Danny Murphy scored the only goal of the game to give Fulham the win.
Hodgson said: “We were playing a good team, it was a very tough game.
“We were better in the second half, got on top and luckily scored our goal – but they made it tough in the final minutes.
“It was a gritty performance in terms of our defending – which is an important part of the game.
“We were able to rest one or two senior players, who I hope will recover for the weekend. It’s important to use your squad in this competition.”
