by Top Flight »
17 May 2017 09:37
What a fantastic night that was! I got back to London around 11pm, cracked open a few beers and watched it all again on Sky Sports. I didn't go to bed until about 2:30am. I was just savouring the moment.
Having watched the full game all over again and having watched the replay of the penalty incident several times, I really believe it was a stonewall penalty. I am not being partisan or bias. It was a penalty. The ball was to the side of Kalas, the only way he could get the ball under his control and get it away from Kermorgant was to control the ball with his hand and push it in front of him where he needed it to be so he could get it out of harms way. The referee was exactly right to give the penalty. Obviously it's annoying to concede a penalty like that, but it was a penalty. Fulham had 19 attempts on goal last night. But we had 7 shots on target compared to their 6 and we had the best chances.
Fulham play nice football, but Reading employ nice tactics. We won the game tactically last night. We were just streetwise. Fulham were not. We adapted to the occasion and treated the game like a 2 legged European tie. (Stams experience at the highest levels really helped us to understand how to deal with this battle) We understood the Fulham threat and we dealt with it.
We know Fulhams game inside out. Since the 5-0 drubbing at the cottage. Stam took on board all the lessons and has since restricted Fulham to just one solitary goal in 3 and a half games of football. So its all very well that Fulham can win at Newcastle and beat Huddersfield etc. But when they come up against a streetwise team with a strong tactical plan they couldn't manage. Fulham were swimming with the sharks last night and they soon found out what that means. They'll be better for the experience and it will stand them in good stead for next season. Hopefully they have learned not to be so cocky in future. Fulham is quite a posh area, but they're not Royal. Come on URZ!