- Silva said it was a ‘game of two halves’ and credited his side with being ‘ruthless’
- However, he said they should have defended better for Liverpool’s second goal
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Fulham boss Marco Silva remained positive after his side failed to capitalise on Willian’s 19th-minute opener against Liverpool on Wednesday evening.
Fulham were beaten 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final clash with Liverpool after Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo found the back of the net for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Speaking after the game, Silva said it was a ‘game of two halves’ and credited his side with being ‘ruthless in the first 45 minutes’.
The Fulham manager felt Liverpool’s first goal was ‘lucky’, but admitted they should have ‘defended the box better for the second goal’.
He went on to say he was grateful they had the opportunity to right their wrongs in the second leg – which is scheduled to take place on January 24.
Speaking after the game, Silva said: ‘We knew it was going to be a tough one. You can’t play for a final thinking it’s not going to be really hard. Even three days ago they were able to play Arsenal away from home in the FA Cup.
‘We did really well in the first half, more of a low block than we usually play but we controlled it well. They are a threat with the pace and quality of their attacking players and they can punish you at any time. We were ruthless in the first half but second half they pushed up a bit more.
‘They started to create more problems, we had 10-15 minutes of good chances and De Cordova-Reid was a moment for us to score. We didn’t take that moment and we lost a few challenges we shouldn’t have done and the shot from the edge of the box took a deflection.
‘We have to be more clever from a tactical point of view and we should defend our box better for their second goal.
‘We’re playing at home, we’re losing 2-1 but we’re going to go for it for sure. In the second half we had good moments and we should’ve scored another goal at least but it is what it is at the top level of football.
‘At home, with our fans behind us, it’s going to be a great night for Fulham Football Club.’
The Fulham manager went to add: ‘Two different halves. It wasn’t our best performance, even so first half we had a plan. We were ruthless from the first moment and really good from Willian when we scored. The second half was different, we struggled a bit more. We should manage them in a different way.
‘They were a bit lucky the first goal, a deflection that changed completely the game, and the only thing that is disappointing is the way we managed the next 10 minutes.
‘In a competition where we are playing two legs we cannot concede a fast attack like that. Liverpool had one or two chances to score the third and the reality is that Leno kept us in the game.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
