Fulham

Marco Silva spoke to TNT Sports after Fulham's defeat against Chelsea: "For someone that loves football, as a manager, former player, as a fan. I feel sad, just that,

"It is clear it was a special game for everybody. It is the best competition in the world and I saw my team play outstanding football in the first half, we didn't come here to park the bus.

"So performance wise, outstanding first half but all the decisions from the VAR, from the referee, had massive impact on the game. And the second half was not at the level I like.

"How you disallow a goal like that is unbelievable. We have meetings with referee and people in charge,we all want to win. VAR is not here to re-referee the game it is to see clear things. It was not something unbelievable to disallow that goal.

"I would prefer not to say something more because I would be punished. I want to be on the touchline in next game, I don't want to be fined.

"But it has been a difficult start to the season with some decisions."

Josh King spoke to TNT Sports about his disallowed goal: "It's a hard feeling to describe. It was a tough decision. I think it was a perfectly good goal but we just have to pick ourselves up."

"That is the part of being a professional, decisions go against you and you have to bounce back. But it was tough to have a goal disallowed and concede just before half time."

"He [Marco Silva] is a really passionate person and that fires us up. We tired to work hard for each other, it was tough take because we deserved more. [Scoring] was one of the best feelings I have felt. Hopefully I can replicate it and it counts next time."

Did you know?

Having gone unbeaten in 10 consecutive Premier League London derbies between March and December 2024 (W5 D5), Fulham have since lost five of their last seven (W2).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Come back to this page on Sunday to find a selection of your replies

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Fulham have confirmed midfielder Andreas Pereira has completed a move to Brazilian side Palmeiras.

The 29-year-old made 119 appearances across three seasons in West London, becoming the first Fulham player to earn a call-up to the Brazil national team.

"From the first day at Fulham, I felt at home," Pereira said. "Thank you to my team-mates, staff, and fans for every moment.

"After three years, I leave proud of what we achieved together. Fulham will always be part of me."

Chelsea are unchanged after their 5-1 win at West Ham last weekend.

Similarly, Fulham have the same starting eleven that started in the 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo starts and Fulham winger Harry Wilson is on the bench despite both having been doubts through injury.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto, Delap.

Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, James, Fofana, Hato, Essugo, Santos, George, Gittens

Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Castagne, Lukic, Berge, Sessegnon, King, Iwobi, Muniz.

Subs: Lecomte, Cuenca, Robinson, Reed, Cairney, Adama, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Jimenez.

There are six games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Fulham (12:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Man Utd v Burnley

• Sunderland v Brentford

• Tottenham v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Everton

• Leeds v Newcastle (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea face a third consecutive London derby, taking on a Fulham side who have drawn their opening two Premier League matches. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes before Saturday's game.

No Cole Palmer, no problem. Chelsea's Club World Cup final match-winner missed the trip to West Ham with a groin issue but Enzo Maresca's men were still far too strong for the Hammers, running out 5-1 winners.

With Palmer sidelined, summer signing Joao Pedro switched from centre-forward to number 10 and looked the part, contributing an early goal and two assists. Taking into account the Club World Cup, the Brazilian has six goal involvements in four competitive starts for his new side, quickly proving his worth following a move from Brighton last month.

The Blues' next opponents are neighbours Fulham, who won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last season, claiming their first victory there since 1979.

Nonetheless, Chelsea still have a formidable overall record in this fixture, losing just three of 36 Premier League meetings, home and away. That equates to 8.3% - the joint-lowest loss rate by one club against another in a fixture played at least 20 times.

Will Silva's super subs strike again?

Fulham's win over the Blues on 26 December came courtesy of late goals from substitutes Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz, and the impact of players coming off the bench has been a recurring strength for Marco Silva's team.

Emile Smith Rowe's equaliser in Sunday's draw with Manchester United means Fulham subs have scored 19 Premier League goals since the start of last season, at least four more than any other club.

Raul Jimenez, their top scorer in 2024-25, lost his starting spot to Muniz against the Red Devils and may again have to settle for a place on the bench as he nears a career landmark. The 34-year-old needs one more appearance to become the first Mexican to play 200 Premier League games.

Chelsea looked lacklustre in their opener against Crystal Palace but then thrashed West Ham 5-1. The things is, how can you properly judge anybody who has played West Ham?

My gut feeling is Chelsea will have got a great deal of confidence from the manner in which they beat the Hammers last week.

I like Fulham under Marco Silva and the way they play could cause Chelsea one or two problems.

But I still think the Blues will come out on top in this West London derby.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Harry Wilson is still "in contention" to feature this weekend after finding out the injury he sustained against Bristol City on Wednesday night is "nothing really serious". The forward is still experiencing "a little bit of pain" and will need to be assessed again.

• Antonee Robinson's availability is also up in the air after not being "in the right condition" to feature in the Cottagers' midweek fixture.

• Silva admitted that recent injury scares have "100%" exposed the lack of depth in his squad, adding: "We have a fantastic group of players here, but we still need depth, quality and competition. We need at least three players."

• The club are still looking to "strengthen the attacking line with two players and one midfielder". He added: "We probably need a striker as well but that probably isn't going to be possible."

