Monday Fulham Stuff - 29/09/25...

[WhiteJC]

 
Results

Sunday 28/09
Villa	3-1	Fulham
		Raúl
Newcastle	1-2	Arsenal

[WhiteJC]

Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham
At a glance

    Aston Villa score twice in two second-half minutes

    Ollie Watkins ends his goal drought with Villa's equaliser

    Raul Jimenez opens the scoring for Fulham after three minutes

Ollie Watkins ended his goal drought as Aston Villa came from behind to beat Fulham for their first Premier League win of the season.

The England striker had not scored in his previous nine games, the joint-worst run of his Villa career, but his equaliser gave Villa the platform for victory.

John McGinn and substitute Emi Buendia - his first Villa goal for a year - scored twice in two minutes just after the break to put the game beyond Fulham.

Raul Jimenez's header had given the visitors a third-minute lead but the striker was forced off injured soon after.

The Cottagers - who have won just one of their past 22 league games at Villa Park - faded after a strong start. That allowed Villa, who again looked poor for the majority of the first half, back into the game.

Ezri Konsa cleared off the line from Sasa Lukic as Fulham looked to recover from their nightmare start to the second half but by then Villa had taken control.

Villa analysis: Crucial win but still far from their best
Aston Villa desperately needed this victory.

Not that Unai Emery's position is under threat but the narrative around their season was one of concern following five winless games.

More is expected of a club with European ambitions, and so the nature of Villa's flat and listless performances had been a growing worry.

Three points against Fulham can now give Villa the springboard they craved as they travel to Feyenoord in the Europa League this week.

The visit of Burnley follows in the Premier League and, quickly, the horizon looks a little brighter - especially following Thursday's narrow Europa League win over Bologna.

Not that this was Villa at their swashbuckling best - far from it. They ground it out after falling behind to Raul Jimenez's header while there was also an element of Fulham allowing them a route back.

That Watkins also ended his goal drought, having gone nine games without scoring, removes another obstacle which had threatened to trip Villa up this season.

The striker, who struck 16 times in the Premier League last season, is so crucial to Villa's hopes, having had little goalscoring back-up. His return to the scoresheet capped a satisfying, if not comprehensive, win.

Fulham analysis: Cottagers feel hard done by but wilted under pressure
Fulham's recent record at Villa Park is awful and so defeat should not be entirely unexpected.

Boss Marco Silva could claim to feel hard done by after Josh King was booked for simulation instead of getting a penalty after Emi Martinez rushed out in the first half.

There was contact and Fulham felt they had a case while they were also unhappy when a review turned down any infringement after Matty Cash's hand blocked a goalbound shot.

But ultimately, the visitors were the architects of their own downfall after failing to bury a fragile Villa side who again looked bereft of confidence for the majority of the first half.

A failure to deal with Lucas Digne's long ball, which led to Watkins' leveller, was wretched but the reaction to it was even worse, allowing Villa to strike twice in quick succession after the break.

Their controversial defeat at Chelsea aside, it has been a positive start to the season from Silva's men but their second-half surrender will be a low point.

What's next for these teams?
Aston Villa go to Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday before welcoming Burnley on Sunday.

Fulham travel to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Friday and then host Arsenal on 18 October after the international break.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cj6x9exk8j0t

[WhiteJC]

Post-Aston Villa Press Conference
Marco Silva was left frustrated with the manner in which Fulham allowed Aston Villa to turn the game in their favour on Sunday afternoon.

A rapid start had the Whites leading after Raúl Jiménez's third minute header, but after Ollie Watkins equalised following a route one move, two goals inside three minutes at the start of the second half secured the points for Villa.

"Completely two different halves, that is true," Silva said. "Very good start from ourselves, I think the way we started the game was very, very good.

"Good goal from Raúl – prepared and executed from the players. Great corner, and very good header from Raúl.

"We knew how the game was going to be after that moment – I think we did use the high line really very well until the equaliser.

"Some good moments one-v-one with [Emiliano] Martinez with Josh [King], the other one with Josh as well, with Matty Cash in front of him. Some good, dangerous moments from us and always we were very well organised in our backline.

"We knew that they were going to try to get in behind, and that's what hurts me more, because we knew it, we planned for it, we knew the way the ball is going to go in behind for Watkins or for another player.

"And because of that, I think that we have to blame ourselves for the way we conceded the three goals. I think we were too soft for the level that the Premier League demands at a side with the individual quality they have.

