Sunday Fulham Stuff - 05/11/23...

[WhiteJC]

Results

Saturday 04/11
Fulham	0-1	Man Utd
Brentford	3-2	West Ham
Burnley	0-2	Palace
Everton	1-1	Brighton
Man City	6-1	Bournemouth
Sheff Utd	2-1	Wolves
Newcastle	1-0	Arsenal

[WhiteJC]

Fulham 0-1 Manchester United

Each of Manchester United's last seven Premier League wins have been by a single goal

Captain Bruno Fernandes scored a stoppage-time winner against Fulham to alleviate the pressure on Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

United were heading for another game without a win or a goal when Fernandes drilled low past Bernd Leno from the edge of the box following a poor clearance.

In a disappointing game of few chances, Scott McTominay thought he had given the visitors an eighth-minute lead, but it was ruled out for offside after referee John Brooks viewed it on the pitchside monitor.

Fernandes, before his winner, forced Leno into an acrobatic save while Andre Onana made two saves to deny Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha.

Up until the dramatic finish, United struggled to make an impact, while their injury problems continued when Marcus Rashford failed a fitness test before the match on a leg injury.

Rashford had been criticised by Ten Hag on the eve of the match, with the United boss describing the England forward's birthday celebrations after last week's 3-0 defeat by Manchester City as "unacceptable".

Harry Maguire played the full match despite suffering a head injury early on, while the game was stopped on a couple of further occasions so the defender could be checked.

'Play like you mean it'
United's travelling fans made it clear they wanted to see more heart and effort from their team when they unfurled a banner that read 'Play like you mean it' before kick-off.

After a wretched season, Ten Hag will take any positives he can at the moment and will hope this result will be a springboard for a better run of form.

Prior to Fernandes' third club goal of the season, which came in the first added minute at the end of the game, United were flat and unconvincing as they struggled to make an impact against opponents in the bottom half of the table.

Ten Hag has forked out more than £400m on new signings since being unveiled 18 months ago, including £72m for Rasmus Hojlund, who remains without a Premier League goal.

Yet for all their problems, United have now won three consecutive away games in the Premier League for the first time since 2020.

Fulham's long wait goes on
Fulham have not defeated United since 2009 and their long wait goes on after conceding a late winner at home to the Red Devils for the second successive season.

Boss Marco Silva had challenged his players to "write a different story" after they lost to a 93rd-minute Garnacho goal last November.

But they managed just two attempts on target and remain anchored in the bottom half of the table after one win in six league games.

Willian went close with a curling attempt before Onana made saves to keep out Wilson and Palhinha during the home team's best spell of the game.

Fulham fans used the match to make their feelings clear over the affordability of match tickets at the ground.

Before the game, fans marched outside Craven Cottage with a banner that read 'W£ Can't Afford To Pric£ Out Fans' while there was a yellow card ticket protest during the game.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67247521

[WhiteJC]

Post-Man Utd Press Conference
Marco Silva was frustrated by the manner in which Fulham lost to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

As we entered stoppage time, a draw looked to be a disappointing result after an impressive second half showing, but even that eluded us as Bruno Fernandes capitalised when several attempted clearances ended up at his feet.

"Really difficult one for us to take, definitely," Silva said. "I said yesterday that we wanted to write a different story, we wanted to be the better team again.

"Overall in the game, I think we did it, [but] at this level we cannot be punished the way we were. Many people are going to talk about Fulham being unlucky, but that's not for me, to be honest.

"At the end of the match, the way we concede the goal, it's clearly a matter of emotional control. We have to be there in the game from the first second until the last second, and in 10 seconds we made three/four mistakes from three/four different players.

"It's difficult to understand. Of course, we win and we lose together. I'm always in front of them and they know it was not a tactical thing, it was some individual decisions that we have to take in a better way, because there was no reason for us to be nervous or panic in that moment.

"Our second half showed that we were always in control, we didn't give nothing, almost nothing, for Man United. That is the reality. And in one moment, in just 10 seconds, we lost completely the emotional control, three/four different players in the same moment."

The opening 45 was a low key affair, but Fulham dominated after the break, with Andre Onana making two excellent saves to deny Harry Wilson and João Palhinha.

