Slavisa Jokanovic heaped praise on his players for what he described as a ‘dominant’ performance after Fulham beat Barnsley 2-1 at Craven Cottage to register their third consecutive home win this afternoon.
The hosts went in front thanks to a thunderbolt from the returning Floyd Ayite and, after a wobble that saw Tom Bradshaw equalise for the Tykes, secured victory with a bit of good fortune when Sheyi Ojo’s looping cross completely deceived Andrew Davies in the Barnsley. Jokanovic, who was highly critical of his side’s display at Sunderland last weekend, felt Fulham were good value for all three points:
My team worked well. We dominated the game. It’s important to start the tough Christmas period with a victory—it’s our third home win in a row. Our supporters have been behind us at all times, but we haven’t given them many reasons to be satisfied, and in the end, this win is some kind of Christmas present for them.
The Fulham head coach was full of praise for Ayite, whose majestic finish was the perfect way to mark his comeback after a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Floyd showed a high level today and scored a quality goal. He’s coming back from injury and we had to take care of him today. I took the decision to change him because we have to be a little bit careful. We saved him and gave Kebano a chance.
Jokanovic hopes Fulham can take confidence from collecting another win in front of their home fans into two festive away trips to Cardiff and Hull City before starting the new year on the front foot.
I believe we deserved the three points. We showed many great things during the game and it’s important that we start this Christmas period well. This is an opportunity to add points and start the New Year with a new energy. Football is a strange game. Anything is possible. We need to be ready for the immediate challenge in front of us and expect that we will be successful.
