Kebano fires Fulham into west London promotion showdown

ON A baking night beside the Thames, Fulham were made to sweat and squirm before they squeezed past Cardiff to stay on course for Wembley and the Promised Land.

Scott Parker’s side are looking to defy recent tradition and return to the top flight at the first time of asking. Here, though they came agonisingly close to making history of the wrong kind.

No Championship side has ever thrown away a two-goal first-leg lead in play-off history but after Lee Tomlin put Cardiff 2-1 up, those scars of last season, that Parker has spent so long trying to heal, threatened to rip open.

To their credit, though, Fulham held on. They lost on the night — Tomlin’s goal coming after Neeskens Kebano cancelled out Curtis Nelson’s opener — but they won’t care. Now they face a trip to Wembley and a clash with their nearest rivals. Less than five miles separate Brentford and Fulham, only goal difference divided them over 46 matches. Now, one final shootout for supremacy.

Cardiff found an early breakthrough through Nelson’s header from a corner.

Suddenly the visitors had hope of an unlikely turnaround and Fulham faced 82 nervous minutes. But just 24 seconds after the restart, Bobby Decordova-Reid’s cross from the right was turned home by Kebano. It could have been worse for Cardiff had Sean Morrison not denied Reid with a perfect sliding challenge, or had Alex Smithies not tipped Anthony Knockaert’s effort past the post.

And Fulham would rue those near-misses when Tomlin — one of two half-time changes — netted a second. From a long throw, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing saw a header saved by Marek Rodak. But Michael Hector’s fluffed clearance fell to Tomlin, who volleyed home. Soon, Cardiff should have levelled the tie but Josh Murphy tamely headed straight at Rodak. When Leandro Bacuna’s low cross just evaded the stretching Danny Ward, Fulham seemed ready to crumble. To their credit, though, Fulham rallied again.

They could have pulled clear but Aboubakar Kamara’s fierce shot hit the post before, at the other, Rodak made a stunning fingertip save to deny Will Vaulks’ effort. That’s how close this tie came to turning once more.