Fulham took a massive step towards an immediate return to English football’s top tier as they beat Cardiff 2-0 away in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final.
Swansea’s 1-0 win over Brentford in the other semi had raised hopes of a potential all-Welsh final clash at Wembley, but that now looks very unlikely given Fulham’s first leg triumph.
The Cottagers were one of the in-form teams in the league going into the playoffs, but were without Aleksandar Mitrovic, with manager Scott Parker deeming that the forward, suffering from a minor niggle, needed to be preserved for the return leg in London.
