Silva on fighting back from 1-0 down

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Fulham manager Marco Silva on fighting back from 1-0 down   24/08/2025  Craven Cottage, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Marco, how do you regard that? Obviously the team showed a lot of spirit to come back and get a draw,

00:11but I don't know how you found your team playing over.

00:15Good evening you all. Apart from the first 20 minutes, where Man Utd started better than us,

00:24and you have to be fair enough, it's easy to say that they started better.

00:28We had some problems defending behind, their more direct game created some problems for us.

00:35We lost most of the individual duels in the first 20 minutes of the game and they started better than us.

00:42They created two great chances.

00:44With Mateusz we had one very good one from Josh King as well, one with the goalkeeper, but they were better than us.

00:52I think from that moment we started to build our attack the way we like to do it.

00:58We realised where the spaces were in that moment and from that moment we didn't give no more chance for Man Utd to press as high,

01:06like they prepared to come.

01:08We started to settle more our game, not creating many chances but much more in control,

01:13and much more commanding the game with the ball like we like to do it.

01:17And from that moment no more big moments from Man Utd.

01:23We had one good shot from Alex Jovi, a great save after a second ball in the corner, but nothing more.

01:29After that moment the game was very balanced.

01:31Second half we started very well, probably in our best moment in the game they scored the goal,

01:35and our reaction was top level in my opinion after the goal we conceded.

01:41The way the goal came, the players kept the confusion, they kept the balance,

01:48they didn't lose what is important in this moment.

01:51We kept the plan as well, of course the players that came in made a massive impact in the game,

01:57and we were better after the 1-0 for Man Utd.

02:00We were clearly better than them.

02:02Second half, all the dangerous moments that they had, they came from set pieces, nothing more.

02:07We controlled well the game, with the ball we don't let them to press ourselves,

02:11we found always the midfielders and the spare play in the midfielder area.

02:15And we scored a great goal, some more dangerous moments around their box too,

02:20being more clinical, a bit more ruthless as well.

02:22The defendant with five at the back is not easy to find the gaps, but I think we did it well,

02:27and probably we finished the game more on front foot.

02:30Looking for the game I think is, I can say that is a fair result related with the things.

02:36Of course, if you look for the way they scored the goal, I have to say no,

02:40but OK, it's something that I cannot control.

02:43I'm talking more performance-wise, the way we were in control, the way we reacted,

02:47the way we finished the game on front foot.

02:49Being more clinical should have scored a second, but we didn't, and it's what it is.

02:53But a great reaction from the boys.

02:55Afternoon, Marco.

02:56Again, just coming back to that United goal, it didn't look like Yeni Giorgi had two hands

03:01and a count in his back.

03:02Do you think perhaps that should have been this and that?

03:05Perhaps.

03:06Difficult to say something.

03:13I think what I saw, I don't know how many people were here, 30, 40, 50,

03:20you saw the same than myself.

03:23Everybody that watched on TV, and there were millions and millions and millions for sure,

03:28all the world they saw what's happened here this afternoon in terms of the VAR decisions.

03:32I will not say nothing more.

03:34I don't have the competences to explain things that is impossible to explain.

03:38I think they were unbelievably well, they did unbelievably well when they saw the penalty,

03:43that the foul on Rodrigo was half of a second after the push from Alex,

03:50I think they did it unbelievably well.

03:53Two fouls at the same time, but half of the second was the Calvin was before.

03:57I think they were amazing and we have to congratulate them.

04:00Marco, Manchester United spent £200 billion at the summit,

04:05you don't expect that at all.

04:08Does a performance where you match them absolutely mean that you're not going to get any money to spend?

04:16No, no, it cannot happen, it cannot happen.

04:22I'm very proud of the players that we have, the group, the togetherness in our squad.

04:28Again, this afternoon, the way the players came in and they helped the team,

04:33they made a massive impact in the game.

04:35Last week was the same, the goal came from the bench.

04:38This game this evening was the same story again.

04:42Last season they were 17 goals from the bench as well.

04:45It speaks much more about themselves than about me, the character, the will they have always to go and to help the team.

04:53They are not happy to be on the bench for sure, because if you're a professional you're going to be always there.

04:57But it's unbelievable, I'm unbelievably proud of them the way they do it.

05:02But it doesn't hide that we need players.

05:07We haven't signed one second goalkeeper or a goalkeeper to fight with Bern Leno for the spot in the goalie,

05:13but after that we lost two wingers, we lost one striker.

05:17Let's see what is going to happen with one of our midfielders as well.

05:20And we have to sign, I think. We don't have other solutions.

05:23Of course, the plan didn't go through until now, the plan that we set and put on the table last May.

05:29We have now eight, nine days to correct some things and to try to do our best definitely to sign.

05:35We need to sign at least three players until the end of the market.

05:38And the things cannot be related.

05:40We performed well, I think the players showed a great reaction.

05:45We all should be proud, our fans were fantastic as well.

05:48But the Premier League is much more than that.

05:51We are going to have a lot of games, we are going to have injuries,

05:54we are going to have many, many things that are involved at the level that we are playing.

05:58And in some positions we are short, simple as that.

06:01I'm going to take a couple of questions there, so we'll go over here and then to Jack as well.

06:05Hi, Marco.

06:06Hi.

06:07Alex Iwobi has just been speaking.

06:08He said that he knew that Fulham would be able to get in behind Man United's two midfielders.

06:13Is that midfield an area that you identified leading up to the game as somewhere where your team would get joined?

06:19No, we knew how they defend.

06:21We knew that they like to squeeze from the back five.

06:25And if you don't give bodies for them to squeeze from the back five, you can create a super team in the middle.

06:31We know that Man United played with the two midfielders.

06:33We tried to overload with our three plus Alex.

06:35It was as simple as that.

06:37We knew that the way they like to squeeze from the five at the back, on the sides and in the middle.

06:42And of course, with the two midfielders that they have there, we tried to create a super team with our three.

06:47And of course, if you were able even to push Alex more inside, we are going to be able to create a good super team in the middle.

06:53What was the plan?

06:54The players understood very well.

06:56And as I told you, from the 20, the first 20 minutes from the game, when you start to understand much better

07:01and start to find Alex, Josh King or Sasha Lukic much better, I think we start to settle well our game.

07:07And it was the plan and the players understood.

07:09Most of the moments from that minute to end, you start to execute it really well.

07:14And last question here for Jack.

07:16Hi Marco.

07:17Right in the end of the game, Robinson comes on and he's in a foot race with Mwemo and gets there.

07:22That's his first minute of the season and he's straight into it in terms of a sprint race with Mwemo and he gets there.

07:29What does that say about him coming back from surgery and that's what you're in demand from him?

07:35We know Robinson, I think we all know, he's a great athlete to talk about.

07:41Of course, he needs more minutes, he needs to have the feeling to be on the pitch again,

07:46because he needs to be emotional and with confidence to play at his best level.

07:51He's unbelievably important for us as a football player, he's been one of the best assists from us the last two seasons.

07:58Off the ball, he's been incredible too and we need him at his best.

08:02Cessegnon had a very good performance after the small issue that he had in his hamstring.

08:07It's a great fight always between both, both left-backs and nice to see Robinson back again.

08:13He's going to improve.

08:14Both that type of things and sprints, the way that his capacity to run forward and back throughout the 90-95 minutes,

08:23step-by-step he's going to arrive there.

08:25That was the moment that he was the last, I think it was a corner or a free kick,

08:28was the last player in our set-up and is what he has to do in that moment.

08:32But it was a great reaction from him.

08:36Thank you very much.

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