'Man up' - Fulham boss Scott Parker assesses automatic promotion picture and Aleksandar Mitrovic incident after Leeds United loss

Parker also said he was in no position to comment on Aleksandar Mitrovic's elbow on Ben White having not seen the incident back but did not see the challenge as an "issue during the game."

Fulham were lucky to escape a red card in just the second minute when striker Mitrovic elbowed Whites centre-back Ben White in the face off the ball.

Leeds then took the lead eight minutes later through Patrick Bamford and the Whites then held firm during a Cottagers onslaught before putting themselves out of sight via strikes from substitute Gjanni Alioski and Jack Harrison in the second half.

The victory put Leeds top of the Championship and three points clear but more importantly established an eight-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion spots with seven games left,

Fulham, though, now sit fourth, two points behind third-placed Brentford and seven adrift of West Brom and ten behind the Whites.

Parker admitted that achieving automatic promotion would now be tough but the Cottagers boss had few complaints with his side's performance with the concern regarding taking chances in front of goal.

"I think overall, the performance, certainly in the first half was exceptional really," said Parker at his post-match press conference.

"We came here with a real purpose about us to go and win the game and put it to a very good Leeds side, a top Leeds team that has navigated their way around this division for a few years now and I thought we were superb in that really.

"I think ultimately over the course of the game we need to be more clinical in the areas where we do carve out these chances.

"In the first half we probably need to put one away and the efficiency of Leeds at times, certainly in the second half as well, for all our chances and theirs really, they were more efficient in the final third. I think that was the run of it.

Speaking to Sky Sports pitch side after the 3-0 loss, Parker was asked if automatic promotion was still possible and admitted: "I think it's going to be tough.

"I don't think there's any denying that.

"Obviously we came here today and I said beforehand can we narrow that gap to four points and open up this division. That's not the case.

"I think you have seen over the course of two or three games that have been played in this division in this current climate that there will be some shocks along the way and I have no doubt there will be some more to come really but our main focus is to go and win games.

"There's a challenge ahead of us and there's been many challenges this year which we have faced and we face another one now.

"I have been at this football club and I have been around this team for a long time now, seven odd years, and what I see at times is exactly that.

"We need to man up here, brace ourselves, dust ourselves down and we have seven games left and seven games of a season we have worked very hard for and we keep working on the process.

"We keep digging in, we keep understanding where we need to get to as a team and individuals and we keep trying to improve on that."

Asked about the Mitrovic incident and if he was concerned about a possible suspension for the stri,er, Parker said: "I have not seen it at the moment to be honest.

"During the game I didn’t see it as an issue really but I've not seen it over again so it would be unfair for me to comment on that really."