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Fulham 1-0 FC Basel
Mark Schwarzer expects Fulham's impressive results in Europe to spark an improvement in their Premier League performances.
Fulham have yet to fire in domestic competition, taking just six points from their opening six matches. But it is a different story in the Europa League, where Roy Hodgson's men have moved top of Group E after defeating FC Basel at Craven Cottage.
Fulham now have only two days to recover before taking on West Ham in Sunday's derby clash at Upton Park - but Schwarzer urged his team-mates to draw inspiration from their composed displays against continental opposition.
Schwarzer was part of the Middlesbrough side which reached the UEFA Cup Final in 2006, and the Australian goalkeeper said: "It's a great tournament to be in, and the campaign with Middlesbrough was fantastic. Everyone would like to be in the Champions League, but the Europa League is the next biggest thing, and for Fulham, it is a real occasion.
"We have a vital game against West Ham in the League on Sunday, and hopefully we can use the confidence we have gained from the last two games to move forward. This can be a platform for us."
Danny Murphy scored the only goal, finishing off one of the few fluent moves of the game to steer the ball beyond Basel goalkeeper Franco Costanzo from the edge of the penalty area in the 57th minute. But the home side were fortunate to claim all three points as Benjamin Huggel and Marco Streller missed easy chances in either half for the visitors.
Chris Smalling again looked promising at centre-back, but Fulham will be expecting Brede Hangeland - who was rested last night - to return from an ankle problem to play at Upton Park instead of the 19-year-old.
