Fulham

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We asked for your thoughts after Thursday's FA Cup game between Fulham and Watford.

Here are some of your comments:

Dylan: That was a pretty comfortable win all things told! We looked good from the first whistle and limited the opposition to just three touches in the box during the sgame. Winning with a largely rotated side is always pleasing and So good to see Ryan Sessegnon back on the Cottage pitch. It would be rude however not to praise the Watford goal as well. A ridiculously good hit. On to round four!

John: Fulham superior as they should be against a lower level opponent. Andreas Pereira showed his all-round game and had hard luck not to score. Joshua King and Martial Godo look to be real talents with a great future. We're better without Calvin Bassey and Jorge Cuenca is good in defence, but needs to control his attitude.

Bob: We started with a well-taken goal. Watford scored a good cup goal but we controlled the first half well and didn't get flustered. A good start to the second half settled us down which we needed and we controlled it. It was good to see some youngsters coming on. A home draw in the fourth round would be nice.

Tim: Very professional performance from Fulham. Dominated possession and the game from the start. Great cameos from King and Godo. Good to see Harrison Reed back too from injury. Great goal by Watford and great support by their fans to be honest.

Will: Any win is good in the cup but that one was great. Watford's only real chance was that stunning goal. Great play from everyone and into the next round.

Fulham have received an improved offer of £20.5m from Palmeiras for 29-year-old Brazil midfielder Andreas Pereira. (Mail, external)

The Whites also have former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz on their radar as a potential January addition from Juventus. (Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Fulham's performance

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

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The eventual scoreline did not flatter Fulham. They were simply superior to Watford, their attacking play proving far too much for the Championship side to handle.

Fulham's victory owed much to their persistence, continually pressing in the final third in search of further goals.

Rodrigo Muniz netted a lovely opener, twisting and driving past the visitors' goalkeeper. Watford scored a superb equaliser from about 30 yards, but that did not dent Fulham's resolve.

They came back re-energised in the second half and ran away with it, their non-stop attacking never waning in intensity and tormenting the Watford back five.

Victory sealed a spot in the fourth round for a sixth successive season and it was done in style, with their goals coming as a result of good finishes and their final-third play consistently being of a high calibre.

The only minor shortcoming was that they did not score more - arguably they had ample chances to do so - but Marco Silva will not see that as too much of an issue.

The FA Cup third round gets under way on Thursday and you can follow both Premier League clubs in action.

• Everton v Peterborough - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and watch live on BBC iPlayer and Red Button

• Fulham v Watford - listen live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Both games kick off at 19:45 GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Fulham boss Marco Silva left Watford under a bit of a cloud in 2018, so it will be interesting to see what sort of reception he gets from their travelling fans.

Watford had been going pretty well under Tom Cleverley but three successive defeats have halted their progress a bit.

Fulham have had a great season so far, and they have a lovely balance about the way they play.

It would be great for them to have a cup run to go with their impressive league form, and hopefully Silva will be thinking that they should have a real go at the FA Cup, because they can beat anyone on their day.

As long as they go full strength, or close enough to it, they should get through this tie. That's my thinking for most Premier League sides facing lower league sides in the third round, but of course that is not always the case.

Thornton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Fulham have failed to win any of their past six competitive games against Watford (D3 L3), conceding 14 goals during that time.

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Thursday's FA Cup third round tie against Watford (kick-off 19:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• With "some injuries to key players", Silva confirmed they "would like to improve some things" in the transfer window if they can "add quality" as the club "cannot stand still".

• On why his side are so difficult to beat: "We are competitive. We are a good side. We have clear identity how to play and are really competitive. To be competitive at this level, you have to have this all in the same box and show quality week in and week out. Some draws should have been wins and three points, but games are tough at this level."

• He added: "We know what we are capable of. We have to be pleased with the season so far. We should have got more points for sure but have to keep being competitive and adjust things we have been punished for."

• Silva has "told the players that the top ambition is this competition [FA Cup]" and continued: "All clubs should look at this cup like it deserves. It is a good competition in this country that everybody loves. The final is something unbelievable and if you can participate, it is one of the greatest moments as a manager or footballer you can have in this country."

• The Fulham boss said it was "a challenge" being in charge at opponents Watford before he was sacked, but he still has a "connection with some players and staff", which is a "good feeling".

• On coming up against his former player Tom Cleverley in the opposite dugout: "He was a top player and very important for us during that period and I am really pleased to see him doing well in his managerial career. I always support him and his ambition and wish the best for Tom because he deserves everything in his career. Let's hope tomorrow is going to be our night though, not his."

• On midfielder Tom Cairney's TV appearance on Monday: "He has been enjoying some moments seeing and analysing the game in a different way than just as a football player. I saw parts but not all of it. I have had conversations with him and he is enjoying it. It is good to spend some time analysing things in a different way. No issue with it. The most important thing is he can enjoy other parts of game as he is the type of player that loves football."

Follow all of Wednesday's football news and updates

Palmeiras are interested in signing Brazilian attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira, 29, but are yet to agree terms with Fulham. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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We are experiencing first-hand the difference between an unbeaten run and a winning run.

It's been eight games since our last defeat, our capitulation at home against Wolves in November.

That's impressive for a club like us – and is one game shy of our record, achieved in 2008-09, which was the season we achieved our highest finish and points total, under Roy Hodgson.

But during this current run we have won just two games out of the eight. It means we have amassed 12 points from a possible 24 – the equivalent of winning four and losing four.

It sounds dramatic, but digging deeper into the run, we might see it as the period we lost the chance to create something special this season.

