Fulham 1-2 Cardiff (3-2 agg): Championship play-off semi-final – as it happened

Fulham will play west London neighbours Brentford at Wembley in Tuesday’s Championship play-off final

10.22pm BST

Nick Ames was at the Cottage tonight to witness Fulham squeak into the final. Here’s his report. Enjoy that one ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!

Related: Fulham stumble into Championship play-off final after Cardiff fall just short

10.21pm BST

Neil Harris looks to the future. “Since the moment I’ve come in the building, the players performances, the way they’ve improved ... I can’t be any prouder of the players, they’ve been class for me. Class. We’ve come up against a very talented Fulham side, and there are two very good sides in the final. What Fulham have done is score at the key moments. The start of the second half. The last kick of the game. And tonight just after we scored. So they’ve always found a way to wrestle that momentum. We just couldn’t find that moment, but the players have done me proud. They’ve done the fans proud too. We can compete with the top sides. We feel the capital city of Wales should have a team in the Premier League, but we have to earn the right to get there. I’m gutted, but we have to be even better next year.”

10.06pm BST

Scott Parker seems more relieved than happy. “The way the game panned out was not how I expected it. But a wounded animal who had nothing to lose put us under pressure. They put the ball in the box from all over the pitch, and we didn’t deal with that well enough. We didn’t put our stamp on the game. We were nervous. But we won the game over two legs, and did a good job away from home, so we move on and it’s up for grabs. Come the end of the game we’ve not totally folded. We are disappointed in our performance tonight, but Tuesday will be a different game and we need to stay bright and positive.”

9.57pm BST

Fulham defender Michael Hector adds: “We deserve to be there. We can’t wait. They’re a physical side. When you don’t take your chances, it’s going to be a tough night. They had nothing to lose. We got the job done, and that’s all that matters. At Wembley anything can happen, and we’re positive. It’s a shame Wembley won’t be full, but we’ll have to create our own atmosphere.”

9.55pm BST

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney speaks. “We had the worst start you can think of. These 2-0 leads are a bit weird in the head, it feels comfortable but it’s not at the same time. We let ourselves down by not playing our usual game and inviting pressure. But we showed a different side to us in the second half, when our backs were against the wall. We got over the line. We’re going to need to dig in against a very good Brentford side. I think we deserve to be there, and Brentford do as well. It’ll be a good final.”

9.50pm BST

Fulham deserve huge credit for eventually stemming the Cardiff tide in that second half. An equaliser that would have taken the match to extra time looked inevitable for a while, such was the verve the Bluebirds played with after the restart. But the hosts held on. Deservedly so: they were the better team over the two legs. Next Tuesday’s Wembley showdown for a place in the Premier League promises to be a belter. Cardiff, when the pain subsides, should take heart from an excellent second-leg performance, and the knowledge that they’re going in the right direction under Neil Harris. There’s always next year.

9.46pm BST

That was Cardiff’s last chance! They were magnificent in that second half, but it wasn’t enough. Fulham dug in, and they’ll face their west London neighbours in Tuesday’s play-off final!

9.45pm BST

90 min +5: From the resulting free kick, hit long, Paterson heads down for Glatzel, who blazes over from 12 yards.

9.44pm BST

90 min +4: Onomah, rolling on the floor, holds onto the ball and refuses to let go. He’s rightly booked, though Bennett, who was trying to wrestle it off him, should walk for snidely pressing his boot on the prone Fulham player’s leg. That’s poor form.

9.42pm BST

90 min +3: A loose Ralls pass sails into the stand, Morrison unable to keep it in play. The big man looks pained and waves his arms about in despair.

9.41pm BST

90 min +2: The tension is palpable. Scott Parker paces up and down the touchline, chewing with Allardycian ferocity.

9.40pm BST

90 min +1: The first of five extra minutes passes by. Can Cardiff force extra time? They’ve scored six goals after the 90-minute mark this season, a total only bettered by Sheffield Wednesday’s eight.

9.39pm BST

90 min: Le Marchand comes on with a note for Cairney, who has a good old read before discarding it, the litterbug. Bryan makes way.

9.38pm BST

89 min: Fulham have established a semblance of control, just when they need it. Cardiff can’t keep hold of the ball in the opposition half.

