben Whiteman corner he rose to head against what appeared to be Riis’ hand and then forced the ball over the line.
Silva added: “Their goal was a big mistake from the referee and linesman. It was a clear foul on Marek Rodak and then it’s handball.
“It’s difficult to accept something like that. In the end we had a bad performance – and the referee had a bad one as well.” From Fulham’s bright start, a well-executed Jean Michael Seri free-kick found Ream to poke home from close range. Preston’s players swarmed around referee Chris Kavanagh just after the break when Antonee Robinson took out Tom Barkhuizen with a nasty looking late lunge which could easily have produced a red card.
A relieved Robinson was shown a yellow.
Preston boss Frankie McAvoy said: “I thought at first it was a yellow card but having seen it played back it could have been a red card. It was a bad challenge.
“I thought we could have had three points. That was probably their strongest team.
“Everyone has played in the Premier League so we knew it would be a tough ask.”