Nervy Fulham clings on to set up Brentford final
Fulham lost 2-1 to Cardiff City in the second leg of their EFL Championship play-off semi-final but held on to progress 3-2 on aggregate and set up a final with west London rival Brentford.
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The hosts finished eight points better off than their opponents at the end of the regular season and held a 2-0 lead from Tuesday's (AEST) first leg in south Wales.
No team has overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit in the play-offs but Cardiff gave itself real hope inside eight minutes at Craven Cottage through Curtis Nelson's close-range header.
But Fulham required only 54 seconds to restore its two-goal aggregate advantage, with Neeskens Kebano – on target late in the first leg – sweeping a low shot past Alex Smithies.
The tie took another twist 82 seconds into the second half when Lee Tomlin, who was introduced off the bench at half-time, volleyed in after Nathan Mendez-Laing's header was parried by Marek Rodak.
Aboubakar Kamara had a long-ranger tipped on to the post by Smithies before Cardiff asked the questions late on, although Fulham withstood the pressure and will face neighbour Brentford – a 3-2 aggregate winner over Swansea City on Thursday (AEST) – at Wembley in five days.
