Fulham

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

This week, he takes on Eats Everything, aka DJ and producer Daniel Pearce.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

I am a big fan of Fulham manager Marco Silva, but the Cottagers have a dismal record at Stamford Bridge - they have not won there since 1979 - and there won't be any 'Silva Bells' ringing in celebration this time either.

Chelsea will be disappointed not to have beaten Everton on Sunday, but I don't see them failing to fire again here. They are back on home turf, and they should be back to winning ways.

Eats Everything's prediction: 2-1

I'd normally just go with Chelsea here because they have been doing well but Fulham have really impressed me - Silva is another manager who has been given time to build a very handy team.

Chelsea always seem to score though - their goalless draw with Everton on Sunday was the first time they had failed to score in the league since the opening weekend - so I am going to play it safe and back them to edge it.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Image source, Getty Images

For me, wherever I played, I'd always see where the first game was, where the last game was, and where we were at Christmas.

There is such a big difference between being at home on Boxing Day versus being away because, depending on what your manager is like, if you've got an away game there is a chance you're training on Christmas Day.

Some of the toughest times I had was when we had away games on Boxing Day and we had to come in to train at four or five on Christmas. That's when everything is just starting at home and everyone is really enjoying themselves and you have to leave.

If you lose you are sat in the hotel having walked away from friends and family all for no points. It's not the best feeling and as a consequence you bring home some of that disappointment with you.

But, in reality, you just know it is the busiest time of the year. The floodlights are always on for the games, the conditions get that little bit tougher, you've got games it feels like every three or four days.

I think it's an exciting part of the season because you can gain real, significant momentum but ultimately it comes down to are you winning games.

I think the Christmas period itself can be tough if you have got family but in reality it always feels nicer when you get that win on Boxing Day. The atmosphere in the stadiums is a little bit different, the atmosphere among the players is a bit different.

You're very thankful to get the chance to do what you do, but if you end up losing on Boxing Day or around that spell it is rubbish because it almost feels like it was a waste of time with all the efforts you put in.

But, I get it. The fans love it, there is a lot of clamour around it. You lose track of days just like everyone else does after Christmas and before New Year but it is great to play in front of those types of crowds and it just does feel different playing during that week or two.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is testament to the year that we have had under Marco Silva that it is hard to pick a single moment out.

But, when it came down to it, I couldn't look past Harry Wilson's injury-time double against Brentford in November.

It has always been tricky to define who our purest, undiluted rivals are. Chelsea are the closest geographically but, up until this century, they were typically much higher up the football pyramid, and their feeling of superiority and indifference continues even now.

Then there is QPR and Brentford. We have enjoyed many tussles with the former during the past two decades, but it is with the latter that we have battled regularly throughout the lean days of the 1980s and 90s - and so they are our biggest foes in many of our fans' eyes, myself included.

And, crucially, the Bees edge us in head-to-heads, creating even more needle.

So when it looked like we were set to fall to another defeat, as 90 minutes approached and then passed, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

The jubilation in the Hammersmith End for Wilson's first goal, a deft flick, was uninhibited - generations arm in arm, strangers embracing.

And the scenes for his winning header - our latest-ever Premier League goal - were the type typically associated with those heady European nights under Roy Hodgson years ago.

This year has been all about progress for Fulham - improving the squad, developing our stadium and moving up the table.

But, when it comes down to it, nothing in football gets the blood pumping more than a last-minute goal or two - and good old fashioned bragging rights.

Here's to more of the same in 2025.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Premier League game against Chelsea (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva said it was "still too early to be sure on players" for the game as they are "still assessing" them: "The games come thick and fast. Less time to recover between games. We will take a decision for Boxing Day's match."

• On Emile Smith Rowe's availability: "He got a big knock on his ankle so let's see and we will make a decision."

• He also confirmed that Sander Berge took a big knock on his ankle and a decision will be made on his availability on Christmas Day, while Sasa Lukic is probably going to be ready.

• On Josh King: "It was a good performance for him [last match]. It was a surprise for some people that he was so composed, but it wasn't a surprise for us. I took the decision [to start him] because I saw that he is ready."

• Silva continued: "He is a really good boy who is focused on his goals and the team's."

• On facing Chelsea: "They are very, very good. It is quite clear there. A football club that has spent money in such a short period of time, the quality was there. For young players, it's not easy to find a club with so many young players performing. They are very good and very confident to play in that system. They have been dominant in most of their games. It's another big challenge for us."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

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

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Gabriel: A very strange game. We have to be more clinical if we are to have any chance of competing for a European football place. However, it was fantastic to see Josh King make his debut and, considering our growing and concerning injury list, we just have to move on.