"The game was completely under control from ourselves – leading the score, more chances to score the second. And to concede the equaliser, from a long ball from a defender, you cannot concede that goal at this level that we are playing.

"Because of that, we have to blame ourselves – things that you can control. Things that you cannot control... it's happened too often this season so far for Fulham, and this afternoon was again another good example.

"It was a good reaction from [Villa], they equalised the game after the 1-0 and our very good start. Of course it gave them some confidence, the game was much more balanced in that moment, and after we were punished by the way we started the second half.

"It was a moment for us to react again, to start strong. We spoke at half-time, things to adjust, and we conceded two really poor goals, to be honest.

"We lost one ball from Adama in that moment, yes, but the way our two midfielders were set up on the pitch, we have to be much more in control of that moment.

"And the third goal was more or less the same situation. And, of course, when these things happen, it's going to be much more difficult for us."

Fulham's cause was not helped by Raúl's departure from proceedings a matter of minutes after giving his side the lead.

With Rodrigo Muniz also absent with a muscle problem, it meant winger Adama Traoré had to play out of position as our number nine.

"Losing Raúl had a massive impact on ourselves, without Rodrigo Muniz," Silva explained. "Everything is much more difficult after.

"Adama tried, it's true he is a different style. We're much more of a team who likes to link with our striker in a different way. Adama, this is not his profile, but it's up to me and to us to find different solutions with a different profile of striker."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2025/september/28/post-aston-villa-press-conference/

[WhiteJC]

Mark Clattenburg says VAR made game-changing mistake in Aston Villa v Fulham everyone's ignoring
Mark Clattenburg thinks Fulham were wronged by Andy Madley and VAR in their Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Aston Villa returned to winning ways against Fulham, and Unai Emery will surely breathe a sigh of relief following a challenging campaign so far.

But the Fulham clash once again started poorly for the Villans. Raul Jimenez's early glancing header put Fulham in the ascendancy, though the home side responded extremely well.

That said, the match could have gone very differently if the two first-half decisions had gone in the Cottagers' favour.

Exclusive: Mark Clattenburg says Matty Cash should have conceded a penalty
In the first half, the ever-dangerous Josh King danced through the Villa defence and hit a shot towards goal, which Matty Cash appeared to block with his arm.

Andy Madley dismissed the penalty appeals, and VAR also checked, but no penalty was given.

Mark Clattenburg believes this was a mistake. Speaking exclusively to TBR Football, Clattenburg said: "Anywhere else in the world, a penalty would have been given against Matty Cash after Josh King's shot towards goal.

"Only Premier League referees do not penalise handball when a defender stops the ball going towards goal after a shot.

"Matty Cash turns away but still stops the ball with his back arm, which is away from the body. I would prefer this to be given as a penalty."

This could have seen Fulham go 2-0 up, potentially putting the game out of reach – a game-changing mistake, no doubt.

An incident that has gone under the radar, considering the other call in the match.

Mark Clattenburg disagrees with Jamie Redknapp on Emi Martinez call
The other first-half call scrutinised by pundits and fans involved Emiliano Martinez, once again with King.

Martinez rushed out and clipped the teenager, leaving Jamie Redknapp convinced it was a penalty. Redknapp told Sky Sports: "This is a penalty. Watch, he takes him out here, the 'keeper.

"Watch his right foot. Josh King has nowhere to go, knocking it one way, going around him the other. Now watch Martinez's right foot – sends it past him, look, he's cleaned him out. Look! What's he meant to do?"

Clattenburg, however, disagreed. Speaking with TBR Football, he said: "At the time, and even after watching replays, I agree with Andy Madley's decision to award a yellow card to Fulham's Joshua King for simulation.

"Emiliano Martinez goes to ground before King pushes the ball past and then sees Martinez's leg before going over it. Before the contact on the leg, the forward is already going down, looking to win a penalty with a fall that does not look natural. We criticise referees, but this time Madley got it right."

Refereeing in the Premier League has been poor this season, and Fulham may feel hard done by the Martinez decision.



https://tbrfootball.com/mark-clattenburg-says-var-made-a-game-changing-mistake-in-aston-villa-v-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Ex-refs chief: Fulham should have been awarded penalty vs Aston Villa after footage re-analysed
Aston Villa were incredibly lucky to survive a big penalty appeal in the first half of their Premier League clash against Fulham.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Marco Silva's side should've been given a spot-kick for a handball infringement.

