Swansea 0-3 Fulham
- Published
Goals from Alexander Kacaniklic, Dimitar Berbatov and Urby Emanuelson eased Fulham to an impressive victory at Swansea and ended their seven-match winless run.
Kacaniklic's instinctive 22nd-minute finish beat Michel Vorm to put the visitors ahead against the run of play.
Swansea dominated the second half and Pablo Hernandez was twice denied by Mark Schwarzer.
But Fulham secured the points with late strikes from Berbatov and Emanuelson.
Capital One Cup winners Swansea, who had already guaranteed a top-10 finish, knew a home victory plus defeat for West Brom at home to Manchester United would secure eighth spot, while Fulham were targeting a first win since beating QPR on 1 April, with manager Martin Jol challenging his side to end an increasingly difficult season on a high.
Accordingly, the game at the Liberty Stadium did not have quite the air of an end-of-season dead rubber. Both sides started positively and the Cottagers had the first opportunity when Kacaniklic's pass found Bryan Ruiz, who fluffed his shot.
Ruiz was back in the action when he was fouled by Chico Flores on the edge of the area, but John Arne Riise's free-kick powered wide.
Hernandez fired inches wide for the hosts following good work by Nathan Dyer, who himself saw an effort blocked, and Hernandez then capitalised on a poor clearance by Philippe Senderos but dragged his shot off-target as the Swans took hold of the game.
But it was Fulham who made the breakthrough. Ruiz and Berbatov combined to put Kacaniklic in and the Swedish winger coolly fired beyond Vorm for his fourth league goal of the season.
Kacaniklic forced Vorm to deflect a shot onto the post as he remained a threat, but Dyer saw a dipping effort go over the crossbar and Schwarzer denied Jonathan De Guzman as Swansea finished the half strongly.
After the break, the visitors' 40-year-old keeper made further saves to deny Ashley Williams, Flores, De Guzman and Routledge and twice thwarted the lively Hernandez during a spell of sustained pressure by the home side.
But despite Swansea's domination in the second half, Fulham doubled their lead.
With 13 minutes remaining, Ruiz set up Berbatov who rounded Vorm before slotting into an empty net for his 15th league goal of the season.
Substitute Emanuelson rounded things of, pouncing from close rang after Vorm could only parry Giorgos Karagounis's effort.
Fulham's fourth league away win saw them finish in 12th place, three points behind their hosts in ninth.
Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup:
"It was disappointing, but the difference was us not taking our chances.
"For 30 minutes in the second half we could have scored two or three. But I am sure in a couple of days I will see the big picture.
"Everyone here says it is the best season ever for this club. I have only been here 10 or 11 months so I will I trust their judgement."
Fulham manager Martin Jol:
"I am ambitious like Fulham are, I want us to be in the top six, the top seven or the top eight.
"When I came here we had a fantastic team and we got 52 points, and look at where Swansea are today with 46 [ninth place in the table].
"We do not want to repeat this season, only getting around 40 points, but we need good players, ambitious players and that is what I want.
"If eight or nine players leave us this summer we will need five or six players."
- Published19 May 2013