Short counts cost of referee's yellow fever

Fulham 2 Blackburn Rovers

As the referee Mark Halsey blew his whistle to mark the end of a game which saw Blackburn lose for the 10th time in 12 matches the skies darkened, the wind intensified and the heavens opened.

The conditions made a suitably dramatic backdrop for Halsey – one of Saturday's leading actors – as he walked off in the company of Andrew Cole, who was unlikely to have been discussing the worsening weather. Halsey is a busy man these days. Last month after being widely praised for his handling of Leeds' game with Arsenal at Elland Road, he then mistakenly sent off Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink during Chelsea's Worthington Cup semi-final defeat to Spurs. On Saturday, within the opening six minutes, Halsey had brandished his yellow card three times. Another busy day concluded with him dismissing Blackburn's Craig Short for elbowing Steve Marlet in the game's dying moments.

Short's dismissal means the defender will miss the Worthington Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur in just under a fortnight, unless Blackburn can overturn the decision. Halsey also booked Blackburn's Tugay, which will cost the Turk a Cup final appearance. Short's mood matched the weather conditions.

"The man [Marlet] cheated," said the Blackburn defender. 'I admit contact was made, but he went down unbelievably." Marlet denied he had tumbled theatrically and in fairness to Halsey, he was perfectly placed to view the incident.

Amid the hullabaloo, the fact that Blackburn had slipped into the relegation zone for the first time this season seemed to be of almost secondary importance. Blackburn's manager, Graeme Souness said he was confident his team would stay up – "Alarm bells are not yet ringing in my head because I think I have a good team. I think we are very close to being a good team that can more than hold its own in this League."

Fulham's goals came from Barry Hayles and Steed Malbranque. It was not so long ago that Hayles was playing for Stevenage Borough; now he is keeping the likes of Louis Saha out of the side. According to Fulham's assistant manager, Christian Damiano, Hayles thrives more at home than away – "This is his garden," said the Frenchman of Craven Cottage – and particularly at the end where the home supporters congregate, even though on Saturday Hayles scored in front of the Blackburn supporters.

"Everyone thought that I would be the makeweight,' said Hayles. "I was only a chippie and a Conference league player a few years ago. Fulham signed all these players and I said to myself, 'Barry you've had a hard life, make sure if you're going to go, fight it out.' And I fought back and I'm in the side and now it's up to them to get me out."

Equally impressive was Malbranque, who was a key component of Damiano's French Under-17 and Under-19 international teams when player and coach were working together in France. It was the Fulham assistant manager who recommended the former Lyon player to Tigana. "He is and was the best player of his generation in France," said Damiano of Malbranque. "He has this capacity to change the face of a game."

Goals: Hayles (31) 1-0; Malbranque (63) 2-0.

Fulham (4-4-2): Van der Sar 6; Finnan 6, Melville 5, Goma 6, Brevett 5; Legwinski 6, Davis 7, Malbranque 8, Collins 7; Marlet 6 (Willock 90), Hayles 7. Substitutes not used: Taylor (gk), Harley, Saha, Ouaddou.

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel 5; Curtis 4 (Hignett 4, 68), Berg 5, Short 5, Taylor 4; Neill 5 (Gillespie 5, 69), Tugay 6, Dunn 6, Duff 5; Jansen 3 (Johansson 90), Cole 5. Substitutes not used: Kelly (gk), Hughes.

Referee: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City) 4.

Bookings: Fulham: Malbranque, Melville, Marlet. Blackburn: Neill, Tugay.

Sending off: Blackburn: Short.

Man of the match: Malbranque.

Attendance: 19,580.