Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic was pleased with the effort shown by his side against Premier League outfit Southampton at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon as the Whites slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Saints.
A first half James Ward-Prowse strike was enough to see the visitors head through to the 4th Round of the Emirates FA Cup on a bitterly cold afternoon by the banks of the Thames.
“It think we played a good game,” Jokanovicreflected. “It was 50/50 but at the end in these kind of games it all depends on the small details.
“They were not necessarily a better team than we were today.
“But they showed in one situation Premier League quality and scored the goal that eventually meant they won the game.
“My team tried to dominate with the ball and we had some chances but at the end they deserve their victory today.
“We tried to show our style and we didn’t change our approach despite them being from a higher division.
“In our division in the Championship we create many chances but today we came up against Premiership opposition so we had to be clinical.
“They did not create many opportunities against us but in that one moment they showed Premier League quality.”
The Head Coach was pleased by the application and fight shown by his side as they pressed to the bitter end but was quick to look forward to a return to Championship action next weekend.
“My team did not surrender and we kept going until the end and were fighting for the replay.
“But we need to be at a better level if we are to fight with a Premier League team and that’s it.
“At this moment this Competition is over and we need to move on and think about the next step and that next step is Middlesbrough.
“I can never be satisfied when we lose a game but my team showed many positive things tonight.”