Fulham Head Coach Scott Parker was understandably a figure of relief and elation after his side secured their first Premier League win of the season.
A composed Parker took to the media to give his views on a comfortable victory.
“Overall, an all-round very good performance," he started. “The result was everything and we all realised that. Performance-wise we’ve been progressing in the right direction. We had a real endeavour about us and showed our quality and well worthy of the two goals. I was pleased with how we managed the game in the second half against a team we knew would come out and put us under pressure."
The Head Coach knows the road won’t be straight and narrow this season, but he knew his side’s quality shone against the Baggies.
“I’ve been level this season and I’ve tried to relay that to the team," he continued. “We understand where we are and how our season will look. We are going to have a lot of bumps and I’m not afraid to say that. There is a bit of relief, we want to win football matches. I’ve got a very good team here and we know this will be difficult. They come in Monday morning and they’re the first to put their hand up and understand we need to improve. Tonight, I was seeing that."
The win moves Fulham out of the relegation zone, which Parker remained unfazed by in the grand scheme of the season.
“Our position right now is irrelevant," he stated. “What is relevant is the team moving in the right direction, improving and moving forward. I’ve seen that in the previous weeks. The table is irrelevant right now, we’ll see where we are come the end.”
Ola Aina’s scorcher lit up the Cottage, and the 40-year-old attributed that to taking a few more risks.
“It was a great strike. We might have to take risks. We’re going to have to take risks in or around the box and Ola did that and it’s flown into the top corner. Anyone watching us with an open mind will see we have a bit of quality. We had some lovely bits in both halves.”
Parker was pressed to single out an individual performance. A task he couldn’t commit to.
“I was pleased with Frank [Anguissa]. I’m conscious of singling players out, but to a man, we were top drawer. I’ve spoken to Frank and he’s understanding his qualities, but you can’t single out one player tonight.
“It was solid at the back, but as a team we worked hard. I remember them having one shot on target, so we were solid in that instance. It’s something we can build on.
“Joachim hasn’t had a lot of time to settle. He’s been around it for a while though and he’s been part of meetings. He’ll be a big plus for us.
“I thought Tom [Cairney] was top today. We realise the quality he has. He makes you feel safe when he’s on the ball. He was constantly taking the game to West Brom, that’s something that needs to stay.
“Ruben is fine. He’s been out for a long time. I felt Bobby [De Cordova-Reid] was the one to go with tonight and he will help us moving forward no doubt, he’ll play his part. Mario [Lemina] felt his hamstring a little bit in the first half and I didn’t want to take any risks. We’ll have to see where he is in the morning.”