Aston Villa came into the game in the Premier League relegation zone, with Emery publicly criticising his players following their draw with Sunderland last weekend.

As for Fulham, they were looking to win their third top-flight game on the spin, after victories over Brentford and Leeds.

Despite going a goal behind, it was Villa who came out on the winning side, with Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, and Emi Buendia firing Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Fulham.

Keith Hackett believes Aston Villa were very lucky to not concede penalty
Fulham striker Raul Jimenez was forced off with an injury in the first half, but not before he had given the Cottagers the lead, flicking home a header from Sasa Lukic's corner.

20 minutes in, Josh King burst through on goal and seemed to be taken out by Emiliano Martinez in the box, but instead was given a yellow card for simulation.

Moments later, the 18-year-old had a second penalty appeal, as his goalbound shot struck the hand of Aston Villa defender Matty Cash.

Despite a VAR check, the spot kick wasn't given, and the Premier League Match Centre account addressed the incident in a post on X (28 September), saying: "The referee's call of no penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action from Cash deemed not to be a handball offence, with the arm in a justifiable position."

Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett disagreed with the explanation and revealed that Cash was lucky to get away with the incident.

He said: "Whilst it may appear harsh, there is no doubt that Matty Cash has made his body shape bigger to block the ball. He is fortunate that he didn't have a penalty kick awarded against him."

Josh King continues to impress for Fulham
King has been a threat all season for Fulham, but was especially impressive during the first half at Villa Park.

The Villans' defence were unable to deal with the young attacker, who got in behind on a number of occasions.

For the handball incident, the England under-19 international weaved between multiple Villa defenders before releasing his shot towards goal.

King was cruelly denied his first Premier League goal against Chelsea back in August, but will surely find the back of the net eventually if he continues his good form.



https://www.footballinsider247.com/he-is-fortunate-ex-refs-chief-believes-fulham-shouldve-been-awarded-penalty-vs-aston-villa/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham U18 2-5 Southampton U18
Fulham Under-18s suffered a 5-2 defeat at home to Southampton on Saturday morning.

The Saints were clinical in the first-half, putting five past our defence in a 27-minute spell.

Even though the shot count in this game was pretty even, the scoreline was one-sided, although Markuss Gomins and Brodie Dair scored late on as we put in a spirited second-half performance.

Southampton's first shot of the game resulted in the first goal. There was nothing Oliver Mayer could do about Thierry Rohart-Brown's bullet from range.

There should have been an immediate response as Harley Platel showed quick feet to take the ball around Oscar Abbotson, but he decided to delay the shot, instead setting up Anand Batra, who saw his effort blocked on the line.

Batra, rewarded with a start after scoring from the bench in last weekend's defeat at West Ham, was lively once again, working space for a shot before firing at Abbotson.

But the Saints were on target again as Rohart-Brown added to his tally, this time meeting a cross from the left before bundling home.

A third was added shortly after as Tyler Lemon burst down the right side, finishing calmly beyond Mayer with his left foot.

An eye-catching passing sequence led to the fourth goal, and it was Korban McMullan who provided the finishing touch, with his shot beyond the reach of Mayer and into the corner.

Kayden Sessegnon should have opened his U18s account just before the break. He highlighted his pace and strength to break away down the right, but the accuracy of the shot wasn't there, blasting over from a good position.

The story of the game was one of one team being more ruthless than the other. The Saints made it five as Quinn Schutter got the final touch on a flash across goal.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, we were still creating chances. Only a sensational fingertips stop from Abbotson denied Dair; an extended arm tipping the Scotsman's shot onto the crossbar.

Further damage could have been done in the second period, but Walter Nutter dragged a strike just past the post, while Alfie White was well positioned to make a vital block from Harry Gathercole.

Our Young Whites continued to rally – and Gomins climbed highest to net his fourth goal of the season from Nazim Benchaita's cross.

Dair got himself on the scoresheet, picking out the bottom corner with precision after being found in the box.

The U18s are next in action at home to West Brom on Saturday 4th October, 12pm kick-off.
Fulham U18: Mayer, Benchaita, Schutter, Gomins, Kapotwe (Cliff 73'), White, Khan (Kondau-Wall 73'), Sessegnon (De-Gale 55'), Evans (Dair 30'), Platel, Batra (Lubega 55')

Subs: Dair, Cliff, De-Gale, Lubega, Kondau-Wall

Southampton U18: Abbotson, Adjei-Afriyie, Anderson, Day (Bobby Martin 68'), Goremusandu (Gbajumo 67'), Rohart-Brown, Nutter (Rodda 68'), Lemon, McMullan, Umeh (Gathercole 45'), Newman (Hawe 67')

Subs: Hawe, Rodda, Gbajumo, Bobby Martin, Gathercole



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2025/september/27/fulham-u18-2-5-southampton-u18/

[WhiteJC]

Birmingham U21 1-3 Fulham U21
Fulham Under-21s maintained their 100 per cent record in PL2 by coming from behind to beat Birmingham City.

