Fulham boss Martin Jol viewed today’s game against Sunderland as two points dropped rather than one gained.
The draw was a useful one to add to their away tally and it lifted the Londoners into the half of the table, above Stoke City on goal difference.
But Jol thought Fulham had done enough at the Stadium of Light to earn the back-to-back victories which would have virtually banished any fears of being sucked into a relegation battle.
“I thought we were unfortunate not to win the game,” he sighed.
“Of course, anything can happen in the second half when both sides are chasing it.
“But, if you look at the first half, I thought we played the better football, controlled it and scored goals at the right time.
“It was looking good for us because Sunderland were becoming frustrated, but then there’s been a bit of a touch in the penalty box, maybe a little luck went Sunderland’s way with that one, and that gave them confidence.
“After that, it wasn’t easy for us.
“But even in the second half we should have scored when the scoreline was at 2-1 – it should have been 3-1 before going to 2-2.
“And so, in hindsight, if you’d seen the first half, I think we deserved a bit more from the game than just the point.”
The biggest culprit for Fulham’s failure to capitalise was Dimitar Berbatov, in the manager’s mind.
The Dutchman said: “Berbatov took a great penalty to put us ahead – he’s one of a very few players out there who could have put away a penalty like that.
“But he also had a couple of one-on-ones with Simon Mignolet and the fact he didn’t score was disappointing against a good side because 3-1 in the second half would have made a difference.”