9.36pm BST

87 min: Christie tries to float a Glenn Hoddle style chip over Smithies from a tight angle on the right. He doesn’t quite manage it.

9.35pm BST

86 min: Ralls swings the free kick into the box. Rodak punches confidently clear. Kamara breaks up the other end, but can’t quite burst clear. Still, the ball’s now up the other end, as the clock ticks on.

9.34pm BST

85 min: Hector and Paterson go up for a high ball, just to the left of the Fulham box. It looks like a fair 50-50 challenge, but the referee deems it a foul by Hector, as Paterson comes off worse. Hector is truly livid, not least because there’s real danger here.

9.32pm BST

83 min: Tomlin’s race is run. He sticks out a leg, hoping to gather a Bennett pass down the left wing. His hamstring immediately pings, and he’ll be replaced by Whyte. Poor Tomlin leaves the field close to tears. He’s made a huge difference since coming on.

9.30pm BST

82 min: Tomlin tries to release Glatzel down the middle with a gentle dink, but Ream reads the situation well and steps in to batter clear.

9.29pm BST

81 min: Cardiff replace Murphy with Paterson.

9.28pm BST

80 min: Christie twinkletoes his way in from the right, teasing Bennett before attempting a curler towards the top left. Bennett deflects out for a corner. Glatzel slaps the corner clear with a towering header.

9.27pm BST

78 min: Mendez-Laing makes good down the inside-left channel and sends a diagonal swerver wide right of the Fulham goal. I have no idea how the scoreline is still just 1-2. It could quite easily have been anything.

9.26pm BST

76 min: Fulham make a defensive change, sending on Odoi for Knockaert.

9.25pm BST

75 min: Kamara whips a glorious cross in from the left. Decordova-Reid stoops to head home from six yards, but Nelson, at full stretch, eyebrows a clearance away from the striker! That is quite astonishing. The resulting corner leads to nothing.

9.24pm BST

74 min: But one decent Fulham attack will end this. Knockaert and Christie combine neatly down the right. Christie tries to slam across for Kamara, but Nelson intercepts with his chest. Fulham want a penalty, but they’re not getting one.

9.22pm BST

73 min: No idea how that free kick didn’t result in a goal. On the touchline, Neil Harris holds his head in his hands. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Fulham are clinging on.

9.21pm BST

72 min: Astonishing scenes from the Cardiff free kick out on the left! Mendez-Laing and Nelson can’t slam home amid a pinball melee. Rodak blocks well. Then tips over marvellously as Vaulks tries to lash home from an angle on the right.

9.19pm BST

71 min: The game restarts, but not before Cardiff replace Ward with Glatzel.

9.19pm BST

70 min: And that, my old MBM pals, is time for isotonic refreshment.

9.19pm BST

69 min: Murphy robs Christie down the left and is upended from behind by the embarrassed Fulham defender for his trouble. Christie goes into the book. It’s not certain that we’ll be ending this match with a full set of players.

9.17pm BST

68 min: Fulham have done very little in attack since the restart, but suddenly Kamara bursts into action. First he drops a shoulder to move in from the left and belts towards the bottom left. Smithies tips around the post. Then, after the corner, Kamara has another whack, curling confidently towards the same corner. It’s heading in, but Smithies fingertips onto the base of the post and away. What a pair of stunning saves to keep Cardiff in this semi-final!

9.16pm BST

66 min: BREAKING NEWS: Fulham successfully defend a long throw. Reed heads Vaulks’ fling clear with great ease.

9.14pm BST

65 min: Tomlin threatens to break clear down the left but the flag goes up for offside. Fulham are not playing with their usual confidence right now. Meanwhile here’s Jake Lynch: “Long throws into the mixer; biff-bang and it flies in. Wow, Cardiff are gonna be a real joy if they get to the Premier League aren’t they?” Well it’ll certainly be fun watching the likes of Chelsea and Everton try to defend against them.

9.13pm BST

63 min: After an elongated process of faffing, Fulham take the worst free kick in the entire history of association football. Onomah shapes to shoot, but then stutters incredibly obviously before stopping stock still. It’s not much of a dummy. After a Pinteresque beat, Cairney slips before making contact and floats a looper miles wide left. Oh dear. Fortunately there’s nobody here to see that.

