Marco Silva delighted as Fulham continue scoring run
Posted Wednesday, January 19, 2022 by PA
Marco Silva hailed his free-scoring players after Fulham thrashed Birmingham 6-2 to move five points clear at the top of the Championship.
It was a third goal-fest in the space of seven days for the Cottagers following last week’s 7-0 romp at Reading and a 6-2 home thrashing of Bristol City.
Neeskens Kebano, Fabio Carvalho and Tom Cairney added to an early own-goal opener, with Birmingham’s Ivan Sunjic pulling one back to make it 4-1 at half-time.
Gary Gardner gave Blues brief hope of an unlikely comeback before Carvalho bagged his second and Antonee Robinson completed the rout in stoppage time.
The 19 goals in the space of seven days means Fulham have now scored 70 in 26 league games and have a goal difference of plus-47. Silva’s side are five points ahead of both Bournemouth and Blackburn from an equal number of games.
Silva was full of praise for his players on a night when Aleksandar Mitrovic, the division’s top scorer with 27 goals, failed to find the net.
He said: “It was a very good result for us, a fantastic score again. It wasn’t our best performance but we created chances and scored goals from some very good attacking moments.
“I expected us to control better the ball but we were the best team on the pitch and I have to congratulate my players again.
“Having four different scorers was pleasing. We have a fantastic goal-scorer and it is a good sign that we are able to score six goals even if our top scorer doesn’t score.
“Mitrovic didn’t score but was always involved in everything. He did very well tonight. Even though he didn’t score I am very happy with him. He is really happy. Of course he wants to score but he knows the main thing is the football club.
“Carvalho is a key player for us. He gave us very good things. It has been a season of up and downs for him and rumours around him that didn’t help but always I see the same commitment.”
Fulham’s first came in the 10th minute when Blues defender Marc Roberts deflected Harry Wilson’s cross into his own net as Mitrovic prepared to pounce.
Birmingham were caught flat-footed in the 35th minute as Kebano raced in ahead of Maxime Colin to fire home a first-time effort, and Carvalho’s glancing header and Cairney’s finish off the post made it 4-0 in the 43rd minute
Birmingham pulled one back straight away through Sunjic, whose powerful drive from outside the box also went in off an upright, and Gardner made it 4-2 in the 74th minute but Fulham restored their three-goal advantage within seconds when Carvalho danced along the edge of the box before firing off a low drive. Robinson made it six with virtually the last kick.
Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer said: “I thought we started OK, we looked solid, they didn’t really get near our goal. Then we conceded from a lapse of concentration and they punished us every time we went forward.
“We did better in the second half and the only positives are the two goals – they were both good strikes.
“Sometimes you have to hold your hand up and say they were better than us, which they were.
“We are disappointed we have conceded six and lost the game but my team was hard-working and honest and we couldn’t even get close to them.
“They are by far the best team in this league. You have to give Fulham credit – they are a different animal to my team.”
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