It looked as though it could be a long evening when Daniel Isichei gave Blues an early lead, but some excellent attacking play saw us reply with three goals before the interval.

Farhaan Ali Wahid scored a superb solo goal, while Aaron Loupalo-Bi added a brace with two poacher's finishes.

Looking to dominate from the first whistle, Ali Wahid had our first chance, testing Brad Mayo as he struck low towards goal.                                                 

But we found ourselves behind as Isichei was allowed to cut in from the left too easily before finishing past Alfie McNally.

Isichei was causing issues down the left – and we were fortunate that his drilled ball across the face of goal wasn't met by a Blues player.

Our equaliser was well crafted and expertly finished. Ali Wahid played a one-two with Loupalo-Bi, whose lay off was inch perfect, allowing the winger to latch onto the ball, drive 25 yards with the ball before rifling a shot into the corner.

That leveller had our tails up – as Seth Ridgeon confidently rifled a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards.

Loupalo-Bi rounded off a dream week eight minutes before the interval. Just a few days after signing a new long-term deal at Fulham, he smacked an effort past Mayo from close range. The assist from Tom Olyott was divine, a perfectly weighted through ball which cut through the defence and into the striker's path.

The striker benefitted from another outstanding assist on the stroke of half-time. Ali Wahid beat Alezandro Da Siva down the left, reached the byline before drilling the ball across the face of goal, and the excellent Loupalo-Bi was there to finish.

He almost added a third, meeting a tidy chipped pass from Chibby Nwoko, but his strike was wild and off target.

Loupalo-Bi was bearing down on Mayo's goal again after racing onto a ball over the top, but he lost control while trying to round the goalkeeper.

Despite our deserved lead, Blues still created chances as McNally got down low to deny Briar Bateman.

He then made his best save of the night to parry a powerful Menzi Mazwi shot, before Isichei's follow up was heroically blocked by Eddy Nsasi.

The hosts ended the game on top – and it would have been a nervy final few minutes had Bateman not fired over from a promising position.

Our U21s are next in action at home to Liverpool on Friday 3rd October, 7pm kick-off at Motspur Park.
Birmingham City U21: Mayo, Burrell, Willis, Quirk, Da Silva, Eubank, Mazwi, Isichei, Bateman, Gurnier (Wynne 63'), Tattum (Ruiz Rente 73')

Subs: O'Sullivan, Ruiz Rente, Boakye, Wynne, Maddox

Fulham U21: McNally, Gofford (Brad de Jesus 69'), Nsasi, Amissah, Esenga, Quashie, Nwoko, Olyott (Zepa 69'), Ridgeon, Ali-Wahid (Slade 84'), Loupalo-Bi (Evans 84')

Subs: Underwood, Slade, Brad de Jesus, Evans, Zepa



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2025/september/26/birmingham-u21-1-3-fulham-u21/

[WhiteJC]

Marco Silva hits out at Premier League referees over 'clear' Fulham penalty decision in Aston Villa defeat
Marco Silva let rip at Premier League officials after claiming Fulham had been denied a clear penalty in their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

With the visitors leading 1-0, Josh King raced into the box and tumbled over a challenge from Emi Martinez – only to receive a booking for diving instead of a spot-kick.

Silva was already fuming about incidents at Chelsea earlier this season, when a goal from King was controversially disallowed after a VAR check, and the hosts were given a disputed penalty.

'We don't need anyone to educate Josh King,' said Silva. 'We know how to educate a player. He is a great talent and not a player who likes to cheat. This was a moment for Josh to be given something from VAR and they didn't give him it again. You can imagine how he is going to feel.

'The referee (Andrew Madley) was very quick to give the yellow card. I watched the images and it's clear. He was tackled by Martinez, 100 per cent – nobody can tell me he was not. If a player is tackled by the goalkeeper in the box, 99 per cent of the time it is a penalty. The other one per cent, was this one today – not a penalty.