Ben: It wasn't awful, but it was ultimately two points dropped. They were stubborn and we didn't have the final ball to produce the goal we needed. Adama's aside, there was no clear chance for us.

Robert: We weren't hungry enough. We didn't put the Saints' defence under enough pressure when they had the ball. Iwobi was wasteful. The manager was too slow to bring his substitutes on. Two points dropped against the worst team in the league. So frustrating.

Southampton fans

Richard: A definite improvement. Hard work, well-organised, but still toothless in attack. Any recovery must be based on a tighter defence, which seems to be recognised. Thank heavens for the lack of short passing in our own area. A few green shoots!

David: Better from Saints. We seemed a bit more confident going forward and we look prepared to ditch Russ-ball 'pass it out from the back' when needed. We would have lost this game, but for Ramsdale, with two fine stops.

Mike: This was not the usual defensive-error-strewn Saints performance, so we should be grateful for that at least. But where on earth is a goal going to come from and why is Adam Armstrong starting games when he can't buy a goal in the Premier League? I'm hoping the new manager is going to shake things up and select players who were left out in the cold under Russell Martin. Sulemana, Onuachu and Bella-Kotchap should get some game time.

Noah: That is one of the best games Southampton have had this season. I thought we were brilliant playing it out from the back and we were fantastic down the wing. I'm just waiting to see what we will be like when Ivan Juric trains the team, and to see our performance against West Ham on Boxing Day.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's five 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 Sunday's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 0-0 Chelsea

• Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth

• Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at Craven Cottage

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham came into this game in great form, with a win and three draws from a tough run of fixtures that included matches against Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal and Liverpool.

That had let to talk the club could make a real push for Europe this season. With that in mind, as manager Marco Silva was quick to admit, this was a glorious chance for a victory that slipped by against bottom-of-the-league Southampton, who had an interim manager in charge.

Fulham were by far the better team and only a couple of inspired saves from away goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale - to deny Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson - kept it goalless.

Southampton offered so little in attack, so much so their fans started chanting 'we had a shot' when Adam Armstrong's 56th-minute effort was comfortably saved by Bernd Leno.

Silva's introduction of Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore in the 62nd minute looked to have swung the game in Fulham's favour. Traore instantly set up Wilson's chance and then should have been the match-winner himself with three minutes left on the clock, only to drag an angled effort wide of the post.

Next up for Fulham is a tasty west London derby against rivals Chelsea on 26 December.

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham recorded a goalless draw in a Premier League game for the first time since May against Brentford. The Cottagers were on the joint-longest scoring streak in England's top four tiers before blanking in this draw with Southampton (15 games – level with Chelsea).

Josh King (17 years 354 days) became the second youngest player to start a Premier League game for Fulham, behind only Moussa Dembele (17 years 261 days) against Everton in March 2014. During his hour on the pitch, the youngster created the joint-most chances (2) and attempted the most dribbles (4).

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham manager Marco Silva has been speaking to Premier League Productions following the goalless draw: "We should have won the game, definitely. We tried everything from the start. It is impossible to finish a game with more attacking players in our team.

"Our attacking line was never really a threat for them. We had two or three clear chances, but we should have created more. We have to be more incisive and more clinical.

"It's a missed opportunity for us definitely. That was a game that we win, if we take better decisions."

On 17-year-old midfielder Josh King making his first senior start: "He is a great talent. It is not a coincidence that he had a chance to start the game. He showed in some spells of the game what he is capable to do.

"It's an important moment of his career. Let's hope there are more to come."

On injuries suffered by Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic: "Not good signs for Sander and Sasa. Lukic was out a long time with his shoulder, but he felt something in final minutes."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Fulham's performance

What did you make of Southampton's display?

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

There are five matches in the Premier League on Sunday.

• Everton v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Southampton

• Leicester v Wolves

• Man Utd v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Tottenham v Liverpool (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 17, he takes on Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

I saw Fulham first-hand at Anfield last week and they have a lovely balance to their team, with some decent options in their squad too.

Antonee Robinson is making a strong case for being the best left-back in the league this season, and racked up a couple of assists against Liverpool.

There's only one winner here. Southampton have not got a new manager yet after sacking Russell Martin, and I can't see much changing for them.

I have some sympathy for Martin because, had he lost last season's play-off final, there is a good chance he would still be in his job.

But Southampton's players are already low on confidence, and they were beaten again by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Let's face it, Saints are down already and I hope they are planning for next season in the Championship.

It will be interesting to see what brand of football their next manager plays, but I hope they get some points somewhere.

At the moment they have got even fewer points than Robbie Savage's Derby County team of 2007-08 had managed at this stage.

It would be nice for Saints to end up with one more point than Derby did when they eventually finished on 11, just so Robbie can keep that record of being part of the worst Premier League team ever - it's how he is best known.

