Fulham’s rise to the runaway championship got here to a halt when Coventry beat Craven Cottage 3-1.
A win for the Cottags would have required one other win to make sure an instantaneous return to the Premier League.
However objectives by Michael Rose and Victor Giocris put Coventry 2-0 forward within the first half, and though substitute Bobby Decordova-Reed scored with eight minutes to go, Calum O’Hare scored the third in additional time.
Coventry, who completed 14th early within the recreation however did not fairly come out of the deciding image, was rewarded for displaying loads of offensive ambition, particularly within the first half.
Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rudak was compelled to make the primary save of the match when Rose met Gustavo Hammer’s free kick with a strong header.
Sky Blues captain Dominic Hiam then nodded over the bar from one other match, this time picked up by Ian Matsen.
So it got here as no shock when the guests took the lead 20 minutes later, as Rose’s header from a Hammer nook kicked off the left to stay Fulham left-back Anthony Robinson on its approach to the online.
O’Hare scores a aim towards Coventry
Craven Cottage was shocked when Coventry doubled his lead after 4 minutes.
Geocres, whose sturdy working saved Fulham’s protection at full size, lower inside Tosin Adarabiou and shot laborious, low however straight at Rodak. Nonetheless, the goalkeeper utterly misjudged the rebound of the ball once I kicked the turf in entrance of him and he may solely assist her into the online.
Coventry goalkeeper Simon Moore needed to stretch to his left to disclaim Aleksandar Mitrovic a header as Fulham seemed to reply.
However he was helpless when Neeskens Kebanu hit the crossbar with a volley from Nico Williams’ cross.
Nonetheless, Fulham may depend themselves fortunate as they didn’t settle for the third internet earlier than the break when Ruddak failed to gather one other nook kick and Ben Schiff noticed his shot from Williams.
Fulham supervisor Marco Silva despatched Dcordova-Reed on the break and virtually instantly his cross was deflected inches previous the submit by Mitrovic.
Fabio Carvalho then discovered 10 yards however seemed away from Harry Wilson’s cross earlier than Williams hit his arm from 25 yards, just for Moore to increase the ball to security.
Coventry didn’t finish as an attacking drive and Matsen fired a shot saved by Williams over the crossbar, however it was Fulham who scored the third aim within the 82nd minute.
Decordova-Reid began and accomplished it, sending fellow substitute Josh Onomah to the left and assembly a low cross with a primary shot by Moore to attain.
Now the shack has discovered his voice, however Coventry’s protection, glorious all through, held regular, and in additional time Hammer stole Tim Ream and O’Hare’s cross to money in on third.
There was nonetheless loads of time for Carvalho to hit the crossbar however even the aim at that time could be no comfort.
What the managers mentioned
Fulham coach Mark Silva“At this stage it’s tough however the profitable mentality is about focus and focus each time and we misplaced the match this afternoon as a consequence of particular person errors.
“It was not tactical. All the possibilities come from particular person errors and whenever you make these errors at this stage it is easy for them to create probabilities.
“I do not see causes for extra stress right now,” he mentioned. “I do not really feel it. I hope our gamers do not feel it both. It is our job, the stress is regular. We have now to take pleasure in it a bit bit, settle for the problem and present the mentality each time, the fitting mentality in sure moments.”
“I’m assured that subsequent Friday we are going to go to the derby and battle for the three factors and be higher than the derby and do every part we will to win the sport.”
Coventry coach Mark Robbins: “Immediately it was with the efficiency of the season. It was the primary time we beat a prime 10 workforce away from dwelling, regardless of which workforce shall be champion, so it ought to give us confidence and perception.
“However the way in which we performed, with the braveness, the braveness and the standard that we confirmed, we made probabilities out of the standard we confirmed and we took benefit of them.
“Our defenders have been very nicely positioned towards the primary striker within the match. We saved them in bother till the 82nd minute and had the arrogance to exit once more.
“There was no panic within the again line or midfield. We have been nice and needed to be towards the primary workforce. They put actual high quality within the penalty space however the way in which we dealt with it was nice, not simply the three factors however the efficiency on prime of that.”