"Overall during the game, first half was 50/50," Silva stated. "No one was really on the front foot. Man United started better than us, but we started to grow into the game regarding what we planned for the game.

"We adjusted some things at half-time and second half we were the better team on the pitch, clearly. We created more chances, we arrived in dangerous areas so many times, and with better decisions we should have created even more.

"But, even so, I think the chances we did create were enough for us to score. Good saves from Onana, that is true, but playing against Man United and creating what we did, we should have scored.

"It is what it is, a tough one to take, more because the way it happened. I already spoke with the players, they're all down, but it was our fault and we have to look for it like that.

"It was clearly our fault we didn't win the game, and now we have to look for the next one."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/november/04/post-man-utd-press-conference/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz consoled by Harry Maguire as he leaves pitch in tears against Manchester United
Harry Maguire showed his class by comforting Fulham star Rodrigo Muniz when he was forced off with injury during Manchester United's late win at Craven Cottage.

The Brazilian striker was seen in tears as he left the pitch after appearing to slip and hurt his knee in the second-half of the Premier League clash.


Muniz was really upset as he was forced off at Craven Cottage against Man United


Maguire consoled Muniz as he left the pitch in tears

Muniz was playing as a lone striker against Man United, but didn't get a sniff as Maguire marked him out of the game.

But the Red Devils defender acknowledged his battle with the frontman and went over to console him as he hobbled off in a real moment of class from the England international.

Earlier in the game Maguire appeared to be heading for an early bath of his own after he appeared to be left concussed from a nasty clash to his head.

He was allowed to continue after a lengthy check from medical staff, who followed concussion protocols and cleared him to stay on.

In the second-half the referee appeared to recommended to United boss Erik ten Hag to take Maguire off the pitch. It seemed the officials thought he was still struggling from his earlier knock, but talkSPORT has been told this was due to a separate and unrelated issue with his hand.

Again, the centre-back was assessed and allowed to keep playing, and he ultimately completed the 90 minutes.

It was a low-quality and disjointed game from both teams, but United completed a smash-and-grab victory with a last-gasp goal from Bruno Fernandes.

The captain's scrappy winner was a perfect reflection of the match, with one moment of quality settling the contest at the death.

Fernandes sent a wayward pass into the box, which led to the ball pinballing around as Fulham failed to clear.

But it eventually popped back out to the midfielder, who was there to pick up the pieces and pulled off a deft touch to wrong-foot two Fulham defenders before sending a neat strike into the bottom corner.

It will not go down in history as United's finest performance, but Ten Hag and his team will not care as they secured a crucial three points after a horrid week of back-to-back 3-0 defeats.



https://talksport.com/football/1628976/

[WhiteJC]

Fernandez strikes late as Man Utd win 1-0 at Fulham
LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Manchester United stopped the rot as captain Bruno Fernandez struck in the 90th minute for a 1-0 victory at Fulham in the early Premier League game at Fulham on Saturday.

The game was petering out into a lacklustre stalemate when Fernandez latched on to a loose ball on the edge of the area and drilled a low skidding shot inside the post.

Successive 3-0 home defeats in United's worst start to a season since 1962 had piled pressure on manager Erik ten Hag and victory at Craven Cottage will release that somewhat.

But while the victory was welcome, questions still remain about where United are heading under the Dutchman after another rather shapeless display.

A third successive narrow away win in the league lifts United to sixth with 18 points from 11 games ahead of the rest of the weekend programme.

Fulham, who were twice denied by great saves by Andre Onana in the second half, are 14th with 12 points.

Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar



https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fernandez-strikes-late-man-utd-win-1-0-fulham-2023-11-04/?rpc=401&;

[WhiteJC]

Fernandes fractures Fulham's resistance
The Premier League is an unforgiving beast. Marco Silva knows this better than most have been written off by English punditocracy after being binned by Everton. The Portuguese head coach, largely responsible for Fulham's revival since his refreshing front foot philosophy succeeded the deluded Scott Parker, had to take on the task of restoring belief to a team relegation to the Championship and, two years later, has the Whites punching above their weight having secured a second successive season in the top flight for the first time in a decade.

