Fulham strike further clear at Championship summit as Swans boss fumes at dismissal

Fulham moved 14 points clear at the top of the Championship after a 5-1 win at Swansea on Tuesday night.

Whites boss Marco Silva admitted Ryan Manning’s 42nd-minute dismissal for a challenge on Harry Wilson was a turning point in a finely-balanced contest.

Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham ahead in the 46th minute, quickly followed by an own goal by Ben Cabango.

Bobby Decordova-Reid added a third on 73 minutes before a brace by Liverpool loanee Neco Williams – the latter a superb strike from the edge of the box.

Swansea boss Russell Martin was left unhappy at Manning’s dismissal and confirmed they would be appealing it.

“In that moment, I have to be honest, I would say no [it was not a red],” said Silva. “After I saw the leg of Harry Wilson, I started to think in a different way.

“We had a plan, but in the first 15-20 minutes we did it wrong, completely wrong. We started to jump in at the right moments and they beat the pressure easily.

“After that we balanced it a bit more, we didn’t give them the chance to find the spare player. After that we started to control the game better, it became more balanced. They had more possession but it didn’t create anything.

“We started to make the runs in the right moment [after the break], in the half spaces. It was a matter of time for us to score more goals.

“It is an important three points after a massive win on Saturday. It’s a fantastic feeling.”