9.10pm BST

61 min: Cairney launches a rare Fulham attack, drifting in from the left and driving towards the box. Ralls is forced to take a booking, chopping him down before he reaches shooting range. A free kick just to the left of centre, just outside the D.

9.08pm BST

60 min: Tomlin tries to spin and Zidane a shot towards the top right. But his effort is blocked and he’s handled in any case. Over 70 percent of the play during the last five minutes has taken place in Fulham’s final third.

9.08pm BST

58 min: Ralls wastes the free kick. But this is a very impressive start to the second half by Cardiff, who clearly don’t intend to die wondering. Rodak tries to take the sting out of the game by taking an age over a goal kick. He’s booked as a result. Fulham need to clear their heads quicksmart.

9.06pm BST

57 min: Cardiff are well on top here. Murphy makes his presence felt down the right by Bacuna. Bryan shoves him off the field and this is a free kick that’s basically a corner.

9.05pm BST

56 min: Mendez-Laing drives down the left in the style of Ted McMinn. He forces the ball across towards Tomlin, whose first-time shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Then another phase of attack as Murphy slips Bacuna into space down the right. Bacuna fizzes a ball across the face of the Fulham goal, and Ward is a toenail away from turning it in. So close!

9.02pm BST

54 min: Tomlin plays a cute pass round the corner for Mendez-Laing down the right. Christie slips under the resulting cross. The ball drops to Murphy on the penalty spot. He’s got time to take a touch, but doesn’t realise it, and sends a miserable first-time header softly into the arms of Rodak. What a chance that was! Fulham have been rattled by that super-early second-half Cardiff goal.

9.01pm BST

52 min: Now it’s Vaulks who goes into the referee’s notebook for hanging out a leg across Reed. Knockaert tries to catch Smithies out at the resulting free kick, but drags a long-range daisycutter wide right.

8.59pm BST

50 min: Decordova-Reid is booked for cheekily blocking Smithies’ drop kick. On the touchline, Scott Parker wears a worried frown. This is going to be some half of football.

8.58pm BST

48 min: How about that for a double substitution?! Those were the first touches by both Mendez-Laing and Tomlin. Fulham try to hit back within 24 seconds again, but Morrison manages to hook Christie’s right-wing cross clear.

8.56pm BST

Vaulks flings it long, into the mixer. Fulham once again fail to deal with it. Mendez-Laing, with his first touch, batters a header towards the top left. Rodak claws it out, but only to Tomlin, who sweeps in by the left-hand post!

8.55pm BST

46 min: Cardiff start the half on the front foot, swarming down the left and winning a throw deep in Fulham territory on the left. And from that ...

8.54pm BST

Cardiff get the second half underway. They need two goals, and hope Tomlin and Mendez-Laing will help get them. They replace Pack and Hoilett. Meanwhile there’s a swap for Fulham too, as Kamara replaces the injured Kebano.

8.40pm BST

Half-time entertainment.

Related: FA Cup final preview and a farewell to Griffin Park – Football Weekly Extra

8.38pm BST

Two early goals in the space of 24 seconds, followed by a whole lot of end-to-end fun. Fulham are three-quarters of the way there, but this isn’t over yet. The second half promises some magical entertainment. Stay with us, why don’t you. No flipping!

8.36pm BST

45 min +4: From the resulting free kick, Christie whacks from distance. Smithies parries to the right, where Knockaert lurks. Knockaert drops a shoulder and whips towards the top left. The effort deflects off a Cardiff defender. Nothing comes of the corner that follows.

8.35pm BST

45 min +3: Kenabo threatens to break clear down the left. Bacuna takes a handful of his shirt and is booked.

8.34pm BST

45 min +2: Smithies is forced into action again, racing from his box to blooter clear, with Onomah chasing after a long ball.

8.33pm BST

45 min +1: The first of five added minutes nearly brings Fulham a goal, as Cairney loops down the left wing for Knockaert, who tries to round Smithies on the outside. The keeper makes himself big and snaffles.

8.32pm BST

45 min: An absurd shoving match between Decordova-Reid and Nelson explodes out of thin air. Both consider escalating matters by throwing hands; both quickly catch themselves on and cool down.

8.30pm BST

43 min: ... then suddenly Murphy throws a couple of cute shapes out on the left and swings long for Hoilett, who can’t quite get the cross under control for a shot. That was lovely patient play by Cardiff, followed by some sublime skill out on the wing from Murphy.

