Paddy Davitt at EDP24
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Fulham (1) 1-0 (0) Norwich
Norwich City's wretched run at Craven Cottage continued with the Canaries slipping to a 1-0 Championship defeat against Fulham.
Sean Kavanagh punished City with a clinical first half counter but the Canaries blew a chance to get back into the game when Lewis Grabban slammed an early second half penalty against the underside of the bar after Cameron Jerome was adjudged to have been brought down by Dan Burn.
Josh Murphy then struck the woodwork again in a frenetic finale but City's wait for a first win at the Cottagers since 1986 must go on.
Neil Adams made two changes to the starting line up that drew 1-1 in the Championship at home to Rotherham prior to the international break. Steven Whittaker came in for Jos Hooiveld, who picked up a knee injury in training, with Alex Tettey restored to the midfield at the expense of Jonny Howson.
Kyle Lafferty failed to shake off the swollen knee injury sustained on Euro2016 qualifying duty for Northern Ireland, but Gary Hooper was included on the substitutes' bench for the Canaries alongside Belgian international Vadis Odjida-Ofoe.
Adams tweaked his formation of recent times with Grabban deployed in a wider left-hand role and Wes Hoolahan switched centrally to support Jerome. Bradley Johnson and Tettey offered defensive ballast in midfield.
Bryan Ruiz tried a cute back heel from Fulham's first attacking incursion but Tettey had tracked the Costa Rican international's run.
Grabban tried to free Jerome in behind Nikolay Bodurov but Marcus Bettinelli was out sharply to gather the clipped pass.
Nathan Redmond teased his way past Konstantinos Stafylidis but Tim Hoogland had read the flight of his far post cross.
Redmond's corner routine then invited Jerome to burst to the near post but his glancing header was up and over Marcus Bettinelli's bar.
City's England Under-21 starlet Redmond whipped another probing delivery in from the right which reared up in front of Bettinelli who grasped at the second attempt.
Fulham's big-money summer signing Ross McCormack was denied by Russell Martin's block from 25-yards before the unmarked Hoogland headed over eight yards out in a clear warning to the Canaries.
Yet City were once more culpable in gifting the hosts a first half advantage, when Michael Turner's weak pass was intercepted to spring a sharp counter, triggered by Scott Parker, who fed Hugo Rodallega and Lasse Vigen Christensen before Kavanagh finished confidently on the edge of Norwich's penalty box.
Hoolahan tried a speculative response, gathered by Bettinelli, before Johnson was the latest City player careless in possession, without the same damaging outcome. Whittaker then offered himself on the overlap but Burn's positioning was secure.
Hoolahan's sliding block prevented City being cut open again in the 38th minute with Fulham's work in the final third far sharper than Adams' side. The Republic of Ireland international then headed Burn's thumping header off his own line with Norwich threatening to ship a second prior to the interval.
City were being forced to raid on the counter, but Nikolay Bodurov hacked the ball over his own bar from Grabban's cut-back, to suggest Norwich could still to trouble the Cottagers.
Jerome earned Norwich a penalty seconds after the restart when he went down under the attentions of Burn, although the decision appeared to be given on the advice of the far side assistant referee. Grabban stepped up but hammered a rising strike against the underside of Bettinelli's bar and Fulham cleared, with the incensed Cottagers' support clearly feeling justice had been served.
John Ruddy needed to display some cool footwork to twist away from Kavanagh inside his own six yard box before McCormack slammed a follow up into the side netting.
Hoolahan drifted across the face of Fulham's box before servicing the ball to Whittaker but Burn scrambled the cross behind.
The dazed Irishman had appeared to be clipped in the act of passing to the Scot and after a brief medical assessment was withdrawn for Murphy with what looked a suspected right ankle injury.
Jerome incurred the wrath of the Fulham fans again when he went down half-way inside the Fulham half, only to earn a lecture from referee Salisbury before and the former Stoke man was handed a new strike partner when Hooper made his first league appearance of the campaign in place of Grabban.
Bodurov's important leap and headed clearance denied Jerome a chance inside the Fulham six-yard box from Redmond's cross.
Johnson drilled wide from 25 yards after Redmond worked a pocket of space when the overlapping Martin Olsson looked a better option.
Ruddy then denied newly-arrived substitute Moussa Dembele after City had failed to clear a home corner. Tettey's hopeful hanging cross was easily collected by Bettinelli in the first sign of desperaionagainst from the Canaries entering the closing stages.
Murphy lined up Elsad Zverotic but hammered a ball across the face of the Fulham penalty box with Hooper hovering with intent.
The teenager then unleashed a vicious strike that cannoned against the underside of Bettinelli's bar again from 20 yards with Fulham's goalmouth leading a charmed life for a second time.
Hooper looked set to apply the finishing touches to a City free kick, but Stafylidis bailed out his keeper from close range.
Redmond was crudely upended in the first of three additional minutes but Turner miscued with a far post header under intense pressure as City probed for a late lifeline.
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