Fulham manager Marco Silva was disappointed with his side’s second-half performance in Fulham’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea.
Alex Iwobi gave Fulham a first-half lead, but the Whites were on the receiving end of a second-half comeback, as goals from Tyrique George and Pedro Neto saw the visitors claim the bragging rights in the SW6 derby.
“Yes, I agree with that,” replied Silva when asked if the second-half performance was the main factor for the result. “A very good first-half from us, the gameplan was executed really well. We controlled the first-half and we were clearly the best team.
“We mixed it really well, playing short from the back and then moments when we mixed it up. We knew about their man-to-man approach and I think we did really well to go over the pressure.
“It was a good goal from us and we had more moments around their box where we could have been more ruthless and created more clear cut chances.
“The second-half was not at our best level. The speech at half-time was clear for us to start the second-half like we started the first one. We tried to be on the front foot to boost ourselves, the crowd and unfortunately, we didn’t.
“It was less difficult for Chelsea and they took control of the game with the ball. Second-half, much more from Chelsea, but our first-half was much better than theirs. I really believe that the result is harsh, with the way we conceded the second goal. I think the draw would have been a fair result.”
Silva confirmed that striker Rodrigo Muniz missed the game with an injury which he picked up against AFC Bournemouth on Monday.
“Unfortunately for us he was injured," he said. "He got a tackle in the last game against Bournemouth.
“He wasn’t in perfect condition to train this week. We tried and we tested him yesterday, but he wasn’t in condition to be in contention.”