Fulham 1-0 Swansea City: Aleksandar Mitrovic heads late winner at Craven Cottage
- Published
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored his 23rd Championship goal of the season
Aleksandar Mitrovic snatched an injury-time winner to lift Fulham back into third place as they saw off Swansea City at Craven Cottage.
Mitrovic headed the only goal from Aboubakar Kamara's cross four minutes into added time as the Whites climbed back above Nottingham Forest in the table.
Only minutes earlier the Serbian striker's penalty had been saved by Swansea goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, after Connor Roberts was adjudged to have fouled Neeskens Kebano.
The Swans, who had battled hard to shackle the Championship's top scorer for much of the game, remain in ninth place, five points off the play-off positions.
Fulham dominated their visitors during the opening 20 minutes, with Ivan Cavaleiro clipping the bar from a corner and Woodman called into action to foil Anthony Knockaert and Bobby Decordova-Reid.
Mitrovic went close to breaking the deadlock in the first half, giving Joe Rodon the slip only to fire over and then swivelling to rifle another volley off target from distance.
Swansea created chances themselves as Andre Ayew rounded Marek Rodak, but was foiled by Denis Odoi's challenge, and Jake Bidwell headed wide from a corner to the near post.
The visitors felt they might have had a penalty after the break when Ayew appeared to be tripped in the box by Odoi, but their appeals were waved away.
Instead, it was Fulham who were awarded a spot-kick in the 88th minute - but Woodman dived to his right to deny a weak effort from Mitrovic and then saved the rebound from Kamara.
However, the home side kept pressing and gained their reward when Kamara supplied a cross from the right and Mitrovic leapt to head in his 23rd league goal of the season.
Fulham head coach Scott Parker told BBC Radio London:
"We didn't get out of jail, I thought we were exceptional from start to finish.
"They came with a little bit of pressure but we moved the ball well, there was an attacking impetus about us and we had a lot of conviction.
"You miss a penalty and you think 'maybe it's not our night' but full credit to my team the commitment they showed, the belief, the mentality and in the end you deserve your moment to win the game."
Swansea City head coach Steve Cooper:
"A last-minute or last-second goal is always a tough one to take but the nature of the decisions that went against us makes it even more frustrating.
"I've no disappointment or frustrations with the players, the opposite actually. They gave everything tonight and for four decisions to go their way and not ours is unacceptable really.
"To lose the game that way on those decisions is just unfair."