McClure's prediction: 2-0

Marco Silva is doing a great job at Fulham. They play really tidy football and it is nice to see Raul Jimenez back doing the business after his serious injury, because he is a class player.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Southampton (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Right-back Kenny Tete "is going to be out for at least eight to 10 weeks" after picking up "a big knock" to his shin and knee against Liverpool.

• Joachim Andersen is available and so are Calvin Bassey and Tom Cairney after serving their respective bans.

• Andreas Pereira misses Sunday's game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.

• More from Silva on Tete's injury: "We have Timothy Castagne to replace him. He was impressive last season. When he took Tete's place, Kenny couldn't win it back. This season it has been the other way round."

• On the festive schedule: "It is a great moment. It is intense and busy. We like to enjoy time with our families. We know what we are going to face, so we have time to spend with our families. Boxing Day is really good for football and as managers and players we should enjoy it."

• Silva says his side still have room for improvement but he is "really confident and ambitious" in what he wants to achieve at the club.

• On their strong defensive record: "I prefer to not concede. We have scored 15 games in a row, which is maybe the first time that's happened in the Premier League with Fulham - but we want clean sheets. It's our identity. We go into every game to win the football match and our goal for each match is to not concede."

• He said left-back Antonee Robinson "is always open to learn" and added: "His defensive set-up, his position and his body language is improving. That's because of the work from all of us with him. He puts all his energy in, every single day."

• On opponents Southampton, who are bottom of the league, Silva said: "Five weeks ago we played Wolves at home when they were in a bad moment and we didn't win the game. We have spoke about the approach for this game. Southampton have lots of Premier League quality."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Fulham are interested in 20-year-old Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, who has fallen out of favour at Amex Stadium, and want to sign him on a loan deal until the end of the season. (Independent), external

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

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for one thing - good or bad - that no-one is talking about regarding Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Gabriel: Sasa Lukic. He has been the mastermind for our midfield and defensively he has been outstanding.

Will: I would say Lukic is flying under the radar currently. When we first purchased him it seemed as if we had overpaid. Yet he is now a midfield stalwart who is key for our success.

Tom: I believe our position in the table belies our form. We are getting chances in every single game but the strikers we have cannot put them away like an Aleksandar Mitrovic would. Had we retained the Serb, on current form I think we would be top three already. Still, we are doing phenomenally well without a proven goalscorer.

Ollie: Sander Berge is getting nowhere near enough praise! Has slotted right into the team and has worked tirelessly having some great moments, like his timely clearance against Brentford. Great bit of business - hope we can make more smart signings like him in the future.

Matthew: Do we believe in ourselves as a European football club enough that we will bring in talent? Or will we take the opportunity to better balance the books by selling Antonee Robinson? This is the best-looking Fulham side in many years and club management need to make a clear indication as to whether this is the beginning of a new chapter where we compete for Europe, or if it is merely the decade-long high-point for a perennial mid-table club.

Fulham's first half of the season continued with a fine draw at Liverpool on Saturday to leave Marco Silva's side just four points off the Champions League places.

No-one at Craven Cottage is getting carried away, but what is behind their excellent form? Who is going under the radar but should not be?

Or is there something underlying that suggests this form cannot last?

Tell us, what is the one thing good or bad - that no-one is talking about right now?

Have your say - and come back on Wednesday for a selection of replies

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Football fans can be selfish. I firmly include myself in that.

But even I have to tell myself to get real when I find myself feeling like, despite two incredible points against Arsenal and now Liverpool, we should have got more.

We scored twice against Liverpool at Anfield, netting our second with just 15 minutes to go. But, as is often the case, we conceded late on.

The latest Fulham stat doing the rounds is that we have dropped a whopping 17 points from leading positions this season. Those points would send us six points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Now, context is key here, and there are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes at play. If my grandma had wheels, she would be a car etc.

Nevertheless, there is a concerning lack of concentration in key periods that stops us from challenging higher up the table. The narrative of late concessions is well established, but what is less covered is our penchant for conceding in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half.

It can only be a mental block, something that is harder to coach out than any technical element, but we saw it against Arsenal and we saw it again on Saturday against the league leaders.

The positives of those particular scenarios are that we scored first in both games and had something to hold on to. And, more impressively still, we rallied again at Anfield to regain the lead after Cody Gakpo had levelled things up following the break.

That takes intestinal fortitude - and Marco Silva's boys have it in spades.

This is our second-best Premier League points return after 16 games, and we have the opportunity to make our best haul from 17 if we get a result against bottom of the league Southampton at Craven Cottage on the weekend.

Yes, it is selfish, but I want no fewer than three points so I can tuck into my Christmas dinner knowing we are firmly in uncharted waters.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external