Fulham 0 - 2 Everton

Two goals from Leon Osman could not destroy the mood as Roy Hodgson clinched seventh place and hailed it one of the proudest moments in a 33-year coaching career.

Tears may have flowed on the Tyne and the Tees but it was champagne all round on the banks of the Thames as Fulham qualified for the Europa League despite Everton’s first win at Craven Cottage since 1966.

Tottenham’s defeat at Liverpool confirmed Fulham’s highest ever top-flight finish, not to mention the small matter of £10.64million in prize-money.

‘This rates very highly for me,’ confessed Hodgson, who has won titles in Sweden and Denmark, reached the UEFA Cup final with Inter Milan and led Switzerland to Euro 96.

‘I’ve had a long career and been very lucky. I’ve had quite a few honours come my way. I can look back on many years with pride but I will remember this as one of my very best.

The game drifted occasionally into the realms of a pre-season kickabout and the biggest surprise was that Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar had managed to pick up niggles which will have to be carefully monitored as the week unfolds.

Louis Saha, however, is one player who has discovered full form and fitness in time for Wembley and a summer holiday. He climbed above Aaron Hughes to plant an excellent header against the bar in the third minute and forced a superb fingertip save from Mark Schwarzer in the second half.

But it was Osman who displayed the killer instinct, striking in the closing minutes of each half.

His first was a fine example of Everton’s perpetual movement, with the brilliant Pienaar jinking in from the left and threading a neat pass through Fulham’s back four. Osman darted in from the right, taking care not to stray offside, took the ball in his stride, side-stepped Schwarzer and rolled it into the empty net.

Hodgson’s team enjoyed good spells of possession but rarely looked like pulling level. Bobby Zamora came off the bench to squander two clear chances with trademark inaccuracy and Tony Hibbert cleared off the line from Clint Dempsey in stoppage time.

Osman had already scored his second, two minutes from time, with a beautiful curling left-footer beyond Schwarzer’s dive. It was not enough to spoil the party at Craven Cottage.

‘We’re all going on a European tour,’ sang the home fans, although it will be interesting to see how many of them will be turning up for a tedious group game on a rainy Thursday in November.

Fulham’s only other European campaign, in 2002-03, started in the InterToto Cup on July 6 against FC Haka and consisted of 14 games before they went out to Hertha Berlin in the UEFA Cup third round.

This year, Hodgson has ordered his players back for training on July 1. He will turn his attention to ‘bolstering’ his squad and keeping defender Brede Hangeland from the clutches of Arsenal.

‘We will do everything in our power to keep him,’ said the Fulham boss. ‘But our power sometimes can’t be compared to the power of other clubs.’