Fulham manager Martin Jol was relieved that Fulham secured a deserved win against Wigan after the match had looked set to be overshadowed by the goal-line technology debate.
Philippe Senderos nodded home his first ever Cottagers goal in the 89th minute to ensure the hosts secured a 2-1 win after controversy threatened to alter the course of proceedings.
Shortly after Pavel Pogrebnyak had brought the Whites level following Emmerson Boyce’s strike, he saw a 63rd-minute effort hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce down towards the line.
The officials waved play on having ruled the ball was not fully over but manager Jol says replays show it should have stood.
“I asked Pav and he said ‘no, it was not over the line’,” the Dutchman said.
“I thought therefore it was not over the line but our video guy showed me it was.
“It was a goal. Maybe what Sky or BBC saw was different but what I saw from my TV man was it was behind the line.
“We were in Geneva with a lot of coaches and we listened to [UEFA president Michel] Platini, who said ‘it is a game of human beings’.
“Everyone makes mistakes and when you think how many times it happens in a season, it is four or five times.
“Everybody agreed to leave it like but that was two years ago and there is now endless discussion.”
While most of the post-match talk will revolve around whether Pogrebnyak’s effort crossed the line, Jol was keen to focus on his side’s performance on the banks of the Thames.
“It could have turned out differently but that is hypothetical and I am glad we won in the end,” he said.
“They had zero corners, no chances and they scored out of nothing so it would have been harsh if we had lost.
“The first 20 minutes were good, we played down the flanks but it was very crowded.
“With their goal it came out of nothing but maybe it came at the right time because we have the Pog and he scored.
“It was good to see Philippe Senderos score as well.
“It is not easy to play against them. I think we’ve learned from the matches we saw them play against the top sides.
“They did ever so well and I saw them against Arsenal at the Emirates and they played so compact and didn’t give away too much.
“There was no space on the flanks so we had to be patient.
“The only problem is if you have to be patient you can fall asleep and they want that.
“They are very good on the break with Victor Moses and that is what they did in all these games against Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.
“We were well prepared and in the end I think we deserved to win.”
While Fulham sit comfortably in the top half, Wigan still face a fight to stave off relegation.
