Raul Jimenez ensures Fulham avoid Carabao Cup shock against Bristol City

Raul Jimenez ensured Fulham avoided a Carabao Cup shock as they dispatched Championship side Bristol City 2-0.

Mexico striker Jimenez pressured George Tanner into scoring an early own goal and then grabbed the second as the Cottagers cruised through.

Boss Marco Silva had been stung by City in the competition before, when they knocked his top-flight Watford side out with a 3-2 result at the same stage eight years ago.

So he named a strong starting XI despite making nine changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Manchester United on Sunday.

Two of the players drafted in, Adama Traore and Jimenez, combined to put Fulham ahead after seven minutes.

Timothy Castagne chipped the ball forward to Traore, who controlled it with his shoulder while out-muscling Robins wing-back Ross McCrorie.

Traore’s volleyed cross was arrowing towards Jimenez but unfortunate City defender Tanner stretched out a leg to make the block and succeeded only in prodding the ball into his own net.

Jimenez got on the scoresheet himself 13 minutes later when he was allowed to control, turn and lash home Harrison Reed’s near-post corner.

Silva has been frustrated by a lack of new faces during the transfer window, having made just one signing so far, 34-year-old back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte.

The Frenchman was handed a debut against City, but he had little to do in the first half save from picking the ball out of the net when Anis Mehmeti drove past him, only to be flagged offside.

After the break Traore burst clear down the right a couple of times and forced a sharp near-post save from City goalkeeper Joe Lumley with his first attempt.

However, with his second, he blazed the ball into the same part of the Hammersmith End where United captain Bruno