Fulham's prospects for replicating their mid-table finish on their return to the top tier last time where dealt a severe blow both by the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic for Saudi Arabia, after Silva and Willian had resisted lucrative approaches, and the club's failure to replace a proven goalscorer. They more than matched a rudderless Manchester United side, who looked devoid of drive after Scott McTominay's early scuffy finish from a set play was ruled out following another ridiculous VAR delay, but paid for failing to take their chances and spurning three opportunities to clear the danger before Bruno Fernandes struck a low drive beyond Bernd Leno in the first minute of stoppage time.

The Cottagers have still failed to beat United for fifteen years – having been on the wrong end of three titanic tussles last term. Fulham gave this one a good go and grew in confidence after the visitors were denied a dream start when McTominay's finish at the far post was chalked off because Harry Maguire – clearly in an offside position – was adjudged to be interfering with play. United were surprised and, perhaps Fulham's defenders and Leno were too, after the crucial Manchester City second goal two months ago had been allowed to stand.

Fulham made the running in the first half but struggled to land a killer blow. Joao Palhinha did what Joao Palhinha does, winning the ball effortlessly, spreading the play and striding through midfield, whilst Harry Wilson appeared revitalised by opening the scoring at Ipswich. The home side huffed and puffed but didn't manage a shot on target in the first half – with a host of blocked shots, with Andreas Pereira and Willian forcing desperate blocks from Diego Dalot – whilst Rodrigo Muniz strained every sinew to get change out of Maguire before suffering what seemed a serious injury.

Anthony, who had turned the FA Cup between the sides that is now more routinely remembered for Mitrovic's meltdown, was utterly anonymous and Tim Ream kept Rasmus Højland under wraps with relative ease. In the second half, Silva's side posed more questions for André Onana. The United goalkeeper made a superb save to keep out a Wilson curler and then batted away a drive from Palhinha after his defence had gone to sleep, but the introduction of young winger Facundo Pellestri for Anthony perked Eric ten Haag's outfit up.

Last year, Alejandro Garnacho's late winner broke Fulham's hearts. This time, it was Fernandes, who had done very little except berate the officials and team-mates for the proceeding ninety minutes, who sent the travelling supporters wild when his drive from just outside the area beat Leno's despairing dive via a deflection. Pellestri had played his part, harrying Antonee Robinson and Palhinha, to get the ball back for the visitors high up the pitch – but Fulham's defeat ultimately felt self-inflicted.

Silva's side fight until the end, but they have mustered nine goals in eleven league matches. A high-class replacement for Mitrovic would make the Whites far more formidable. On a day when the Craven Cottage faithful politely made their point about the club's price-gouging, the case for splashing some of Shahid Khan's billions in January appeared unimpeachable.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, A. Robinson, Bassey, Ream; Palhinha, Iwobi (Jimenez 89); Wilson (Cairney 90), Willian (Lukic 76), Pereira (De Cordova-Reid 81); Muniz (Vinicius 76). Subs (not used): Rodak, Ballo-Toure, de Fougerolles, Reed.

BOOKED: A. Robinson, Palhinha, Iwobi, Wilson, Pereira.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Dalot, Maguire, Evans; McTominay, Eriksen (Mount 79); Anthony (Pellestri 63), Garnacho (Varane 90+3), Fernandes; Hojlund (Martial 79). Subs (not used): Bayindir, Regulion, Amrabat, Mainoo, Mejbri.

BOOKED: Dalot, Ganarcho.

GOAL: Fernandes (90+1).

REFEREE: Jon Brooks (South Yorkshire).

ATTENDANCE: 24,415



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/11/fernandes-fractures-fulhams-resistance/

[WhiteJC]

Silva laments Fulham's missed chances in United defeat
Marco Silva said he felt his Fulham side did enough to win today's lunchtime clash with Manchester United despite wasting a number of good chances.

Bruno Fernandez's last-minute strike won the match 1-0 for the Red Devils, who have now won seven consecutive matches at Craven Cottage.

As is so often the case with the early kick-offs, this game was lacking in quality at both ends.

