Ryan Sessegnon was left bloodied after a second-half collision but Slavisa Jokanovic will be glad his star man is OK - and that his side saved a point
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC netted his fifth goal of the season as Fulham fought back from a nightmare start to draw with high-flying Watford.
The Serbian struck 12 minutes from time when he netted at the near post after good work from Luciano Vietto.
Andre Gray had given Watford a dream start with their second fastest Premier League goal ever, netting after just 87 seconds at Craven Cottage.
It was Gray’s third goal of the season and his fine finish was just the tonic Watford needed after their first loss of the season to Manchester United last weekend.
Powerful Watford proved too tough and quick for Fulham for much of the match but gutsy Fulham did fight back late on.
With an unchanged team for the sixth successive league game, the visitors took the lead before many punters had even taken their seats.
Gray wreaked havoc in the centre of Fulham’s unimpressive defence before Will Hughes slotted the ball to him for a cool finish.
Heaven only knows what recently retired Fulham legend Clint Dempsey made of that shoddy defending watching from the stands.
It could have got much, much worse before the interval as Troy Deeney - who was lucky to avoid a serious injury following this horror lunge from Timothy Fosu-Mensah - continued to bully Fulham’s back four.
Christian Kabasele had a goal bound effort blocked from a corner and a poor Alfie Mawson back header allowed Gray another shot at goal, but this time Marcus Bettinelli managed to save his effort.
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Watford’s jolly green giants - they are the tallest team in the Premier League - towered over Fulham, limiting them to only one dangerous effort before half-time.
It occurred after 12 minutes when Vietto got clear on the left but his strike hit Ben Foster who had sprinted off his line.
Hughes, on the right of Watford’s midfield, was in brilliant form and surely England boss Gareth Southgate cannot ignore him for much longer - nor could the watching ex-Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, facing his former club for the first time, made a desperate double substitution at the break to try to shake up his side.
In the 50th minute, Mitrovic almost equalised but his far post header sailed over the bar.
But he made uproar that error 12 minutes from time.
In the 90th minute, Mitrovic hit the bar with a header after forcing Foster into a great save, palming his effort away for a corner.
