Cardiff City 0-1 Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic strike consigns Bluebirds to back-to-back defeats

A first-half header from Aleksandar Mitrovic was enough to earn Fulham a 1-0 win over Cardiff City in the Welsh capital.

The Bluebirds dealt with the Cottagers comfortably for most of the afternoon, but one lapse in concentration afforded Mitrovic a free header at the back post just minutes before half-time. Needless to say, the Serb needed no second invitation and buried his header, which proved to be the winner, into the back of the net.

It means successive defeats for Steve Morison's men after the late drama at Huddersfield Town in midweek and Cardiff can rightly feel either game could have gone in their favour. But that, as ever, is the nature of the Championship.

A big bout of sickness in the 24 hours before kick-off forced Steve Morison into late changes to his side. Rubin Colwill and James Collins were brought in from the cold, with Uche Ikpeazu, Mark Harris, Isaak Davies and Jordan Hugill all having succumbed to the bug, although the latter duo did make it on to the bench.

It could have been destabilising, but for all of Fulham's attacking might, Cardiff held firm in the early exchanges.

Their resolute defending generally preceded some dangerous breaks too, while the visitors enjoyed the vast share of possession, Cardiff were offering up just as much of a threat.

The entire outlook might have been completely different had Collins converted the game's first big chance.

On the quarter-of-an-hour mark, a hoof forward from Alex Smithies bounced over Tosin Adarabioyo and Collins, remarkably, found himself through on goal. He took a heavy touch as he bore down on the Fulham net and it flustered him slightly, it seemed, before he sent his effort straight at the chest of the onrushing Marek Rodak in an attempt to chip it