Neither side was at the races in the first half and, although Fulham forced Andre Onana into a succession of fine saves in the second period, Fernandez popped up to win the game for under-pressure Erik ten Hag.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Fulham boss Silva said: "The first half was not good (quality). They showed they do not to need to play really well for a top player like Bruno to punish the opposition.

"Second half we tried everything to win the game and I think we deserved to win it. Overall it was not an amazing game.

"It was much better in the second half. What we need to do to win, I think overall we did it but we did not put it in the net and that is important and in the end they punished us."

A comedy of errors led to United's winner, with a number of Fulham players having the opportunity to clear the ball but all failing to do so.

But Silva was in no mood to feel sorry for his players and felt they were not unlucky to lose.

He said: "It's the same old story. We were not unlucky. You have to be there from the first second to the last.

"In the last moment in 10 seconds we made three or four mistakes with three or four different players and this is difficult to understand.

"The second half showed that we were in control but at the end we lost complete emotional control.

"First half was 50-50. United started better than us and of course in the second half we were the better team.

"The chances we created were enough for us to score. I am very pleased that we created what we created against Man United but this is a very tough one to take.

"It was our fault. We didn't win the game because we didn't take our chances.

"We always have to look at ways to improve. Now is not the time to talk about that. We have to work to get confidence and for these players to perform."



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/silva-laments-fulham-s-missed-chances-in-united-defeat

[WhiteJC]

Marco Silva: My Fulham side deserved a points return against Manchester United
Marco Silva felt his Fulham side deserved more from their 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday.

A 91st minute goal from Bruno Fernandes condemned Fulham to defeat, with the United captain capitalising on the hosts' failure to clear their lines in the closing stages.

Head coach Silva was of the opinion that his side could have taken more from their clash with Erik ten Hag's out-of-sorts side.

"It's a really difficult one to take but defeats are defeats," he said. "We were the better team, but at this level you cannot be punished in the way that we were.

"Three or four players made mistakes [for the Fernandes goal], it's difficult to understand. It was not a tactical thing, it was a decision we had to make in a different way. There was no need for us to be nervous at that moment.

"If someone deserved to win this football match, it was Fulham in my opinion. We didn't put the ball in the net and in one moment they punished us."

It proved to be a game of few clear-cut chances at Craven Cottage, with both sides fashioning just one shot on target in a tepid first half.

Fulham came out on the front foot in the second half and were close to opening the scoring through both Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha.

But Fernandes struck the vital late blow after both Palhinha and Tim Ream had failed to get rid of the danger in the first minute of injury-time.

"The first half was 50-50 but we adjusted some things at half-time and we were the better team, creating more chances," Silva explained.

"Our second half showed that we were in control, we limited Man United to basically nothing.

"With the chances we created, we should have scored."



https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/marco-silva-my-fulham-side-deserved-a-points-return-against-manchester-united/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham boss explains tactical thinking behind Iwobi and Pereira both starting against Manchester United
Marco Silva revealed that he fielded both Alex Iwobi and Andreas Pereira in midfield against Manchester United to give Fulham more creativity in their 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage.

Fulham had the better chances in a cagey affair but were ultimately beaten following a late Bruno Fernandes strike.

Iwobi and Pereira had previously only started alongside one another in the 3-1 win against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United last month, with Silva opting for more defensive alternatives in recent matches against Tottenham and Brighton.

"It was to be more dynamic, to try to be more creative," Silva explained.

"When you look at the teamsheet you think this is a really offensive team to play against Man United. We knew it, but we accepted the type of game we were facing and we wanted to be more creative in certain areas of the pitch

"We wanted to use Alex and Andreas in the pocket areas that we like to use to create wide triangles.

"In the first minutes of the match we had some problems [with the formation] when Man United went direct and won some second balls. They tried to punish us but we adjusted to help Alex be more ready for the second balls with Joao [Palhinha] and from that moment we started to control them really well."

Despite creating the better chances in a low-quality affair, Fulham have now failed to find the net in five of their 11 Premier League games this season.

Rodrigo Muniz was handed his first league start of the season after scoring against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup in midweek, and he proved a nuisance for the United defence without threatening to score.

