Fulham

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at home against Crystal Palace (12:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed he has no new injuries to report but Reiss Nelson, Harry Wilson and Kenny Tete remain sidelined and will not be fit for Saturday.

• He said the chance to reach Wembley is "normal progression for a club doing the right things", adding: "It shows the progress we have been showing since our first season back in the Premier League. It shows really what we have been doing, not just in terms of performances but changing the mentality of the club and the players in every competition we play. We have changed completely the mindset for these competitions."

• On reaching 500 games in management: "I'm feeling very well. Preparing for a big game for us. Nothing feels really different than the previous one. It's a very nice number to be honest, but it's just another game that is really important. It's been a long journey, a special one. I'm proud of what I've been doing so far but I want much more to come and better things to come as well."

• Asked if he retains the same passion as when he began, Silva said: "Probably even more. I'm more mature and more experienced. I'm the same person and same type of character but more mature than when I started."

• On what he expects from Palace: "They are a physical side, difficult to beat - always with that strong five at the back, two good midfielders with quality and three attackers. The details will make the difference. We have to be ruthless and create clear-cut chances."

• On what it would mean for Fulham fans to reach a first domestic final in 50 years, should they progress through the quarter-finals and semi-finals: "It will be a dream for them. Let's go step by step. We love them to dream but for us it does not make sense to think about the final if we are not strong enough in the quarter-final. We have to be strong enough tomorrow."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Fulham v Crystal Palace at 12:15 on Saturday

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Premier League clubs have agreed the dates for the summer transfer window.

The window will open early, between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the Fifa Club World Cup.

It will then reopen on Monday 16 June and close on Monday 1 September.

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We asked for your views on what might be going under the radar at Craven Cottage.

Here are some of your comments:

Bill: We must keep Marco Silva and ensure we renew his contract.

Iain: What is and has been missing since Mitro departed is a proven 20+ goals striker. With Mitro still with us, we would probably have been looking at a top four finish.

Matt: Need a 20+ goalscorer to replace Mitro.

Robert: Europe! All the pundits put us down under Spurs and Man Utd. Still have pundits stating we will finish under them even though we are clear of them! Plus FA Cup is very much anyone's to take with the teams left. Bring Europe back to the Cottage!!

Toby: Bernd Leno - he goes under the radar massively. He's been hugely consistent for the last few years and single handedly kept us in games. The FA Cup shootout hero!

Peter: Raul Jimenez is fully rehabilitated, is scoring a lot of goals for his country and never misses a penalty. He certainly deserves a new contract and if we can play to his strengths next season he could again be a top Premier League striker in his twilight years.

Fulham fans have many reasons to be hopeful for the final couple of months in the season, with plenty still to play for.

Marco Silva's side sit eighth in the Premier League and face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this weekend with the chance of a trip to Wembley up for grabs.

But is there anything slipping under the radar?

What is the one thing - good or bad - nobody is talking about at Fulham?

Let us know here

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This is just the second time Fulham and Crystal Palace have met in the FA Cup, with the Eagles winning a second-round replay 1-0 in February 1907.

Fulham progressed from their first four FA Cup quarter-finals between 1957-58 and 2001-02, but have been eliminated in their four since.

Meanwhile, Palace have progressed from four of their past five FA Cup last-eight ties, only failing in 2018-19 against Watford in this run.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Looking a little further ahead in England, at least this weekend gives some players a little break. The Premier League takes a rest while the FA Cup quarter-finals top the bill and rarely has there been a more unusual cast list.

Bournemouth, Preston North End, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Brighton are not regulars in FA Cup finals, so it is a great chance for glory.

Not since Forest in 1959 have any of the above won the trophy.‌

Many of the big dogs have gone out already - not because they didn't care, but because they simply weren't good enough.

The FA Cup seems to have its sparkle back and, with a bit of luck, it might even have the first magical fairytale ending we have seen since Wigan in 2013.

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In what has been a fantastic season for Fulham so far, our fan contributor Drew Heatley says it would be "churlish" to pick a player who should be contributing more, but Emile Smith Rowe is perhaps one that fans will hope to see improve going into next season.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

With the Premier League top two fairly set in stone and the relegation places all but decided, we asked former England midfielder Fara Williams to pick her final table from third down to 10th.

Nottingham Forest will hang on to third based on what they have built this season in terms of being defensively hard to break down and playing in transitions very well. They are finding ways to win games by playing to their strengths.

I do not think Chelsea are good enough to secure fourth. I have put Manchester City there because they have enough firepower and always seem to finish Premier League seasons really well. They have not been in good form but they have that know-how and still a bit of a fear factor against some of the teams they play.

I have Chelsea in fifth because if Cole Palmer can refind his form they will have a good run of games. Newcastle in sixth - where they currently sit - as I think they will continue on the same trajectory with their run of fixtures.

The rest is really difficult. I have put Bournemouth seventh as their pressing and high-intensity play will see them pick up form again and rise a few places.

I have Aston Villa eighth as their focus will be on the Champions League, then Brighton ninth and Fulham 10th as I do not think their form will improve significantly. They are still impressive finishes.

Having said this, it has never been so close in this area of the table from what I can remember. These teams are likely to finish within one win of each other so much can change on one result.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Fulham are firmly in contention to qualify for Europe next season but does their impressive form mean head coach Marco Silva will court more attention for his services?

Former Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer tells The Football News Show why he believes the Cottagers will have plans in place if their manager were to move on.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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Ryan Sessegnon's goal against his former club on Sunday was – as he said himself – written in the stars.

