79’
Cardiff City’s hopes of Premier League safety were dealt a serious blow by a stunning strike from Ryan Babel that gave Fulham a 1-0 win.
The best chance of the first half fell to Aleksandar Mitrovic, but the Fulham forward's shot was saved by Neil Etheridge.
Fulham broke the deadlock with 11 minutes remaining. Cyrus Christie dribbled deep into the Cardiff half and laid the ball off for Babel, who curled a superb first-time effort into the far corner.
Cardiff responded strongly, with Danny Ward's header tipped over by Sergio Rico, who made three more fine saves, while Junior Hoilett hit the crossbar.
The defeat, combined with Brighton & Hove Albion's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United later in the day, means Neil Warnock’s side are four points off safety with two matches remaining.
A third successive win takes Fulham, who are 19th, to 26 points.
See: Fulham report | Cardiff report
Next fixtures
Fulham: 4 May v Wolves (A)
Cardiff: 4 May v Crystal Palace (H)
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