WAGHORN RUNS HOME WITH SWAG
Mitrovic floored but takes fury out on Blades
SHEFFIELD UNITED found out to their cost what happens when you anger Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Fulham striker was floored after an early off-theball clash with defender Richard Stearman.
But he picked himself off the canvas to KO the Blades with a quick one-two to take his tally to five in four games and put another dent in their playoff hopes.
Mitrovic, on loan from Newcastle, taunted United with a swaggering, muscle-flexing celebration as he kept Fulham, now 14 games unbeaten, powering on in their automatic promotion bid.
Not so long ago it was the Yorkshiremen dreaming of a top-two finish.
They would have gone top had they won the dramatic thriller between these sides in November which Fulham, inspired by a hat-trick from teen sensation Ryan Sessegnon, edged 5-4.
But their form has dipped since then and boss Chris Wilder already reckons they have no chance of promotion despite being only three points off the top six.
Fulham struck after 31 minutes when they slowed United down with some keep ball before bursting into life when Tom Cairney, Ryan Fredericks and Mitrovic combined in a move that ended with the Serb sliding in from close range off the bar. Mitrovic then showed MARTYN WAGHORN ended his goal drought in style to maintain boss Mick McCarthy’s unbeaten away record at Sheffield Wednesday.
Waghorn (left) had gone 15 games without scoring – but bagged a second-half brace for Ipswich.
The 28-year-old first struck from close range after Callum Connolly’s cross into the box was headed back Clayton Donaldson, who missed a sitter moments earlier, how to finish by brilliantly flicking in his second from Stefan Johansen’s cross.
Crowd favourite Mitrovic was then inches away from completing a first-half hattrick, but Cairney did eventually extend Fulham’s lead when he curled in substitute Lucas Piazon’s pass just after the hour. across goal by Freddie Sears. Wednesday equalised when Portuguese forward Lucas Joao shrugged off two Ipswich defenders and scored with a low shot.
But Waghorn won it in the 83rd minute by curling in a left-foot freekick from out wide on the right.
That ensured McCarthy headed for home without tasting defeat at Hillsborough in nine visits.