Fulham

Fulham

Premier League • England

Marco Silva hails Fulham ace making big impact at both ends

Fulham manager Marco Silva 2021

Marco Silva was full of praise for Fulham star-man Aleksandar Mitrovic after his hat-trick settled the contest against promotion rivals West Brom.

Fulham were victorious 3-0 against the Baggies, with the Serbian striker scoring all three for his side. Mitrovic opened the scoring with a controversial penalty, before a sloppy pass from Robert Snodgrass gifted him the second. He then smashed home from close-range for the third and Silva admitted he could not be happier with the striker.

Speaking after the game, Silva said: “Strikers that score 18 goals in 15 games, I think the numbers are there. They speak for themselves.

“Of course a striker cannot win games alone, but if you have a striker who has this capacity to score goals, we should keep creating for him.

“When a striker is scoring and scoring, I don’t need to speak to him. His job is done, I have to work on other things with him because his confidence is high.”

Mitrovic’s impressive record has him top of the Championship top scorers’ chart this season.


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But Silva also admitted the striker has been well-served by his teammates for the goals.

“It was fantastic work from the team, the way we won the ball for the first two goals.

“His team-mates are helping him and we have to keep the momentum. I’m pleased to see Mitro in a good mood, but also working hard as well.”

The win moved Fulham four points above West Brom, who have now lost their last three games away from home. The Cottagers have also not conceded in their last three Championship fixtures.


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Silva hails unlikely aspect of Mitrovic’s game

Silva claimed the striker has played his part in helping the defence, as well as finishing them at the other end.

“The second goal is something we are working on with Mitro. The way he switches on in that moment is really important for us because he can’t just be there to score goals. He is really important to us and is helping us to clean sheets as well.”

The Fulham manager also praised the back four for their performance against West Brom.

The defensive line looked solid for 85 minutes, before Tosin Adarabioyo was sent off late for a reckless challenge.

But Silva still insisted he was happy with his defence after the game, saying: “Our backline was really brilliant. The four did fantastic work.

“Another clean sheet is really important, especially against a strong side.”