FULHAM lost 16-15 on penalties to Preston North End in the third round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night with a fully changed side – but Cottagers boss Marco Silva insisted they did enough to win
After a 1-1 draw following normal time at Deepdale, it was 8-8 when Fulham’s Jorge Cuenca and Preston’s Kaine Kesler Hayden both missed.
Ryan Ledson scored the winning penalty after Timothy Castagne had fired over the bar as the longest shootout in the competition’s history finally concluded.
Ledson had put Preston ahead after 35 minutes before Reiss Nelson scored his first Fulham goal on 61 minutes.
Cottagers boss Marco Silva made eleven changes to his side from the 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend.
“I think, no I’m sure, that we did enough during the 95 minutes to win the game,” Silva said.
“From the first minute, we took control of the game and I think we created enough chances to score more goals. That is the situation.
“We created two or three chances that we should have scored. One rebound in that moment on the edge of the box and they scored. A very good reaction from us second half. We took control of the game all second half. A good goal from us.
“Some good chances again, the crossbar, a lot of crosses, a lot of moments where we should have scored. We didn’t and after in the penalties, they scored one more than us, one goal, and they are in the next round.”
Nelson got his goal after fine work from Ryan Sessegnon.
Silva said: “Very good run from Sess. I think he’s improving, he’s getting better. From the first minute until the last minute, he kept composure always. He was strong defensively and, of course, offensively we know that he is capable to do.
“It’s important for him to get the confidence he needs because all of us know the quality that he has.”
Summer signing Sander Berge also played his first 90 minutes.
Silva added: “It’s important for him to get 90 minutes for the first time with our shirt and he’s going to be, step by step, in the condition that we need him to be to play the Premier League games.”