And the 22-year-old's afternoon was brought to a premature end in the 76th minute, when he was forced off in tears having sustained a suspected knee injury.

"We don't yet, it's too soon to say something about it," said Silva when asked about the extent of the injury.

"I hope it is nothing serious. He had a very good game in a tough game to play.

"Unfortunately, in that moment he felt the knee. Let's hope it is nothing serious."



https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/fulham-boss-explains-tactical-thinking-behind-iwobi-and-pereira-both-starting-against-manchester-united/

[WhiteJC]

Player ratings: Fulham 0-1 Manchester United

George Rossiter returns with the player ratings

Fulham fell to another agonising defeat to Erik Ten Hag's side, as for the second season in a row, United concluded a below par Craven Cottage visit with an injury time winner. Fulham had given another good showing of themselves and were comfortably the better team in the second half, but this season's issue of struggling to score goals once again proved to be our downfall.

Bernd Leno

Leno had a couple of shaky moments in the first half on the ball, spooning a couple of passes out for Man United throw ins under pressure from a pressing forward. Ultimately though, for 90 minutes he did what he always did and kept the ball out the net, mostly from Bruno Fernandes. Unfortunately, in added time, the Portuguese midfielder had the last laugh, with his effort slipping underneath the arm of the despairing German goalie. 6.5/10.

Timothy Castagne

Looked to push Garnacho high and wide from the off to avoid the tricky Argentine from affecting the game and isolating him in any one-on-one scenarios. When faced with Man United attacks, often from Rasmus Hojlund in the channels, Castagne did well each time. It's find to hard a right back as good as Kenny Tete but we've certainly signed a brilliant option in his position. 7/10.

Calvin Bassey

Let's have it right, Calvin Bassey is going to be a brilliant player for us. He's versatile, showed again in this game how good he is defensively. He's also got a rare ability in a centre back to confidently bring the ball forward into the midfield and beyond. However, watching him pass with his right foot continues to be painful. It's not his fault, of course, but if in a year's time, say, he's partnering Tosin in a league game, I will be a very happy man. 6.5/10.

Tim Ream

Continues to be the calm, composed leader in the backline. Thiago Silva, Ashley Young and James Milner are the only Premier League regulars older than Ream, it's not bad company to be keeping. If Bassey steams forward, Ream provides stability in his absence. His defending of our penalty area and dominance in the air from Man United crosses was extremely impressive. 7.5/10.

Antonee Robinson

A bit hit and miss in the first half, a few rash errors creeped in with a rash tackle here and misplaced pass there, but for the most part Antony had very little impact on the game so it's hard to criticise the American too much. The full back was extremely aggressive in getting forward in the second half as Fulham looked to hit United on the counter attack and did well against a really good defender in Wan-Bissaka 6.5/10.

Joao Palhinha

The pundits on TV before the game were absolutely spot on, Manchester United really could do with a player like Joao Palhinha, and to be honest I don't think there's many teams in the world that wouldn't want him. His ball retention was incredible on a number of occasions and showed his importance in transitions as he started a number of dangerous counter attacks. His dominance against a Man United midfield was really quite something. 8.5/10. – Man of the match.

Alex Iwobi

Used his energy really well throughout the game to pick up a number of loose second balls in the midfield, something we know Marco likes in a midfielder, specifically from Harrison Reed normally. Iwobi was the catalyst for a number of our attacks, running with the ball at pace to move the ball from midfield into attack. If we're being critical, his shooting, particularly from range, was quite poor. 7/10.

Andreas Pereira

Actually didn't start too badly and started getting on the ball in positions you'd expect an attacking midfielder too, but far too often the final pass was wasted by the Brazilian in the final third. His usual press was missing, whether that was tactical or not, it was an obvious difference in his game. And the longer the game went on, the less impact Pereira had on it, which is an all too common feature of his performances in recent months. 5.5/10.

Harry Wilson

Looked a bit tentative on the ball in the first half, as has been an issue a bit too often in league showings of late, despite goals both for Wales and in the League cup against Ipswich. In the second half, Wilson started to grow into the game and eventually forced a good save from Onana with a strong long-range effort. 6/10.

