Ross McCormack scored his first goal for Fulham to give them a hard-fought victory and take them into the third round of the Capital One Cup. Here’s how we rated the players in the west London derby at Griffin Park.
Brentford
David Button: 7
Produced a couple of good saves and could do little to prevent the goal as McCormack was clean through.
Moses Odubajo: 8
A cracking performance at right-back. Caused problems for Fulham every time he burst forward, not least when almost setting up a goal for Nick Proschwitz, and did his defensive duties very well too.
James Tarkowski: 6
An improvement on a couple of shaky recent displays. Produced some timely interventions, although the movement of Fulham’s strikers caused him problems.
Harlee Dean: 6
Had a steady game at the back in the absence of the suspended Tony Craig.
Jake Bidwell: 6
Competed well but had his work cut out against the excellent Chris David.
Marcos Tebar: 6
Found the going tough at times but did enough good things to suggest he has the potential to be an asset for the Bees this season.
Stuart Dallas: 7
Played well and was involved in some nice link-up play, especially in the first half.
Jon Toral: 6
Faded in the second half and lost possession a few times but held his own in midfield and was more than willing to put a foot in.
Jota: 7
Also faded as the game wore on but has great ability on the ball and can beat a man. Encouraging signs from the recent signing.
Tommy Smith: 7
Linked play and showed his experience when shielding the ball and bringing others into the game. Combined nicely with Bidwell in the first half.
Nick Proschwitz: 6
Worked hard up front in a fairly thankless task of leading the line and creating space for Brentford’s attacking midfielders.
Toumani Diagouraga: 6
Made his presence felt in midfield after coming on in the second half.
Andre Gray: 7
Positive and direct after coming off the bench.
Scott Hogan: 6
A welcome sight after recovering from injury sooner than expected. Showed glimpses of his quality.
Fulham
Marcus Bettinelli: 7
Did well on his debut, producing a fine save in the first half to deny Jota following a cleverly-worked free-kick.
Kay Voser: 7
Had a solid game at right-back and delivered decent balls into the box when he got forward.
Dan Burn: 7
Definitely made a big difference for Fulham on his return to the side. Won everything in the air, as you would expect, and was composed on the ground too.
Shaun Hutchinson: 7
Had some difficult moments in the first half but did much better in the second.
Kostas Stafylidis: 6
Often more effective going forward than defending, and he was certainly given problems by Dallas and Odubajo, but Fulham still look more solid with him at left-back.
Tim Hoogland: 7
Showed his versatility with a strong showing in midfield having been moved from right-back. Missed a good chance in the first half though.
Scott Parker: 6
Got stuck in during a fiery first half but went off injured at the break.
Ryan Williams: 6
Neat and tidy on the ball but was fairly easily contained by Brentford’s compact midfield.
Chris David: 8
An excellent display from the Dutchman, who set up McCormack for the winner and two good chances for Cauley Woodrow. Always looked a threat out wide and Brentford couldn’t deal with him when he drifted inside.
Ross McCormack: 7
Missed a decent opportunity in the first half but got better and sharper as the game went on. Had a goal disallowed and by the time he opened the scoring with a cool finish midway through the second half, his first Fulham goal looked inevitable as he was bright, dangerous, and operating mainly through the middle rather than out on the left.
Cauley Woodrow: 7
Got into some great positions and led the line very well, but should have scored on two occasions.
Mark Fotheringham: 6
Went off injured in the second half, apparently with a hip problem, having replaced Parker at the interval.
Thomas Eisfeld: 6
Played his part after replacing Fotheringham as Fulham protected their lead.
Man of the match: David
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This post was last modified on 27/08/2014