Martin Jol was less than impressed that his Fulham side failed to nullify Norwich's second half surge at Craven Cottage.

The hosts ended a three-game losing run in the Premier League, but Jol felt his side could have been well out of sight before Aaron Wilbraham's deflected strike halved the deficit.

Clint Dempsey and Damien Duff fired Fulham into an early lead and Fulham also hit the woodwork in either half as the Cottagers looked to avoid a nervy finish in their bid to end that recent winless streak.

'I have to say I had mixed feelings after the game,' said Jol. 'The first half we were well prepared for them and started off well. They changed their system all the time and they do that with a purpose.

'That was not easy to cope with but I thought we used the right tactics in the first half. There was a good balance between offensive and defensive play. As a matter of fact, we played against their reserves on Monday and we beat them 5-1 and they played in a similar way.

'In the second half they changed their formation and forced us to double-up on the flanks, go back and we couldn't get out of it. Pavel (Pogrebnyak) was not there, Andy Johnson was of course injured so we needed a bit of penetration.

'That was probably the reason we could not get out of it but I have to say if you have to defend, you have to defend. I could not change that in this game so I was fairly pleased in the end, although we didn't play in our style in the second half.

'Of course my defenders are used to that in the last couple of years and I think they did tremendously well in that aspect.'

Fulham struggled to find an attacking outlet after the powerful Russian striker limped off in the 35th minute, even though replacement Alex Kacaniklic impressed on his debut. Jol revealed Pogrebnyak has aggravated an old ankle problem after a touchline tangle with Elliott Ward.

'Pavel went off with something to do with his former injury,' said Jol. 'He twisted his ankle again so for us it is vital for us that he is back in the next couple of games. I think in the next one or two days we will find out more. He made a tackle on the touchline and he hurt himself.

'Pavel is a number nine and the only other player I have there is a very young player in Marcello Trotta. I had to make a decision and put Dempsey up front and give Alex his debut. I think he did well, but it would have helped if he had scored the third one when he hit the bar four minutes into the second half.'

Jol hailed Dempsey's impact with the 19-goal American midfielder – who is rapidly approaching the final year of his current Fulham deal – playing a key role in Fulham's brace.

'You look at Alex as well and we have some options down the left but Clint is very good at arriving late in the box to be on the end of things,' said the former Tottenham boss.

'In the second half we had to use him in a different way, which was not probably his strength, but if you look at my players he is the one who could do a job. I was very proud of the boys today and I know everyone who is committed to this club will be here next year.'

Jol admitted Wibraham's strike made for an uncomfortable finale.

'When the balance is gone between your attacking methods and your defensive play then you see what can happen,' he said. 'We couldn't hold the ball, even when we were in their half five or six times we gave it away. That is what they (Norwich) want – to put you under pressure.'