Aston Villa were beaten 2-0 at Fulham but head coach Steve Bruce believes the scoreline could have been different if talisman Albert Adomah featured in the match.
Adomah, who has been the Villans best player so far this season with 14 goals, missed the trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday after picking up an injury. He sustained a hamstring problem in the game against Birmingham in which he scored last week.
And despite attempts to get him fit, the 28-year old couldn't be ready and his absence cost Aston Villa as the defeat at Fulham marked an end to a seven-match winning run in the league.
"I think today was always going to be about who could get the first goal. Unfortunately, we didn't," Bruce said.
"We had a few good chances in the first half but we weren't clinical enough. "We were dealt a blow before the game with injuries to Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah. "Over the last four or five weeks they've been the ones who've given us that cutting edge and penetration. "But as I said, I always thought it was going to be a case of who scored that first one. "They got it, and the second one is a mistake – it hasn't come off for Sam Johnstone. We got punished there." Back to third on the league table, Villa host Preston North End in their next game on Tuesday. And it looks as though Adomah will be out at least one more time. "With Jack, it's a case of wait and see," said, Bruce.