Willian

Dipped in and out of the game admittedly, but looked really dangerous when he wanted to be. Wan-Bissaka found himself high up the pitch a couple of times and in those moments Willian looked to be the man that would unlock the United defence with space to run into. A couple of powerful efforts from range came close but ultimately didn't quite find the target. 6.5/10.

Rodrigo Muniz

A huge show of faith for Silva to start the young Brazilian, but Muniz repaid the faith and put in a really promising showing. Took the fight to Harry Maguire well, in a game where England's centre back played really well despite recent media attention. His hold-up play was very impressive and when he finally got a chance in front of goal from a 65th minute corner, he thundered a header just over the bar. Hopefully his injury isn't serious because he'd earned his chance and seeing him leave the field in tears was gut-wrenching. 7.5/10.

Substitutes

Carlos Vinicius

Subbed on after 76 minutes for Rodrigo Muniz

Changed our attacking intent by pressing high but a chance in front of goal never quite materialised. 6/10.

Sasa Lukic

Subbed on after 76 minutes for Willian

Never really looked up to the pace of the game and had a couple of sloppy touches in midfield, didn't cover himself in glory defensively for the goal either. 5/10.

Bobby De Cordova Reid (subbed on after 82 minutes for Andreas Pereira), Tom Cairney and Raul Jimenez (subbed on after 91 mintues for Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson) all came on too late to be fairly rated.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2023-11-04-player-ratings-fulham-0-1-manchester-united/

[WhiteJC]

Marco Silva left frustrated by Fulham's lack of 'emotional control' in narrow defeat to Manchester United
Fulham were punished late by Bruno Fernandes at Craven Cottage

A frustrated Marco Silva admitted individual mistakes and a lack of "emotional control" cost Fulham as they fell to a stoppage-time defeat against Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes struck in injury time for the only goal of the game, consigning Fulham to a defeat they barely deserved after an impressive performances.

 It was a loss which followed the same script as all three matches Fulham had played against United last season, when Silva's side had been the better team but lost on each occasion.

"A real difficult one for us to take, definitely", Silva said. "Defeats are always difficult. Same old story. I said yesterday we wanted to write a different story [in games against United]. We cannot be punished by this way.

 "For me, many people are going to talk about being lucky or unlucky, but the way we concede the goal is clearly a matter of emotional control at the end of the game. We made three of four mistakes. It's difficult to understand why."

Silva also questioned the decision-making of his side, despite the fact they created many more clearcut chances than their famous guests.

He said: "Some individual decisions we made we have to make in a better way. Our second half showed that we are in better control. Three or four players making mistakes, and we are punished by that."

United goalkeeper Andre Onana made acrobatic saves to deny shots by Willian, Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha, and the Fulham manager said: "The chances we did create were enough for us to score. We should have scored. It is what it is."

Striker Rodrigo Muniz was handed his first Premier League start of the season, having impressed off the bench against Brighton last weekend and scored at Ipswich Town on Wednesday when starting in the Carabao Cup round of 16.

 But Muniz received two bouts of treatment in the second half, before being substituted while he was visibly in tears.

Asked about the severity of the injury, Silva said: "We don't know yet. It's too soon to give you a statement about it. I hope nothing serious. He had a very good game, in my opinion. Unfortunately, in one moment he felt the knee and let's hope it's nothing serious."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/marco-silva-fulham-man-utd-premier-league-2023-b1118211.html

[WhiteJC]

Fulham player ratings from 1-0 defeat to Manchester United – Calvin Bassey stands out as Whites undone by late Bruno Fernandes goal
Fulham fell to a late home defeat against Manchester United on Saturday courtesy of a late Bruno Fernandes goal.

The Whites more than matched Erik ten Hag's struggling side throughout but were ultimately undone by a series of errors that led to Fernandes' 91st-minute strike.

Here are Dan Evans' player ratings from Craven Cottage.

Bernd Leno – 6

Dealt comfortably with every shot that came his way until Fernandes' effort in the first minute of second-half injury time. He was unsighted as the United midfielder shot but will feel he could have palmed the attempt around the post.

Timothy Castagne – 7

Another performance in which the summer signing from Leicester rarely put a foot wrong. Contained Alejandro Garnacho with relative ease for much of the game and also got forward effectively to combine with Harry Wilson on the right flank.

Calvin Bassey – 7

Perhaps the centre-back's most composed showing in a Fulham shirt. Was largely untroubled by a toothless Man United attack but won his headers when he needed to and was on hand to make a couple of blocks. Gave away the ball once or twice in dangerous areas but was never likely to be punished for it in the way he was at Tottenham.

Tim Ream – 6

Dealt well with the physical test provided by Rasmus Hojlund and was on hand to head clear more than one set-piece on the sporadic occasions United looked to threaten. Was ultimately one of those not able to clear his lines in the closing stages in the build-up to Fernandes' winner though.

Antonee Robinson – 6

Rarely troubled by Antony and stretched his legs on a couple of occasions to bomb forward. Was guilty of over-playing a couple of times though, which was unnecessarily problematic when near his own goal.

Andreas Pereira – 6

Played his part out of possession with plenty of determined closing down but was another who did not make the most of excursions into the penalty area. Guilty of trying to force attacking moves early in the second half and missed the target with his passes more than once.

Joao Palhinha – 6

As reliable as ever whenever Fulham lost the ball, once again finishing a game having made more tackles than any other player on the pitch (five). However, he missed a good second-half chance to give Fulham the lead and gave the ball straight to Fernandes for United's late winner.

Alex Iwobi – 6

Showed glimpses of why he might excel in a central midfield role with a couple of dangerous dribbles from his own half. Was unable to make the most of possession when he had it in and around the opposition penalty area though.

Harry Wilson – 7

Was only involved in patches but came so close to being the matchwinner for Fulham. Had Andre Onana at full-stretch with a lovely effort midway through the second half and also led a counterattack which Willian should have made more from.

Willian – 6

Fulham's brightest attacking threat in the first half but faded after the break. Was often the man in the position to play the final pass or take a shot at goal at the end of counter-attacks but failed to make the most of those opportunities. Played one brilliant ball towards Wilson that was well cleared by Diogo Dalot.

Rodrgio Muniz – 6

Put himself about well in his first Premier League start of the season, winning six aerial duels. Lacked quality on the ball when he was found by a team-mate though, and looked to be in discomfort as he was replaced by Carlos Vinicius in the 76th minute, which may mean he is now at the back of the queue for the role as regular number nine.

Subs:

Carlos Vinicius – 6

Failed to impact the game after replacing Muniz.

Sasa Lukic – 6

Was similarly quiet after replacing Willian

Bobby De Cordova-Reid – NA

Raul Jimenez – NA

Tom Cairney – NA



https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/fulham-player-ratings-from-1-0-defeat-to-manchester-united-calvin-bassey-stands-out-as-whites-undone-by-late-bruno-fernandes-goal/

[WhiteJC]

Report: Spurs target is expected to reject the chance to join London rivals
TEAMtalk have claimed that Fulham are expected to face defeat in their pursuit of Tottenham target Santiago Gimenez.

Gimenez, who has been one of the most prolific marksmen across Europe since the start of the calendar year, has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs recently.

In fact, it was reported by The Daily Mirror last week that Tottenham have already decided to pay Feyenoord's asking price for the 22-year-old striker in January after watching him closely this season.

A few days ago, W Deportes suggested that Spurs might face competition from their London rivals Fulham for Gimenez's signature.

The outlet explained that the Cottagers had identified the Mexican as their top choice to replace Aleksandr Mitrovic and that they were prepared to make a club-record offer of €50m (£43m) for the centre-forward.

Fulham expected to fail with offer for Gimenez
TEAMtalk have now stated that 'sources are sceptical' about Fulham's chances of concluding a deal for Gimenez.

This is because their proposed £43m offer is not expected to be enough, with Feyenoord convinced that their number nine is worth more than £50m in light of his recent performances.

Further, it is alleged that Gimenez himself is not too keen on joining Marco Silva's side and wants to hold out for a move to a bigger club.

