Fulham bowed out of the EFL Cup after squandering the lead and a host of chances – an injury-time goal making them pay for a missed penalty and a lacklustre second half.
On-loan Chelsea youngster Lucas Piazon took less than a quarter of an hour of his debut to open his goalscoring account for the Whites, but Fulham allowed the visitors a soft equaliser just before the break.
And after Cauley Woodrow had seen a penalty saved at the start of the second half, Fulham seemed to crumble.
It was no surprise when City’s own Chelsea loan star, Tammy Abraham, plundered an injury-time winner.
It had all started so promisingly for the hosts. Piazon got on the end of an inviting Woodrow cross to head into the roof of the net after a nice build up on the right, started by the Brazilian himself in his own half.
It was no more than Fulham deserved during an opening half in which they looked by far the more assured of two B-strength teams, who are due to battle it out again at the Cottage on Saturday in the Championship.
Woodrow was inches wide from doubling the lead with a long range free-kick that had City’s debutant stopper Ivan Lucic clawing at thin air and sloppy play from the visitors almost gifted Woodrow again before the break – Lucic smothering this time.
Twice left-back Scott Malone also shaved the far post with curling efforts, as the Whites pinned City back.
But as the half drew to a close, former Crystal Palace man Aaron Wilbraham slipped the ball over Jesse Joronen after being played in by Callum O’Dowda in the visitors’ only real attack of the half.
Woodrow had the chance to restore the lead six minutes after the break when he was hauled down by City debutant Taylor Moore. But the Fulham striker’s spot-kick was palmed away by Lucic, diving to his right.
That signalled a complete turnaround in fortunes. It was the visitors’ turn to press and after they had spurned several gilt-edged chances, current scoring sensation Abraham turned in a low cross from O’Dowda to end Fulham’s cup hopes.
This post was last modified on 23/09/2016