It was a case of mission accomplished for Marco Silva on Wednesday evening, as Fulham booked their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup.
An early own goal swiftly followed by a clinical Raúl Jiménez finish ensured it was a routine night’s work at Craven Cottage.
“It was a better first half than the second,” Silva said. “It was important for us to start well, to be clinical, ruthless in that type of moment. And we were, definitely.
“It's always important to start leading the score in this type of game, to take a little bit of the trust and the belief from the opposition side. You know that it’s normal that the enthusiasm, the motivation from teams from lower divisions is always there.
“First half, I think we controlled very well the game. On the ball, I would like to see more in their offensive half, instead of in our half to build up with the ball, but they tried to press us high as well.
“We had some good moments, some good combinations as well, and it was good.
“I told our players at half-time that it was important to go to try to score more, but that it was important, very important for us to keep the clean sheet.
“Was not the type of game at all that I would like to see us concede goals, because it's important to start to create and to have these good vibes and good feelings when you keep the clean sheet.
“Second half, we should have kept the ball more and controlled the game better with the ball. We gave many times the ball away, but overall it was a serious and professional performance from ourselves.”