Fulham were booed off by some supporters following the 3-2 Premier League defeat by Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage. Having led twice in the first half, Alvaro Arbeloa's side fell to a third consecutive Premier League defeat since he replaced Marco Silva, who joined Benfica in the summer following five years in charge. Josh King and summer signing Cesar Palacios scored in the first half, but a goal in each half from Tyrick Mitchell levelled the match twice before substitute Ben Chilwell scored the winner three minutes into his second Palace stint.
It leaves Fulham as one of only two sides to have lost their opening three Premier League games this season, alongside Coventry City. It follows defeat at Sunderland and at home to Chelsea, which also finished 3-2. Liverpool and Manchester United are next on Fulham's league fixture list before the extended September and October international break.
"We didn't deserve to lose this game," Arbeloa told BBC's Match of the Day. "My players did everything - good attitude, they were brave, so many chances to score more goals. "They [Palace] took their chances - in the end football is about that.
"We did many good things to win the game. It was similar against Chelsea but we lose. "For the players it's a difficult situation, difficult moment, but I am very proud of them." Chilwell scores on Palace return in win at Fulham Fulham enjoyed a better expected goals (xG) of 3.13 than Palace (1.97), and also ran Chelsea close on the opening weekend.
But that does not stop the table reading three matches played, three defeats, zero points. It led to booing from some Fulham fans, as well as chants questioning the team's performance. Arbeloa will be no stranger to pressure.
His playing career included more than 350 appearances for Real Madrid, Deportivo la Coruna, Liverpool and West Ham. He also won 56 caps for Spain and was part of their side that won two European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012. Arbeloa got the job following four months as Real's caretaker manager, taking charge of the final 28 matches of last season following Xabi Alonso's departure.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
