Fulham produced a fine performance on Thursday evening to record an impressive win over current UEFA Cup holders, Shakhtar Donetsk. The Whites took the lead early on but the side from Ukraine soon took control of the game and put the Whites' under intense pressure for long spells.
The second-half saw more of an evenly matched battle and a wonder-strike from Bobby Zamora was enough to give Fulham a one-goal lead going into the second leg in Donetsk.
"It was a good win, it was a very difficult game and they're a top side who worked us really well," said Fulham midfielder Simon Davies. "We kept our shape well and defended well as a team. It was a good win overall and it gives us a chance out there."
Having recently returned from injury, Davies has enjoyed getting straight back into the action.
"These are the sort of nights you think about when you're out injured," he explained. "I've been lucky with injury since I've been here, for three years I'd only missed one game through injury. So it's just one of those things you try not to get too down about. We qualified for this competition this year and I missed quite a bit of the group games, it is frustrating but hopefully I'm back for the main part of the season - and it's an exciting run-in we've got.
"In my first two seasons we just avoided relegation and ever since the Manager's come in he's changed the Club around. We're in the last 32 of the Europa League, beating teams like Shakhtar Donetsk who are a top quality side.
"I wouldn't say we're overachieving. If you look at the way we work for each other as a team, the Manager is a great believer in that. If you're going to play for him you've got to put a shift in first and foremost, work to a system and be tight defensively. The Shakhtar game epitomised that, when games are like that you've got to do your work, dig in and hopefully with strikers like Bob and Zoltan, we're going to get the goals when we get the chances."