QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1-3 FULHAM
Slaviša Jokanović celebrated his first victory in charge of Fulham away to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
First-half goals from Ross McCormack, Moussa Dembélé and Tom Cairney sent the Whites on their way to a victory at Loftus Road which was only the club’s second Championship win since October.
Tjaronn Chery found the net late on for the visitors with an injury-time effort which failed to dampen the positivity surrounding the away team’s performance.
“We put in some brilliant performances to win the match,” said Jokanović.
“The only disappointing thing was at the end when we conceded so didn’t keep a clean sheet.
“We can do better but at the end I can be happy for my players and our supporters.
“It’s only one game so it’s important to keep working hard and try to win the games in front of us.”
The Whites will look to pick up successive victories in the Championship for the first since October when they travel to face Blackburn Rovers.
“Nothing is easy,” said Jokanović.
“We’re working hard in training and at the end of it we got a present today.
“It’s good for our confidence and we’re a good football team which is a positive.
“We’ll enjoy this for a few hours and then look at what’s in front of us.
“This team can score goals, they did before I arrived here, but we need to find the balance to be more solid in defence.”
Fulham had a clear game plan for the match with QPR deploying three at the back and dominated their opposition from the off, backed by a vocal travelling support.
“We do a lot of homework,” added Jokanović. “My obligation is to try and find a weakness in the opposition.
“The away fans made a difference. We had a lot of support which is important for us. They pushed us and they enjoyed it today. After suffering without winning it’s a great day for us.”
Fulham were dealt a blow early on when Lasse Vigen Christensen limped off the field in the fifth minute with what Jokanović confirmed was a hamstring problem.
Jokanović added: “We’ll need to check on him. It’s something similar to what he had last season.”
The 47-year-old admitted he would have a celebratory drink with former Chelsea teammate and opposition manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
He said: “Jimmy is my friend and we’ll drink a beer.”
The victory will come as a relief to the Serbian who only picked up two points in his opening five matches as manager.
Image courtesy of Fulham FC via YouTube, with thanks