• When asked if he believes Fulham will sign three more players, he replied: "There's nothing very close right now. As a manager, I think we don't have any other option but to do it because otherwise we won't be in the condition to play in the Premier League. I think we have wasted a lot of time."

• He is still happy with his current squad though, who have "the right mindset and are always ready to face challenges", but he believes the players need "competition" for their positions.

• On whether Andreas Pereira's move to Palmeiras is nearing completion, he said: "I'm not going to talk about possibilities and rumours. I haven't got any official information and I don't know the ins and outs, so I don't have anything to say."

• Silva was also hesitant to make any comments on the club's links to Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling.

• On the "special" West London derby, he said: "It's going to be a big one. It's a special moment for our fans. It also gives the players extra motivation because there's something more special behind the three points."

• He added: "Since I joined the club, we have changed the record against Chelsea. We are now really competitive against them and we can match them. They have spent billions to strengthen their squad so they are in a completely different world to us off the pitch, they can do things we cannot."

• When asked how his side will approach the game, he said there are "clear things" Fulham can exploit: "We know their strengths very well, they have individual and overall quality. They have a clear identity in terms of the way Enzo Maresca wants to play, such as overloading certain areas and stretching teams. For us, it's clear what he wants in each moment of the game."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We received an Ask Me Anything question from John, who wanted to know where the 'Craven' in Craven Cottage comes from and why Fulham's stadium is called that.

The ground's name comes from the cottage originally on the site, built by Baron William Craven in 1780 and where the Johnny Haynes Stand now sits.

At the time, the site was surrounded by forest that was once used by as hunting grounds by Anne Boleyn.

The cottage burnt down in 1888 but was restored when Fulham bought the site in 1894, with the first game in their new home being played two years later.

Today, the grandstand, turnstiles and Johnny Haynes Stand are all Grade II listed.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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While Marco Silva has made no secret of his disappointment that his Fulham squad has not been adequately reinforced this summer, he will be delighted by the performances of some of those who have been on the periphery in the Premier League.

Raul Jimenez made a strong case that he should be the starting central striker ahead of Rodrigo Muniz with an all-action display against Bristol City.

Behind him, Harrison Reed excelled in midfield with a neat and tidy display, often showing too much nous for his opponents.

However, Silva will be acutely aware of the difficulties of gauging a performance against opponents from a division lower, who were far from at full strength themselves.

It will be an entirely different matter at the weekend with their visit to big-spending Chelsea and a London rival with entirely different ambitions for this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham boss Marco Silva on the 2-0 win over Bristol City in the second round of the Carabao Cup: "It was a better first half than second. It was important for us to start well, to be clean and ruthless.

"That's important in these type of games. It was also important to keep a clean sheet.

"When you are at home, or away, the motivation from teams from lower divisions is always high.

"It's important to get through. Five Premier League clubs are out. It is always a competition where many teams get surprised.

"We changed it in the second half and the game went in a little different way. We were brave and had the freedom to play. But in the end we could see how high the level is in the Premier League and how high Fulham's level is."

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The draw has been made for the Carabao Cup third round, with 15 Premier League clubs having made it through or entering at this stage.

There are two all-Premier League ties, while holders Newcastle host League One Bradford City.

Ties will take place across two weeks, beginning on 15 and 22 September.

All the fixtures featuring top-flight sides are shown below in the order they were drawn:

• Port Vale v Arsenal

• Swansea City v Nottingham Forest

• Lincoln City v Chelsea

• Tottenham Hotspur v Doncaster Rovers

• Brentford v Aston Villa

• Huddersfield Town v Manchester City

• Liverpool v Southampton

• Newcastle United v Bradford City

• Wolves v Everton

• Crystal Palace v Millwall

• Burnley v Cardiff City

• Barnsley v Brighton

• Fulham v Cambridge United

See the full draw

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Fulham make nine changes to the side that began their 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester United last Sunday, with only Ryan Sessegnon and Timothy Castagne retained in the starting XI and Benjamin Lecomte making his debut in goal.

Fulham XI: Lecomte, Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon, Reed, Cairney, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Traore, Jimenez.

Subs: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Lukic, Berge, King, Iwobi, Muniz

Bristol City also make wholesale changes to the team that started their 1-1 draw at Derby in the Championship last Friday.

Bristol City XI: Lumley, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, McCrorie, Knight, Bird, Hirakawa, Stokes, Bell, Armstrong.

Subs: Thomas, Randell, Roberts, Twine, Cornick, Sykes, Mehmeti, Jakobsen, Mayulu.

There are four games involving Premier League sides in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Mansfield Town

• Fulham v Bristol City

• Oxford United v Brighton

• Grimsby Town v Manchester United (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Brazilian side Palmeiras are in advanced talks to sign Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira for about £10m.

The 29-year-old is hoping to return to his homeland with just a year left on his Whites contract, but the west London club have an option to extend it by a further season.

However, despite Fulham's openness to accept Pereira's exit with the emergence of academy talent Josh King, manager Marco Silva is reluctant to sanction outgoing transfers without new signings coming in.