'[The officials] can call us, they can write to us what they want but it's clear that it was a penalty.'

Silva was also irked at another penalty call, when King's shot hit the arm of Matty Cash but the referee was unmoved.

In that 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, Fulham conceded a penalty when Ryan Sessegnon was ruled to have handled a cross. Silva argued that Cash's intervention was similar and believes the same standards were not applied.

'Cash didn't do it on purpose, but he made his body bigger – which is what Sessegnon was ruled to have done,' Silva pointed out. 'One week it is a penalty, another it is not. It is too obvious to speak about it.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-15142341/Marco-Silva-Premier-League-referees-Fulham-penalty-decision-Aston-Villa-defeat.html

[WhiteJC]

More misfortune for King as Fulham collapse at Villa Park
Aston Villa's 3-1 comeback came after a Cash handball went unsanctioned with Fulham leading.

On 20 October 2022, Fulham beat Aston Villa 3-0, a resolute victory over Steven Gerrard's abject corpse of a team. He was promptly sacked, Unai Emery was given the chance to return to the Premier League, and Fulham have been subservient to Villa in each subsequent meeting. Today's 3-1 defeat at Villa Park was no different, as player fitness, officiating decisions and even basic footballing competence deserted us on a sordid afternoon for the club, where a promising opening spell morphed into a disastrous second half.

First half
Anyone expecting a Sunday snooze was corrected within the opening minutes. Fulham started brightly, looking to seize upon the nerves troubling Villa's early season performances. A smart combination from King and Sessegnon forced Konsa to divert the latter's cross out for a corner. Lukic swung a cross in, which was met by Jimenez, cruising along the six-yard box before flicking his head under the ball to guide it goalwards, into the open chasm by the far post. An excellent start for Fulham, which even survived a bogus VAR review (McGinn pushed Berge first, Berge is taller and stronger than McGinn, McGinn should read Newton's Third Law of Motion!)

Raul's chance to bask in the sun was cruelly cut short, however - a injury in the commotion of the goal saw him forced off early, his former Wolves teammate Adama Traore replacing him as an unconventional striker in Muniz's absence. The long pause gave Villa a chance to regroup, swerving the immediate ferocity our early goal might have caused around the ground. They became direct quickly, their four advanced players taking the ball and charging into Fulham territory. Some smartly-timed interventions were needed - wingers Rogers and Guessand needed one-a-piece from Andersen and Bassey to stop their runs into the box amounting to anything. Their high pressing and positioning here frayed our concentration. Bassey, not for the first time, lost possession in precarious positions around the back, and was fortunate McGinn curled a subsequent one-on-one chance high and wide.

This was far from Villa dominance, though. Traore's physical presence was unnerving Mings and Konsa, and with Villa bodies moving forward we were finding pockets of space to play ourselves into. King basked in the sun, galloping into channels, fizzing through the game with verve and positivity. A run from the left, set up by Sessegnon, saw him breeze away from Bogarde and cut inside, only to end the move with a tame effort. With Iwobi sat deeper, Wilson and Castagne combining well on the right and Lukic driving Fulham forward in the middle, Villa's initial response was being repelled and overturned by our attacking flair - another attack, albeit marginally offside, needed Konsa's timely block to stop Wilson turning a Castagne aerial pass into a goal.

Once again, King found himself at the epicentre of controversy. A nice combination from Castagne and Wilson found Traore, who slipped a pass through a scrambling defence for King. Well ahead of everyone, the starlet reached the box, where Martinez was surging out of goal. He knocked the ball to Martinez's left and went to ground as the keeper's feet swept into his own. Reckless from the Argentine... but the referee was uninterested, and booked King for simulation. Such decisions sting, but removing our affinity for Joshua highlights buckling knees before Martinez can take him out; enough evidence to suggest a dive.

Eager to atone for his mistake, King set off on another move moments later, taking smart touches to get past Konsa and Cash, dribbling into the box, cutting inside and planting a shot to Martinez's left, only for the ball to meet the trailing arm of Cash, and fly away for a corner. A blatant handball, denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity... but not according to the officials, who waved away the appeal. If the first decision irked the players, this one infuriated them - King was again robbed of a chance to score his first goal, and double the advantage in a game Fulham were the stronger side in.