Do not get me wrong, some of the draws have been incredible; a point against Arsenal at the Cottage, a draw against Liverpool at Anfield (though the Reds equalised late on).

But the real problem is dropping points against teams we should be beating. Draws against Southampton and Ipswich at home. Conceding late at home against Bournemouth.

We have taken just seven points from 18 against teams in the bottom five. Those games should be our bread and butter. Gain just four more points from that (by finishing the job against the Saints and Tractor Boys, for example), and we would be firmly in contention for Europe. But as it stands, we're in danger of watching the top six pull away.

That record unbeaten run in 08-09 yielded three wins and six draws. A win against West Ham would bring this run level with that in terms of points accrued, ahead of a trip to relegation-threatened Leicester.

That would keep us close to the rest of the pack. The focus now must be on turning this into a season-defining run – and ultimately a European one.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Fulham and Ipswich.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Will: Probably a fair result. We need to take worse teams seriously or we will continue to falter. We can beat Chelsea away but not Southampton or Ipswich at home. We need to win the next few games to get back on it. Also, hats off to Raul Jimenez for keeping calm under pressure.

Terry: It was a poor performance by Fulham. Although they dominated possession, they had difficulty breaking down Ipswich's defence. Fulham should have had a penalty in the first half and then Town gave away a soft penalty in second half. They were very lucky to escape with a draw. Fulham clearly struggle against teams in bottom five.

Chris: When you line up with a goalkeeper, five defenders and two holding midfielders against a team in the relegation zone is it any wonder you don't score goals? You need more than three players trying to get in the other team's penalty area.

John: Wasn't Fulham's best day with the concession of two cheap goals and a failure to work the Ipswich keeper enough despite 73% possession. Still showed the resilience to come back against a side who are comfortably the best of the promoted teams and have a genuine chance of survival. Might have been a different outcome if the referee had sent Leif Davis off as he should have. The fact he also missed the foul for our first penalty lends credence to Marco Silva's post-match comments on his performance .

Ipswich fans

Bruce: I would've taken one point but it stings to have three points taken away like they were. I can't see how either penalty was fair on Christian Walton, but that's football. We're going to need some good stuff to get a point out of the rest of January, and those three points really would have made the table look rosier. I back Kieran McKenna and back the squad - they really look like they belong, but they need to see out games like this.

Alex: Great game. We should have won that, if not for some silly mistakes! Liam Delap is on form again.

James: It's hard to know whether to look on this as one point gained or two points dropped, having taken the lead twice. I think that, on reflection, we should be pleased with the result against a solid top-half team. More importantly, we should be proud of another excellent all-round performance. On another day, Jack Clarke's strike goes in off the post and we aren't left to rue a second penalty decision against us, but it's a sign of our undoubted progress over the season that we are disappointed with just the one point.

Tim: Generally a great performance. We were set up so well but conceded two penalties that were both naive. Davis didn't get back in time, arrived late and made a poor decision that cost us the three points. Overall, I'm pleased with a solid performance and a hard fought point.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea

• Brighton 1-1 Arsenal

• Fulham 2-2 Ipswich

• Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

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Fulham are now unbeaten in eight Premier League games.

But while they will no doubt point to at least one refereeing decision that could have made this a very different game, it is another home match in which they dropped points when they'd have expected to claim all three.

It has been the curious thing about this recent run for Marco Silva's side.

They have taken points in the tougher matches - earning draws at Tottenham and Liverpool, as well as at home to Arsenal, on top of that remarkable late win at Chelsea - but have also slipped up at home to two promoted, relegation-threatened sides.

Frustrated by Southampton, there were similarities here against Ipswich as they failed to turn their dominance on the ball into chances.

It was telling both goals came from penalties, while there other big chance - Emile Smith Rowe's free header at the far post - came from the second phase of an attacking free-kick.

Of course, Marco Silva's side are still having an excellent season but, with things as close as they are in the top half, if they want to maintain a push for a European place, these are the kind of games in which they must endeavour to find more of a cutting edge.

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to Match of the Day following the result: "It was a difficult game. It was a very good first 30 minutes from us, but you cannot concede a goal in that way. We should have done much better in that moment.

"Second half, we changed. We made another mistake which gave them another penalty. If we keep doing this then it is more difficult to win matches.

"We should have won the game because we did more than them. When on front foot, we should have killed them in the right way."

On whether Leif Davis should have been sent off in the first half: "It is important to say that discussions with the referee are normal. It's difficult to understand why it wasn't a red card.

"It's just emotions, just normal. It's my job to be as calm as I can."

On Raul Jimenez's late penalty: "He has been doing that all his career. He is our best penalty taker. He showed he is very good, the way he fought and made it hard for the defenders. He is in a really good moment."

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham remain unbeaten in each of their last eight Premier League games, although they have drawn six of those matches (W2). Overall this season, only Brighton (10) have drawn more top-flight games than the Cottagers (9).

With just 2 minutes and 44 seconds between Raul Jimenez equalizing from the penalty spot for Fulham in the 69th minute and Liam Delap putting Ipswich ahead from his spot kick in the 71st minute, it was the shortest gap on record between two penalty goals in a single half of a Premier League game (since 2006-07).

Only Cole Palmer (12 out of 12) and Yaya Toure (11 out of 11) have a better 100% conversion rate from the penalty spot in Premier League history than Fulham striker Raul Jimenez (10 out of 10).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Fulham fans - what did you make of the game?

Ipswich supporters - let us know your thoughts

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies