Bristol City 0-1 Fulham: Harry Wilson's extra-time strike sends Cottagers through
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FA Cup highlights: Bristol City 0-1 Fulham (aet)
Fulham needed an extra-time goal from Harry Wilson to progress to the FA Cup fourth round after a scrappy contest against Bristol City.
Wilson's dangerous ball into the box evaded everyone and nestled in the far corner of the net on the stroke of half-time in extra time.
It was a rare moment of quality in a game lacking clear-cut chances.
Callum O'Dowda missed a glorious chance to win the game for the hosts in normal time but fired over after 80 minutes.
Robins striker Chris Martin and Cottagers forward Bobby Decordova-Reid spurned the best openings in the first half when chances were at a premium.
Rodrigo Muniz flashed an acrobatic effort over the bar for the visitors early in the second half and even the introduction of top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic could not prevent the game going to extra time.
Harry Wilson's well-struck delivery beats Max O'Leary in the Robins goal to hand Fulham victory
The goal finally arrived as half-time in extra time approached through a well-worked corner, with Wilson playing a neat one-two with Neeskens Kebano, before sending over a curling ball which missed everyone and ended up in the net.
Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson sent on top scorer Andreas Weimann in search of an equaliser but Fulham held on to make it into the fourth round with their first victory since 20 November.
Robins manager Nigel Pearson:
"We could have been more ruthless in front of goal, but overall it was a good performance and I have no complaints about my players.
"We were up against a very strong starting line-up and bench and gave it our best shot. Not every decision we made was right, but there was no questioning our commitment.
"The winning goal summed up our afternoon. But there were a lot of positives to take and the performances of all our young players involved were very good. We have lacked consistency, but now I am continually seeing evidence of the effort, which must be a given if we are to become successful."
Fulham head coach Marco Silva:
"I know Harry Wilson and I also know how much that goal will do for his confidence. In our last few games, he didn't score or get an assist, so he needed that type of moment to give him a boost and will be much better for it.
"It was too long since we had played because of postponements that were not our fault, and we knew this would be a difficult tie. I grew up watching the competition on television with my father and it means a lot to me, so we want to go as far as possible.
"Some players were not at their best today and some got very tired as the match progressed. But we were able to make changes that affected the game and ended it strongly."
Watch five third-round ties live across the BBC including Manchester United v Aston Villa - plus highlights from every match (UK only). Read the full details here.