When asked about Pereira before Wednesday's Carabao Cup second-round tie against Championship side Bristol City at Craven Cottage, Silva said: "Players have to come in and join our football club. I won't talk about players leaving the club. He is still our player.

"We have no choice but to add players. I'm involved in decisions and who comes in."

Emile Smith Rowe - who scored against Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on Sunday - is also capable of playing in the number 10 role.

Fulham remain keen to add players to Silva's squad before the end of the transfer window and are weighing up moves for multiple wingers, notably Shakhtar Donetsk's Kevin, Chelsea's Raheem Sterling and Philip Otele of Basel.

Manchester United's England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, has emerged as a target for Fulham, alongside Arsenal's 25-year-old English winger Reiss Nelson. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup game against Championship Bristol City at Craven Cottage (19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed he has no fresh injury concerns after Sunday's draw with Manchester United: "Players are still recovering. Just that."

• When asked if the club need to do business before the end of the transfer window, Silva said: "We have to. When you leave things to the final stages, it's not in your control anymore. With time, you can take better decisions and not make mistakes. Numbers - we have no choice but to add players. I'm involved in decisions, who comes in. "

• On the window as a whole: "I don't want to go into why it's been difficult."

• On if Fulham have to sell to buy in the final week of the window: "Not the case - it's never been like this."

• Silva offered an update on the future of Andreas Pereira, who has been linked with a move away: "Nothing new. Players have to come in and join our football club. I won't talk about players leaving the club. He is still our player."

• He is taking the Carabao Cup seriously: "It's very important. We are serious in it. We have been knocking on the door to arrive in the final stages of the cup competitions. When you already achieved the semis the next step is to reach the final but you have to go step by step."

• On Emile Smith Rowe, who came off the bench to equalise against United on Sunday, Silva said: "Was an important goal for us, and for him. He's had a very good pre-season. He's capable to arrive in certain areas. We will keep him as fit as we can. At his best level, he's so so important for us."

• Silva has been pleased with the impact of youngster Josh King, who has started both Premier League games so far this season: "The quality that he has - he is very talented. He has many good things which will make him a very good player. When he was 16, you could see it in Josh. He's very humble, with the right mindset, likes to learn."

Follow all of the rest of Tuesday's football news

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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Two points from Fulham's two tough opening fixtures is a solid start - and, frankly, one I did not expect.

But it is foolish to suggest that everything is rosy in SW6.

Our "passive" summer, in the words of Marco Silva, will almost certainly come back to bite us.

This start has come through the sheer togetherness of this small squad, and Silva's familiarity with the limited number of tools available to him.

Before Sunday's draw with Manchester United, Silva pulled no punches about our lack of action in the transfer market.

"We have to [make signings], we don't have another chance. Luckily, the window is still open. If not, we have a big problem on our hands. It's not normal at this stage of the season that we have just signed one free agent player."

There are arguments about adhering to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), of course. And no-one is suggesting that we break any regulations in the name of bolstering the squad. But Marco was seemingly sold a plan - and we are not delivering on it.

The reasons why are known only to director of football Tony Khan and his team.

Many have speculated that Fulham are reluctant to fulfil the wishes of a manager who is in the last year of his contract and could leave.

Only a certain few are privvy to any contract discussions, but with Marco airing his transfer frustrations annually, you would think any chance of the Portuguese coach agreeing a new deal is slim.

And that is the biggest shame of all. Silva is one of the best managers we have had in my lifetime, and I really believe Fulham could have returned to Europe under him.

But now, because of a lack of backing, I am more concerned about staying in the league.

Yes, it is a solid start - but let's see if we can keep it up.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Midfielder Andreas Pereira will be allowed to leave Fulham this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Match of the Day pundits Rob Green and Troy Deeney criticised the "dubious" VAR decisions that the officials got "the wrong way round" in Fulham's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

United were awarded a penalty on Sunday when Calvin Bassey dragged Mason Mount to the ground in the 33rd minute at Craven Cottage.

The foul was not given on the field but referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the screen by the video assistant referee and the decision was overturned.

Bruno Fernandes blazed the spot-kick over the bar, but the penalty award left some watching perplexed, given United full-back Luke Shaw appeared to commit a very similar foul just yards away on Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz at the same time.

Ruben Amorim's side went on to take the lead in the 58th minute from a corner, with Leny Yoro's header deflecting off Muniz.

As the ball came in, though, Yoro appeared to push Bassey in the back with both hands, but this time VAR did not intervene.

At first glance, the penalty decision is a simple one with Bassey grabbing Mount and throwing him to the ground.

Given the Premier League's stated aim to crackdown on pulling and holding at corners this season, in part brought in to help avoid time being wasted by referees delaying set-pieces being taken to warn the players involved, it was no surprise it was given.

The complication comes from the fact Shaw also seemed to be grabbing Muniz, just behind the Bassey and Mount incident.

The United left-back had both arms wrapped around the Fulham forward and both ended up on the ground.

But the penalty was still awarded because Bassey was deemed to have committed a foul first.

Read more on why United's goal and penalty was given here

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