8.28pm BST

42 min: Cardiff stroke it around the middle awhile, playing Fulham at their own game.

8.26pm BST

40 min: Reed tries to sidefoot into the bottom-right corner from the best part of 40 yards. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

8.25pm BST

38 min: Pack sprays a glorious left-to-right pass towards Bacuna, who fires through an empty Fulham box. Cardiff come again, Ward having a speculative pop from 30 yards. Nope. Cardiff are giving this a good go, though. A much better performance than Monday night’s effort already.

8.22pm BST

36 min: Morrison is booked for swinging an arm in Decordova-Reid’s face. The resulting free kick, out on the left, is a chance for Fulham to load the box. Bryan swings it in, and Nelson batters clear.

8.21pm BST

34 min: One corner leads to another, and the second’s a non-event. Cardiff try to counter in the basic fashion, hitting long for Ward, but the ball sails through harmlessly to Rodak. This match has a very pleasing basketball rhythm.

8.19pm BST

33 min: Cairney drifts in from the left and lays off to Knockaert, who drops a shoulder and curls powerfully towards the bottom left. Smithies does extremely well to turn around the post for a corner. What a save!

8.18pm BST

31 min: A potentially tie-saving tackle by Morrison, who keeps his team in it by poking the ball away from Decordova-Reid, nearly sent clear down the middle by Knockaert. Both teams are going full out for goals.

8.17pm BST

30 min: Christie opens his legs and tears down the right, reaching such speed that only Decordova-Reid can keep up in the middle. He can’t find the striker with his cross.

8.15pm BST

28 min: Vaulks swings another free kick into the Fulham box from the right. It’s claimed by Rodak. Kebano sashays down the left and cuts back for Christie, romping in from the other flank. Christie’s shot is blocked. This is great end-to-end entertainment!

8.14pm BST

27 min: Knockaert bustles down the right and wins a corner. The set piece leads to some pinball, and the ball drops to Onomah, in space just inside the box. He takes a whack towards the bottom right, and it looks like heading in, but the shot hits his own man Kebano! Heads are held in hands. A lucky break for Cardiff.

8.12pm BST

26 min: The game restarts, with everyone freshly hydrated. During the pause in play, Sky showed replays of the long throw that led to the corner that led to Cardiff’s goal. Vaulks had a foot in play when flinging it in. No doubt that’ll become a hot topic should Cardiff turn this around, but let’s not go there yet.

8.11pm BST

24 min: And that’s drinks!

8.10pm BST

23 min: Ralls knocks it long again. Cardiff are clearly working on Rodak’s nerves. The keeper stays on his line again, a good decision this time as he easily claims Morrison’s tame header.

8.09pm BST

22 min: Play restarts. Morrison is good to continue and is quickly back into the action. His busy work down the right allows Hoilett to drive up the wing again, and the winger is tripped by Bryan. Another set piece chance for Cardiff.

8.07pm BST

21 min: A long pause as ice is applied to Morrison’s neck. He’s clearly taken a sore one. A scrap of good news in that at least he doesn’t look dazed.

8.06pm BST

19 min: Ralls swings it long, hoping for a replay of the opening goal. But Rodak comes off his line this time, punching positively clear. He accidentally clashes with Morrison in mid-air, and play is stopped when the Cardiff defender lands awkwardly.

8.04pm BST

18 min: Hoilett dribbles with glue-on-boot brilliance down the right. He’s eventually sandwiched to the floor and this is a free kick for Cardiff just to the side of the Fulham box. Danger for Fulham, seeing Cardiff have scored 25 times from set pieces this season, plus another this evening.

8.03pm BST

16 min: Morrison quarterbacks a long diagonal pass towards Bennett on the left. The full back’s in acres, but Murphy had been holding Christie in the middle and a good situation for Cardiff goes up in needless smoke.

8.01pm BST

14 min: Fulham draw some pretty triangles down the left, Onomah at the centre of everything. Cardiff are struggling to get out of their final third right now.

7.59pm BST

13 min: Both players are fine to continue. What a body blow for Cardiff, who had their dream start ruined in a matter of seconds. Fulham rub it in by stroking the ball around in the calm style, forcing the visitors to do plenty of chasing on this extremely warm evening.