The game went on though, and Fulham didn't, still stewing at the injustice of the non-handball. After some pleasant passing sequences ended in scant little - a scuffed chance off-target for Wilson on the turn the closest we came to scoring. It was Villa who decided to read the room, and used an injury to Mings to tweak the approach, introducing Pau Torres to revitalise the defence. This recalibrated everything - with Torres on the pitch, suddenly Villa were managing their final third properly, shunting our attacking runs into dead ends, and crucially working the ball efficiently and effectively through the team to their attackers.

We'd had warnings throughout the half. Bassey had survived yet another scare from a Martinez goal kick, losing Rogers and fortunate the Villa man couldn't reach the pass. After Andersen misjudged another long pass from Digne, the Nigerian again lost his man - Watkins had seen the ball bounce and struck the ball in the air, looping the ball over a rushing Leno and levelling the game. It was a terrible way to lose the lead, and brought Villa back into a game they'd largely been second-best in. Even as we made the better moves towards the end of the half - a splendid dink from Traore could have been productive if Lukic's touch wasn't ridiculously heavy and wayward - Villa had salvaged their afternoon, and lifted both themselves and their fans for the half-time break.

Second half
1-1 is not an abject failure though, even if we should have scored more. Whatever injustice, wasted opportunities or silly errors had blighted us, an entire half of football should have been enough of a platform for Silva and the team to take the game back to Villa. Yet our hosts were ready to fire up their season. Harvey Elliott, an ineffective passenger for much of the game, was withdrawn for livewire Emi Buendia, as direct, brutal attacking seemed the direction Emery desired for his team.

Watkins had already sparked into life, but the change brought Rogers fully into the game. The pair, with Buendia fizzing around the pitch and Guessand charging down the right, ran rampant in the opening minutes, frenzying Fulham's defence. McGinn and Bogarde moved up a gear, pressing Fulham's shell-shocked midfield and snatching the ball from us with ease. We were caught off guard, and it was Traore that made the fatal error, dithering on the ball with Bogarde breathing down his neck. The Dutchman wrestled the ball off him, letting Buendia feed the ball to a surging McGinn, who kept ahead of a listless Lukic, arched his body and smashed a shot low and to the left of the goal, well away from a sprawling Leno.

At 2-1 down, Fulham needed to kick themselves into action and use the ball to keep Villa at bay. The exact opposite happened. Emery's side, again identifying the conditions in the game, threw themselves at us from the kick off, forcing us into a series of rushed passes. Within seconds they had it again - Rogers moved it down to Digne on the left, the fullback played it for Watkins, comfortably ahead of Castagne and quicker than an ambling Andersen, and the cross, via a Rogers deflection, landed favourably for Buendia to plant home. 3-1 to Villa - Fulham's afternoon had imploded.

Games like this, with a wealth of action and drama, need control in the critical moments. Fulham's had completely evaporated, at both ends. It was almost a fourth goal for Villa as they again pressed intensely from the kick off, Andersen having his pocket picked from Watkins and narrowly avoiding giving away a penalty in his attempt to retrieve the ball. Then, when the game offered us a lifeline, Fulham fluffed their lines. A questionable pass from Pau Torres led to a manic pass from Martinez, cut out by Traore. The forward quickly fed the ball to Lukic, free in the box and in a scoreable position. Instead, a tame, thoughtless effort slid off his foot, and Konsa was granted the opportunity to throw his body in front of the shot for a corner, which did nothing but earn Bassey a yellow card for stopping the Villa counter-attack it led to.

As the dust settled from such a chaotic opening to the half, the realisation sank in. From a winning position, Fulham had shipped three goals in a 20-minute period - two in quick succession - and allowed Villa the terms to dictate the shape of the game. If the officiating controversy distracted Fulham, this turn of events made us wallow, lowing the energy of the whole team and letting Villa settle into a comfortable pattern, letting us play a few timid passes in front of the team, using their physicality to snatch the ball off our attack and then launch the ball into the space drawing our entire time forward opened up.

It was a dismal watch, in truth. Fulham churned through the motions, slowly making their way down the wings and firing crosses into the box for Villa's defenders to clear, though their quality decayed as time went on. We had bodies across the pitch but they failed to ignite the spark we had in the first half - King being smothered by McGinn certainly hurt this, but Berge's sluggishness, Lukic's rudderlessness in the final third, and some truly wretched cameos from Kevin and Smith-Rowe meant we laboured through the rest of the game, blasting nothing balls into the box and sometimes failing to even make it that far. Robinson, and later Chukwueze, offered glimpses of something better for Fulham - the latter even taking initiative and creating chances from in front of Villa's defensive wall - but by this point Villa's own substitutes arrived, the likes of Kamara and Lindelof steeling a now-confident unit, and the game petered out into nothing, the final whistle putting us out of our misery.

