Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic
Fulham‘s much-awaited return to the Premier League got off to an underwhelming start as the Cottagers succumbed to a 0-2 loss to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Despite securing promotion admirably and conducting some impressive businesses in the recently concluded transfer window, Slavisa Jokanovic’s men fell short as the Eagles ran the show. Jeffrey Schlupp opened the scoring right before half-time and towards the end of the game, talisman Wilfried Zaha added to the lead.
The Cottagers’ performance was not poor by any measure. They showed plenty of encouraging signs and were backed commendably by the home crowd as well. However, it was just not meant to be as Roy Hodgson’s men walked away with three crucial points.
Fulham controlled a good majority of the first-half and even created numerous chances throughout the game but they were simply not clinical enough. They were also rather unlucky as they missed out on securing a penalty in the second half.
The likes of Cyrus Christie and Aleksandr Mitrovic got close to scoring in the initial stages as well but a lack of finishing saw their efforts go in vain.
Palace, meanwhile, stood strong and played their hearts out to win the game. It was certainly a well-deserved win for the Eagles, who have proven their doubters wrong. And Wayne Hennessey, in particular, must be lauded for his fantastic performance between the sticks which helped him maintain a clean sheet as well.
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Zaha stole the show as well and displayed some impeccable skills to keep Fulham’s defenders on their toes throughout the game. The Eagles will face Liverpool next weekend and they must retain their momentum and pack a solid punch against Jurgen Klopp and his men as well.
Twitter exploded with numerous Palace fans expressing their joy and excitement. Here are some of the best reactions:
