Marco Silva’s optimism and positivity paying off as Fulham begin to make increasingly promising progress
Fulham (1) 2 v Nottingham Forest (1) 1
Premier League
Matchweek 25
Talking Points
By Kaz Mochlinski at Craven Cottage
Despite the cold and damp February afternoon weather, there was a definite feelgood factor around Fulham, which was evident even before the excellent 2-1 defeat of Nottingham Forest.
Beating the team in third place in the Premier League was worth cherishing, although it was not their biggest success of the season so far, as Chelsea were up in second when Fulham went there and won.
That victory on Boxing Day was likewise with a 2-1 scoreline, which was also the result when Fulham overcame their other local rivals Brentford in a similarly unforgettable late comeback triumph in November.
If it was not already Fulham’s favourite score this season then it will be now, as they have managed to win all three of their matches in February by 2-1, including the completion of impressive league doubles over Newcastle United and Forest.
Their recent run that has lifted Fulham up into eighth in the table, between Newcastle and Aston Villa, two sides that have played in the Champions League over the last couple of years and are generally perceived as much bigger than the West London club.
No wonder then that Marco Silva is beginning to be asked whether Fulham’s sustained progress since he came to Craven Cottage has been under appreciated and has perhaps gone below the radar a little bit.
“It’s not for me to claim that!” was the head coach’s smiling reply. “I know what we have been doing and what it was like when I arrived here - a yo-yo club. We know what we have done here with much less investment than the other clubs.
“Losing and selling our best players all the seasons we have been playing Premier League. That is our reality and I’m pleased with the group of players we have. There’s a togetherness and bond between them. We have a clear identity and everyone sees that.”
His players’ growing resilience will particularly please him, after dominating the game against Forest from the outset, only to get to half-time level due to a goal conceded in an unrepeatably unfortunate manner.
It came from a dangerous lofted pass by Morgan Gibbs-White that hit the heel of Chris Wood as the ball dropped, with the Forest striker having no control over the contact and clearly not intending to play it that way.
Wood reacted well to be the first to reach the resultant loose ball, but in doing so he pushed over Antonee Robinson, without the coming-together being deemed enough to be ruled as a foul.
At the same time as Robinson was down on his backside, Calvin Bassey was entirely separately also losing his balance and falling to his knees. In trying to still block Wood’s shot, Bassey could only inadvertently deflect it past his goalkeeper.
Wood’s eighth goal in his last seven league matches took his total for this season up to 18, which is only surpassed in the Premier League goalscoring charts at present by Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
It was a shame that Bernd Leno did not have a clean sheet on his 200th Premier League appearance, as otherwise he stopped everything coming near him, with Forest’s New Zealand centre-forward being kept completely quiet by Bassey.
So there was added delight that it was unexpectedly Bassey who got the winning goal for Fulham in the second half, to make up for his unfortunate earlier involvement in the visitors’ solitary strike.
According to Silva, it was fully merited for Fulham’s superiority over almost all of the 90 minutes: “It was tight just in terms of score, because everything else it was not tight at all. Football can be unpredictable but it was clear today the best team on the pitch won.
“Until the 35th minute of the game we were leading 1-0 but it should have been 2-0 or 3-0. Chris Wood scored with a great finish - he is on fire - but we controlled the game well. We showed the patience and created chances.
“I told the players to keep the same principles and the second half was the same. One team creating, one team dominant, one team controlling. We had more chances to score a third than they did to equalise.”
And Silva insisted: “We got what we deserved today. The right performance from us and a great three points. Very well played and well deserved. We were the best team from the first minute to the last.
“We showed great control against them. We knew where they were strong, and their weakness as well, which we exploited really well and created from our side. We were strong in moments of the game.
“We should have scored more goals. We had more than 20 shots, and the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper made some great saves. The most important thing is the three points.”
The Fulham boss singled out Adama Traoré for his display, including the assist for the opening goal: “A great performance from Adama. It was a great cross with his left foot. Nice to see that quality and a nice header from Emile Smith Rowe.
“Adama had two good moments to score as well. It was a great performance from him. More balanced on and off the ball as well, and I like to see Adama like that. He was switched on every time, and not with moments off.
“He was active on and off the ball. We need this type of quality performance” emphasised Silva, before re-iterating: “It was a great assist from Adama Traoré, and great desire from Emile Smith Rowe.
“He is more balanced on and off the ball which is something we’ve been working with him on. I am pleased for him. He’s a great lad and everyone loves him at this football club. We want to support him and give him that confidence.”
Considering Forest’s form, having won eight and drawn one of their previous 10 league matches, plus their elevated position in the Premier League right now, it felt like an especially significant success for Fulham.
Silva is sometimes judged by Fulham fans to be overly optimistic, but his positivity is infectious and it is undoubtedly having a beneficial effect on the squad plus throughout the club more generally.
The excitement around Craven Cottage could have been partly due to a first 3pm kick-off on a Saturday afternoon since November, which the long-standing supporters are always asking for at every opportunity.
However, there just might be more substance behind it, with Marco Silva and his side beginning to build something increasingly promising.
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