Marco Silva
In a dramatic Carabao Cup clash at St James’ Park, Fulham manager Marco Silva was left devastated as Newcastle United secured a last-minute victory. The Magpies advanced to the semi-finals with Lewis Miley’s stoppage-time header, a painful reminder of their previous late triumph against Fulham in the Premier League back in October.
Marco Silva said: “A difficult one to take. Better first half, performance wise, for us than the second. First half, even if we concede an early goal, a bit unlucky the way we conceded the first goal, the reaction was good, good goal from ourselves. We matched clearly the game first half, some moments Newcastle were more dominant, other moments with ourselves much more in control of the ball. After the goal, we had a very good chance with Kevin to score the second goal. Newcastle had one or two good moments as well first half, but I believe that first half we played in a way that we wanted to play. Second half more difficult – more difficult to set our game, we defended too deep in some moments. Apart from the save before the corner and one or two crosses, they didn’t have many [chances]. That is the thing, they didn’t create. Much more in control, much more playing in our last third, but not with the chances. We were not able to set the game, to play, to create our offensive organisation the way we like to play, and our counter attacks, our fast attacks, they didn’t work really. We had one or two good moments, but not great chances second half really, not very dangerous moments. Even so, the way we lost the game from a set-piece in the last moments of the game is a very, very difficult one to take.”
The match saw Fulham start strongly, with Silva expressing satisfaction with his team’s first-half performance. Despite conceding an early goal, Fulham responded well, equalizing and creating opportunities to take the lead. However, Newcastle also had their moments, keeping the game evenly poised at the break.
In the second half, Fulham struggled to maintain their rhythm, finding it challenging to establish their game plan. Silva noted that his team was forced to defend deep at times, limiting their offensive capabilities. Although Newcastle did not create many clear-cut chances, their pressure eventually paid off with Miley’s decisive header from a set-piece, leaving Silva and his team to reflect on what might have been.
The defeat marks another instance of Fulham falling victim to a late Newcastle winner, echoing the heartbreak of their previous encounter. As Fulham exits the Carabao Cup, they will need to regroup and focus on their upcoming fixtures, aiming to translate their promising first-half performances into consistent results.
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