Spurs Web Opinion
With Gimenez seemingly on the radar of several top clubs across Europe, it is not surprising that he would be eyeing a bigger move than Fulham. As things stand, it appears like it would take an enormous offer to prize the 22-year-old away from De Kuip in January.



https://www.spurs-web.com/spurs-news/report-spurs-target-is-expected-to-reject-the-chance-to-join-london-rivals/

[WhiteJC]

Silva frustrated after late defeat
A deeply disappointed Marco Silva condemned Fulham's lack of 'emotional control' after the Whites were beaten by Bruno Fernandes' stoppage-time winner as Manchester United pinched the points at Craven Cottage this afternoon.

The Portuguese head coach was critical of his side's failure to take their chances and slammed his defence's repeated inability to clear the danger before Fernandes' deflected strike squeezed past Bernd Leno to consign the Cottagers to another painful defeat against United.

Silva told his press-match press conference:

"[It was] a real difficult one for us to take definitely. Defeats are always difficult. Same old story. I said yesterday we wanted to write a different story [against Manchester United], we wanted to be the better team again. Overall, I think we did it but at this level we cannot be punished by this way. Many people are going to talk about being lucky or unlucky, but the way we concede the goal is clearly a matter of emotional control at the end of the game. We made three of four mistakes. It's difficult to understand why.

"Some individual decisions we made we have to make in a better way. Our second half showed that we are in better control. Three or four players making mistakes, and we are punished by that. The chances we did create were enough for us to score. We should have scored. It is what it is."

He also confirmed that Fulham were awaiting scans to determine the severity of the knee injury sustained by Rodrigo Muniz, who left the field in tears having taken a second significant blow in swift succession.

"We don't know yet. It's too soon to give you a statement about it. I hope nothing serious. He had a very good game, in my opinion. Unfortunately, in one moment he felt the knee and let's hope it's nothing serious."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/11/silva-frustrated-after-late-defeat/

[WhiteJC]

Martin Keown unimpressed with £2m Fulham player's ability in the air vs Man United
It was a heartbreaking defeat for Fulham against Manchester United yesterday and Antonee Robinson is one player who won't want to see a replay of the goal any time soon.

Reviewing the game on Match of the Day, Martin Keown was unimpressed with the comedy of errors that led to Bruno Fernandes's late winner.

Fulham started the game slowly and after a lengthy VAR check, Scott McTominay's early goal was ruled out due to Harry Maguire being offside.

However, Marco Silva's team grew into the game and more than matched their opponents.

Rodrigo Muniz caused Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans plenty of problems as he started his first Premier League game of the season.

The balance in midfield looks very good with Alex Iwobi alongside Joao Palhinha although the Portuguese was slightly unfortunate to be booked after a challenge with Fernandes.

However, Palhinha is one of the players who made an error in the build-up to the only goal of the game.

Antonee Robinson's initial mistake allowed Facundo Pellestri to advance down the pitch and help set up Man United's winner against Fulham.

The £2m defender was fantastic last season and has started this campaign well too.

But he will be disappointed with how the goal came about and after Fode Ballo-Toure impressed in midweek against Ipswich, Silva might be considering a change next week.

Robinson mistake against Man United costs Fulham
Speaking about yesterday's goal, Keown said: "Well we talked about Keystone Cops didn't we with David Moyes, but this is one here.

"[Antonee] Robinson, when the ball is in the air, he's not comfortable. He's got to attack that and win it.

"And here again, I think he's just got to go to ground and put everything into the stand here and he doesn't."

It's harsh to single out Robinson for Manchester United's goal as plenty of his Fulham teammates could have prevented the ball from eventually falling to Fernandes.

Tim Ream and Joao Palhinha both panicked when trying to clear the ball and Sasa Lukic was too easily sold by a dummy from Fernandes.

Fulham aren't ruthless enough in front of goal yet and therefore need to cut out any mistakes at the back if they're going to earn any points.

Bringing in a striker in January has to be the priority and the club have reportedly already made a move for an in-form forward.

Until then, Silva needs to try and get one of his strikers to score and hope his defence can maintain their concentration for the full 90 minutes.



https://www.fulham.news/2023/11/05/martin-keown-unimpressed-with-2m-fulham-players-ability-in-the-air-vs-man-united/