FULHAM CHED UP
Anger over Evans equaliser
PRESTON: Iversen 6; Van den Berg 7, Lindsay 7, Hughes 7 (Cunningham 90); Barkhuizen 6 (Storey 61, 6), McCann 6, Whiteman 7, Earl 6; Browne 7; Maguire 6 (Evans 61, 7), Riis 8. Subs not used: Hudson, Johnson, Ledson, Sinclair.
FULHAM: Rodak 6; Odoi 6, Adarabioyo 6, Ream 7, Robinson 6; Seri 6 (Onomah 68, 6), Reed 7; Wilson 6, Carvalho 6 (Knockaert 82), Kebano 6 (Decordova-Reid 68, 6); Mitrovic 5. Subs not
Gazzania, Tete, Hector.
CHED EVANS celebrated Lancashire Day with a controversial goal to place another spoke into the Fulham promotion bandwagon.
Once Fulham’s storming start had blown itself out, Preston – in the knowledge that they already inflicted a first defeat of the season on the Championship’s other pacesetters, Bournemouth – came to the party.
In the end, Marco Silva’s side, whose seven-game winning run came to a halt against basement side Derby in midweek, were left hanging on.
The boss admitted: “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 is what it is, it’s the schedule.
“I changed three players but probably should have changed more to be fresher. Our reaction in the second half wasn’t the best.”
Trailing to a 15th-minute header from Cottagers skipper Tim Ream, Preston hit back with 18 minutes remaining.
Growing in confidence, especially with Emil Riis frightening the life out of the Fulham defenders, Evans was released from the substitutes’ bench.
And from a dangerous Ben Whiteman corner, the Welshman rose to head against what appeared
Riis’s 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 our keeper Marek Rodak and then it’s handball.”
From Fulham’s bright start a brilliantly-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.
It was a nasty late lunge, which could easily have brought a red card, but 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.”