BLUEBIRDS’ PLAY-OFF HOPES TAKE A BLOW
CARDIFF City were dealt their biggest play-off blow yet as they were downed 2-0 at the hands of Fulham at Craven Cottage.
It means that is two defeats in as many games for Neil Harris now and a once-healthy buffer is now left hanging precariously, with Cardiff just one point above south Wales rivals Swansea City, who have a game in hand over the Bluebirds.
The Bluebirds started proceedings well, though, dragging Fulham into a game they didn’t want to play.
They rushed and harried the Cottagers and didn’t afford them any scope to settle into their zippy passing play.
In fact, it resulted in the visitors enjoying the best chances of the early exchanges.
Harry Arter, a Bluebirds loanee last year, hit a dreadful crossfield ball just outside the Fulham box and gifted possession to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who picked it up and ran past Tim Ream before firing a venomous shot at Marek Rodak, who could only parry away.
It was just rewards for Cardiff’s tremendous high press, but the first-half drinks break came at the worst time, allowing Fulham boss Scott Parker to read his players the riot act over their sloppy play.
It certainly lit the fuse and Fulham settled into a seemingly ominous rhythm, dragging Cardiff’s typically-well-organised defence across the pitch and trying to find the dangerous Aleksandar Mitrovic at every opportunity.
And that, in fact, is how the Fulham opener came. A cross towards the back post just after the half-hour mark was en route to Mitrovic’s head before Dion Sanderson hauled the striker down.
Some believed the call to be soft, but there is no doubt that the young right-back gave the referee a decision to make.
Mitrovic coolly stepped up and rifled it into the top corner in emphatic fashion.
Fulham then took control of the game, save a Cardiff setpiece which resulted in Joe Ralls thundering a volley into the crossbar from the edge of the area, and could easily have doubled their lead before the break.
Bobby Decordova-Reid, another man contracted to Cardiff at the start of this season, thought he had doubled the lead when he sent a delicious, bending effort bound for the top corner, only for Alex Smithies to get a fingertip on to it to nudge it on to the bar; a bona fide worldclass save which kept the deficit at one as the players jogged down the tunnel.
The Bluebirds came out fighting in the second half, but, all told, they didn’t really look like troubling the goal, even with Lee Tomlin replacing Sanderson at the break.
Cardiff just couldn’t fashion any clear-cut chances and were blunted at every opportunity, lacking that cutting edge to really penetrate the opposition box.
And Fulham took advantage. A slick move from a throw-in just after the hour saw Josh Onomah played through in the penalty box. He took one touch before pulling the trigger and bang, just like that, he had hammered home the second, drilling it into the bottom corner.
Cardiff huffed and puffed as the game went on, but it never really looked like going in for them.
As the match drew to its conclusion, Cardiff reverted to type and began lumping the ball into the box but it was met by the Fulham wall.
With just three games to go, Cardiff need to rediscover their form – and fast – as a huge sixpointer with Derby County looms next week.
Teams – Fulham XI (4-2-3-1): Rodak, Christie, Hector, Ream, Bryan; Arter (Johansen 60), Reed (Sessegnon 84); Onomah (McDonald 84), Decordova-Reid (Kebano 78), Knockaert (Cavaleiro 78); Mitrovic. Subs: Bettinelli, Mawson, Odoi, Le Marchand.
Cardiff City XI (4-2-31): Smithies; Sanderson (Tomlin 45), Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Bacuna; Mendez-Laing (Murphy 87), Ralls, Hoilett; Paterson (Glatzel 66). Subs: Etheridge, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Pack, Ward.
Referee: Gavin Ward.