The refereeing misfortune continues
How did we lose this game? I think it's important to caveat the inevitable gloom we feel in moments like this with a discussion about the misfortune shrouding the entire afternoon. Jimenez going off injured within minutes, on a day we didn't have Muniz available, meant we had to throw plan A out of the window. King had two penalty decisions - one beyond egregious - go against him. All these things, which might have let a confident Fulham score two or three beyond Villa in a weak moment, contributed to Villa's ability to claw themselves back into the game.

We should take a moment to consider the officiating for a second, actually. King was robbed of a goal at Chelsea, a game which also had a contentious penalty involving a handball eerily similar to today's one, yet the opposite call was made. We got an official apology for that debacle, and we may well get one today, but it doesn't do a lot when the result stays the same - Fulham's hard work in the match annulled and the opposition gifted the opportunity to comeback from a more advantageous position. Is this good enough, in a league with the resources and wealth of the Premier League? Inevitably this misfortune will balance out - there will be game-critical decisions that benefit Fulham at some point this year - but this does little for King, who still waits for his first Fulham goal, and for the club, whose two defeats this year come after questionable calls have taken the wind from their sails.

Dismal defending for Fulham
But let's make no mistake - Fulham blew the game today. Defensively we were appalling, from early into the first half. I was pleased with Andersen at first but he couldn't sustain his performance, losing track the ball for the opener, and then seemingly losing his mind throughout the second half, at sea whenever Watkins came close. Bassey, meanwhile, forgot how to pass a ball - a shocking set of mistakes are at his feet today, and his physical prowess didn't get him out of jail against Villa's rapid attackers. Such flimsy defending allowed Villa to trample them in the second half, and put us on edge for the rest of the game. Castagne was no replacement for Tete today, either. Several attacks happened directly because the wing-back couldn't keep track of Watkins or Rogers, requiring Andersen to try and sort the issue out - he's improved a lot, but he doesn't have the assurance Tete provides to the back four. He might also consider himself fortunate there wasn't more scrutiny over his late shin-busting tackle on Digne in the second half.

I think the greatest problem was in midfield, though. Lukic and Berge can be a great pairing when in form, but today they exhibited the worst of their traits, playing a sluggish, mediocre match without thought to the terrain of the match before them. Berge is a terrific defensive rock but Villa played the game around him, using the long balls to directly take on the defence and upping the tempo with their forwards to run beyond him. Lukic had to be sharper to support him and the team, and he really wasn't, constantly behind the pace of opposition attacks and failing to relieve pressure around the back, most egregiously for McGinn's goal.

You really feel the difference when we're chasing the game, too. Bogarde was dynamic and sharp, winning the ball quickly with a sharp sense of where the ball was. McGinn was like a terrier, turning a slow start into a rambunctious, general-like approach. Conversely, Lukic was pedestrian, a few decent passes down the right a highlight of a sterile second-half, and Berge had precious little to do, bypassed by his own centre-backs in an attempt to inject life into the game. McGinn scored a phenomenal long-shot - Lukic wasted an opportunity right in front of goal by smacking it straight into a defender. Villa's midfield rose to the occasion - Fulham's wilted in it.

It could have been so much better. King - dive aside - was sublime, demonstrating exactly why Silva has placed so much faith in him. He takes the ball into dangerous areas and invites his teammates to do the same, winning territory and generating momentum in one move. With Villa struggling to react we saw some decent passes, some nice collaboration down the left with Sessegnon and a deeper Iwobi, similar on the right with Wilson and Castagne. Even Traore, so often the scapegoat, was responsible for some decent passes in an unfamiliar role, and had some success linking with the midfield from the position. But it needed much, much more to beat a team like Villa, even in their poor form, and the lack of urgency in the second half was a real frustration. I've already said the substitutes weren't great but it's a little alarming to see such poor football from players that should be itching to get into the side.

Villa resurgent
Perhaps we should offer some credit to Aston Villa, who did win the match and flexed some serious muscle over us in the second half. For as poor as things have been at Villa Park so far this season there are some excellent footballers in their team, and their quality made the difference today. Watkins finish for the equaliser was outstanding - it should not be taken for granted that a striker successfully executes the run, positioning and execution for his strike, and years of video games and goal compilations mask how difficult such moves are. Rogers has drawn ire from his own fans today but both on the left and in the centre he caused us a lot of concern. Buendia had a super-sub role from the bench, and I thought Emery should be pleased with Guessand too, who ran throughout the whole match and even joined the backline when Villa needed to sit back. Arguably Malen coming on for him gave Fulham more opportunities than they'd had for the rest of the half!

