Saturday 27 August 2016 21:19, UK
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic believes Tom Cairney has the ability to play in the Premier League after his late winner consigned his former club Blackburn to a 1-0 defeat.
Cairney, who left Ewood Park last summer, had the last laugh when he lit up a game heading towards a stalemate with calm passing and a clinical finish in the fourth minute of injury time.
Neither side did enough to win the game, though the game's outstanding performer, Fulham debutant Neeskens Kebano, and Rovers' Danny Graham both went close.
But Fulham showed a resilience and organisation seldom there last season which gave them a platform to grab the late winner to register their first win at Ewood Park since 2005, which lifts them to second in the Sky Bet Championship.
Jokanovic spoke of the value of Cairney, who he believes can make the transition to the Premier League. He said: "They're some very strong words but Tom Cairney can be a Premier League player. His quality, he's clinical.
"He's a player who doesn't lose passes. He normally completes around 90 per cent. We know him, he played for this club though I'm not sure what style he played. But he's a very important part of our squad and I like this player."
It means the Cottagers have now gone five unbeaten in the league and are yet to taste defeat in any competitive game this season.
Significantly, it is a first clean sheet against Blackburn since 2009 - another aspect of the performance that Jokanovic was happy with.
For Blackburn, the late defeat was a devastating blow after a performance unlike any they've put in this season.
There was a cohesion at the back, commitment in the tackle and a willingness to engage rather than back away from opponents.
But Blackburn remain winless in their five games and are rooted to the bottom of the table after their three-game winning run over the Cottagers was ended.
Rovers boss Owen Coyle, though, was upbeat about his side's performance and their future chances, despite the late blow.
He said: "I've been in the game long enough to know it can be a very cruel game and I think that happened. I thought our level of performance was terrific.
"[Tommie] Hoban came in [on Friday] as did [Derrick] Williams. It was against a very good team, I've got to say.
"It was a team full of confidence but we stood up to that. We restricted them to very few opportunities. I thought, when we went, we had one or two chances ourselves.
"Not as many as we'd like but the application and the effort, I thought there was an awful lot to be pleased about. The disappointment of course is we've lost the goal that decides the game so late and we had opportunities to clear it.
"It's hard to take for the players and the fans because they were great, they got behind the team and really backed the players and created a good atmosphere.
"What I do know moving forward, if we perform like that and as we look to Wednesday to add to the squad, then I know it will leave us in a good place and a platform to drive ourselves up the Championship table."