7.58pm BST

11 min: Nelson and Christie clash heads. Time for a breather, if nothing else. What a start to this match!

7.56pm BST

Fulham come straight back at Cardiff. Decordova-Reed is allowed to race freely down the right. He fires low into the centre, where Kebano flips into the bottom left!

7.55pm BST

The corner’s hit long. Rodak fails to come off his line. He claims he’s been impeded by Ward, but there’s not enough in the very mild grapple for position; the keeper should be stronger. Nelson rises highest, and slams a header into the top left! Game on! Except hold on, because ...

7.54pm BST

7 min: Vaulks gets another go. His bouncing bomb loops over Nelson and Rodak is forced to tip over the bar. And from the resulting corner ...

7.53pm BST

6 min: Vaulks launches a long throw into the Fulham mixer. It’s claimed by Rodak, but turns out it was a foul throw.

7.51pm BST

4 min: Cardiff try a couple of long passes, to no great effect. Both approaches have thus been laid out in plain sight already.

7.49pm BST

2 min: Cardiff won the toss, so they chose to turn Fulham around, meaning the hosts will attack the Hammersmith End in first half. Kebano heads in that very direction down the left, but is stopped in his tracks by Bacuna. The hosts then probe down the other flank through Monday’s hero Onomah. He lays off to Knockaert, who whistles a low shot towards the bottom right. It’s an easy gather for Smithies ... but a lively start by the hosts.

7.46pm BST

And we’re off! Fulham get the second leg underway, but not before all players take a knee of solidarity, respect and love. Black lives matter.

7.42pm BST

The teams are out! It’s a positively delightful summer’s evening by the side of the dirty old rolling river. Craven Cottage is one of the most picturesque grounds in the country at the worst of times, so it’s a sight for sore eyes tonight. Fulham wear their famous white shirts, while Cardiff wear first-choice Bluebird blue. It’s a rare old aesthetic treat. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!

7.30pm BST

Scott Parker talks! “We have given ourselves a very good opportunity but it’s half time in the tie, and we understand that. We need to produce a performance and get the job done. We’re playing against a wounded animal in Cardiff, having lost at home, so the game will bring something different and we need to be ready. Cardiff haven’t got a lot to lose, so we need to stamp our authority on the game.” He also reports that the missing Mitrovic “just wasn’t quite ready” after some tests yesterday and this morning. “We need to go into the game with players who are fully fit,” he adds while scratching his face. A little treat there for body language experts and conspiracy theorists. (It’s a minor hamstring issue.)

7.11pm BST

Some pre-match fighting talk from Neil Harris. “We quickly got over the disappointment of the first leg, and conceding the second goal so late. We put positivity back into the group, showing the boys some clips where we were good, and where we can improve and combat Fulham’s strengths. Also some positivity about our away record. Since January we’ve won six of our away games and scored two goals on four occasions. We’ve been strong away from home, and we have to take solace in that tonight. As professional sportsmen, anything is possible, and the players have faith in each other. That gives us belief. Scoring the first goal will add to that belief.”

6.56pm BST

Still no Aleksandar Mitrovic for Fulham, not even on the bench. The Championship leading scorer remains too much of an injury risk for Scott Parker, who names an unchanged Fulham side from Monday night.

Cardiff boss Neil Harris makes three changes. Will Vaulks, Josh Murphy and Danny Ward come in for Lee Tomlin, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Robert Glatzel.

6.51pm BST

Fulham: Rodak, Hector, Kebano, Cairney, Ream, De Cordova-Reid, Reed, Christie, Bryan, Knockaert, Onomah.
Subs: Bettinelli, Odoi, Mawson, Le Marchand, Sessegnon, McDonald, Johansen, Cavaleiro, Kamara.

Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Pack, Vaulks, Ralls, Murphy, Hoilett, Ward.
Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Bamba, Smith, Tomlin, Whyte, Mendez-Laing, Paterson, Glatzel.

6.02pm BST

So much for a South Walian stramash in the Championship play-off final. Brentford did for Swansea City last night, and now it looks like a London derby will be on the cards instead.

Fulham are two goals to the good after a dominating second-half performance at the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday evening. Josh Onomah scored a remarkable goal of Maradonaesque poise and technique, while Neeskens Kebano curled in a fine free kick, and now Scott Parker’s side are within touching distance of Tuesday’s final.

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