Pau Torres was a game-changer for them - he organised the defence more than the languid, static Mings was able to, which focused everything and gave Fulham pause for thought in their approach to goal. It settled down the full-backs and meant Konsa wasn't having to throw himself out of position to keep Fulham away from goal, having a ripple effect across the team. The backline getting control of themselves brought the best out of Bogarde, who retrieved the ball more effectively, and McGinn, who seized momentum and led the charge for the rest of the game from the middle.

It's a tale as old as time: work together effectively, and you can do great things. Villa sorted out their mishaps and their defending, pressing and ultimately attacking opened up for them - they scored their goals, claimed their win and finally have a kickstart to their league campaign. Fulham's fate is less positive - the table doesn't really matter in such early stages of the season, but surely some ire will be had at a game like today falling apart, leaving us in a congested mid-table position. That's the danger with Fulham - you start to hope, and then we shoot ourselves in the foot and seemingly tell ourselves the gap between us and teams competing in Europe is insurmountable. The dream lives on though - Silva must capture the irrepressible form of King and lavish it upon the team, where perhaps the return of Robinson and the introduction of Chukwueze can ensure this disappointment does not recur upon our trip to the south coast next weekend.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/more-misfortune-for-king-as-fulham

[WhiteJC]

Marco Silva admits 'we have to blame ourselves' after Villa defeat
Fulham fell to a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa this afternoon. Manager Marco Silva had his say after the match.

Fulham suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, losing 3-1 at Villa Park, the loss giving the Villains their first win of the Premier League season.

It was a bright start for Marco Silva's men, as they took the lead just three minutes in, courtesy of Raul Jimenez converting from Sasa Lukic's corner.

Ultimately though it was an afternoon to forget for the West London team, who conceded three goals to a struggling Aston Villa side, which included an Ollie Watkins goal, as he netted his first Premier League goal since May.

A Fulham side that had won three games on the bounce in all competitions will look to build again, as they travel to the South coast to play Bournemouth on Friday night.

    "We were too soft for the level that the Premier League demands"

Marco Silva gave his verdict on the game below and his side's approach to stopping the Villa game plan, "we knew that they were going to try to get in behind, and that's what hurts me more, because we knew it, we planned for it, we knew the way the ball is going to go in behind for Watkins or for another player.

"And because of that, I think that we have to blame ourselves for the way we conceded the three goals. I think we were too soft for the level that the Premier League demands at a side with the individual quality they have".

"The game was completely under control from ourselves – leading the score, more chances to score the second. And to concede the equaliser, from a long ball from a defender, you cannot concede that goal at this level that we are playing.

He praised Villa's reaction and the way that the hosts responded to going a goal down early on, as he said "It was a good reaction, they equalised the game after the 1-0 and our very good start. Of course it gave them some confidence, the game was much more balanced in that moment, and after we were punished by the way we started the second half.

"It was a moment for us to react again, to start strong. We spoke at half-time, things to adjust, and we conceded two really poor goals, to be honest.

Fulham's young prodigy Joshua King has had an eventful start to his Premier League career and was involved in controversy once more, as he was shown a yellow card for simulation in an incident with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the Villa penalty area. There have been many questions surrounding this and Silva had his say:

"I have watched the moments now and for me, they are incredible. I respect and they will try and explain but we cannot understand".

He was quick to defend King, as he said "we don't need anyone to educate Josh King. Josh King already has two yellow cards in the Premier League, and they disallowed a goal from him. It is very difficult for me to say that (the challenge from) Martinez is not a penalty.

"If a player is taken out inside the box, it is a penalty everywhere in the world. Don't try to educate Josh King because we can do it inside our football club."

The Cottagers' boss also spoke about Jimenez's impact, and how his early departure due to injury changed the complexion of the game.

"He tried but he was not able to keep going in the game. It was difficult because when you don't have Raul or Rodrigo (Muniz), without both it is more difficult.

"Adama tried, he is a different style. We're much more of a team who likes to link with our striker in a different way. It's up to me and to us to find different solutions with a different profile of striker."



https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/09/28/fulham/1235625-marco-silva-admits-we-have-to-blame-ourselves-after-villa-defeat.html