Half-time: Fulham 0 Preston 1

Managerless Fulham trailed at the break to Joe Garner’s early goal.

Visitors Preston took full advantage of a tactical mismatch to gain the upper hand in the opening stages.

Their wing-back system allowed them to exploit the lack of width in the Fulham side and a Daniel Johnson pass into the open channel created the first chance, with Eoin Doyle’s snapshot saved by Joe Lewis.

But it took Preston only 11 minutes to go in front. A short corner routine led to Paul Gallagher’s cross, and Garner headed it in at the far post.

Johnson drilled a shot wide as Preston continued to look threatening and it wasn’t until midway through the first half that Fulham awoke.

Tom Cairney fired wide, Ross McCormack saw a shot blocked and Moussa Dembele’s curling effort was superbly tipped over by Jordan Pickford.

Preston squandered an opportunity to double the lead late in the half when Garner nodded a cross into Doyle’s path, but he headed just wide.

Fulham made three changes to the starting line-up, with Scott Parker making his first Fulham appearance in seven months after Sakari Mattila pulled out with a back injury in the warm-up.

Tim Ream and James Husband were also brought back into the side, at the expense of Dan Burn and Luke Garbutt.

Fulham: Lewis; Fredericks, Stearman, Ream, Husband; O’Hara; Parker, Kavanagh; Cairney; McCormack, Dembele.
Subs: Rodak, Voser, Garbutt, Hutchinson, Pringle, Smith, Woodrow.

Preston: Pickford; Clarke, Huntington, Cunningham; Vermijl, Browne, Gallagher, Johnson, Reach; Garner, Doyle.
Subs: Kirkland, Davies, Kilkenny, Welsh, Hugill, Keane, May.