It created another special moment in a season that's been littered with them. Harry Wilson's injury-time double to beat Brentford; Rodrigo Muniz hitting a 95th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge; our penalty shoot-out victory at Old Trafford.

This moment was right up there. Tottenham have a history of poaching our best players. It started with Sean Davis in 2004, then Steed Malbranque two years later, before they swooped for Mousa Dembele in 2012, Clint Dempsey in 2013, and finally Ryan Sessegnon in 2019. It's quite a list.

Sess returned to Fulham on a free this summer. It seemed a great bit of business on the face of it, given we received £24m for him, but after his Spurs stay was blighted by injury, there were more than a few concerns that we made the deal based purely on emotion.

But we should have known that's not Marco Silva's style. He's managed Ryan's return masterfully, giving him cameo appearances, initially further back, until he's started to fire.

It's tricky to define the type of player Sess is – but Fulham fans know he's not a left-back, which is what Spurs thought they were buying. He's an attacker, who's predominantly left-sided, but who can play on the right and cut in, too.

Considering we're suffering a bit of a winger injury crisis, his return to form has come at the perfect time.

Just five points separate fourth and 10th in an incredible Premier League season. And given six of our last nine games are against sides in the top 10, we are in a fantastic position to shape how the final table will look.

Sessegnon looks set to be a key player in this final battle. Is European qualification written in the stars?

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Tottenham have identified Fulham manager Marco Silva and Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola as their top targets, should they part ways with Ange Postecoglou. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Will: What a win. We always bounce back from poor games and we have shown that again. It's a tough run of games until the end of season but we play well against big teams so it's not over till it's over.

Bob: I listened on the radio and was nervous that we didn't put Spurs to the sword in the first half. We always seem edgy. We get into good positions but don't score. Muniz again finished well, and Sessegnon - who when at Spurs just couldn't get going - comes home and proves he has still got a lot to offer. Fulham are a family club, always has been, always will be!

Ash: We were average, some great moves but bitty in places. We've played better this season and lost. A win but can't build momentum - the international break tends to work against us. Still all to play for and chase down the teams above us. We will definitely beat our Premier League points total.

Spurs fans

Alexander: Another dismal performance - particularly in midfield. Why Ange insists on picking Bissouma I just fail to understand and then he takes him off at half time. This is the worst organised team I have seen since Spurs were relegated. Not many of your readers will remember the 1970s but I do!

Dave: Please can we be put out of our misery and start preparing for next season with another manager? We will not win the Europa League, our Premier League performances continue to be an utter embarrassment and we are lucky there are three teams adrift at the bottom - it's the same boring excuses week after week.

Tony: Same old rubbish. Didn't start playing until the second half, we can't keep the ball and can't seem to pass it too well either. We try to play football in the wrong areas instead of clearing the ball away from danger. Frankfurt will be licking their lips after watching this performance.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's three 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:

• Ipswich Town 2-4 Nottingham Forest

• AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Brentford

• Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

• Fulham 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

• Leicester City 0-3 Manchester United

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Fulham's 13 goals from substitutes this season - including two against Spurs today from Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon - is the most in the Premier League.

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

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Ryan Sessegnon made his senior debut for Fulham in 2016-17 as a 16-year-old and started to attract widespread attention the following campaign when scoring 15 goals in 46 Championship appearances.

That form saw him earn a move to Tottenham in 2019 for £25m but he was unable to kick on in north London with injuries stalling his progress.

After scoring just three times in 58 appearances across five seasons, Sessegnon returned to Fulham last summer.

His curling effort to ensure the Cottagers claimed victory against Tottenham after Rodrigo Muniz had opened the scoring was a reminder of what he can deliver.

Sessegnon showed desire and hunger to wrestle Ben Davies out of the way before curling beautifully into the far corner.

It was a rare moment of magic in a largely underwhelming London derby and helped to inject further belief into Fulham's pursuit of a European place.

Victory moved Fulham up to eighth and just four points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Fulham have never finished higher than seventh in the Premier League, achieving that position in 2008-09, but they are firmly in contention to better that this season.

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Fulham manager Marco Silva, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "All of the first half was in our offensive half. We had some good moments but of course the last pass, the last cross wasn't the best. At half-time the conversation was to be more patient."

On Ryan Sessegnon's goal with his weaker foot: "It is something he is practicing really hard. Hard work from him. Him and the other guys are doing extra work really hard every week. It is something he is improving. We know he is so good on the left but he is also improving on the right."

On expectations: "We wanted to finish in the top half of the table at the start of the season. And of course if you are there you can go up. We're not going to try to compromise for anyone.

"I don't like ifs in football. I like to look to the present and the future. For us it's game by game, not the end of the season. The next one is the FA Cup and then another game at Craven Cottage.

"Two days break now and after hard work for the players who will be with us."

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Fulham defender Ryan Sessegnon, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It puts us right up there for the European spots, and it's nice to get a goal as well.

"I was told to bring energy on the left-hand side. I was told to keep it tight but at the same time keep that threat going forward too.

"As a team we have one eye [on the European places] and we're taking it game by game, we just need to keep going.

"I enjoyed my time [at Tottenham], five years at the club. Playing-wise I didn't play as often as I'd have liked, mainly because of injuries, but I still respect the club."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Fulham's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

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

Tottenham have got a few players back from injury but how much will Thursday's Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar have taken out of them?

Fulham have been very up and down at home, but I really fancy them here.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Earlier, we asked who was second behind Brede Hangeland when it comes to chalking up Premier League victories for Fulham.

Former captain Aaron Hughes has 60 wins to his name, just edging out Steed Malbranque who boasts 59.