Fulham

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Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has released his second single called 'What's Luv?'

Iwobi, who has made over 260 top-flight appearances, made history earlier this year by becoming the first Premier League footballer to have a single released, with his debut song ‘Don’t Shoot’.

"Music has always been a passion of mine, and a way for me to express myself away from football," he said. "Music is a great tool, and I’ve always used it as a productive way to share how I feel. Historically no Premier League player has brought out music with their name and face attached to it, but I like to be different and make a difference.

"Growing up in an area of London that is challenging for some people, I know how hard it can be and I’m grateful to have a platform to try and make a difference. Alongside the work we do in the community, I hope that my music is another way of proving that young people do not have to feel they have to fit in just one box.

"I want them to be encouraged to achieve their dreams, to put their focus into positive things. Creating music doesn’t take anything away from my football, it helps me switch off."

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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I have got my Halloween costume sorted - I am going to dress up as Fulham in the last five minutes of a Premier League game.

Saturday saw another late horror show and more points dropped. It was an appropriate farewell to Goodison Park, a ground that - until recently - was one of our least happy hunting grounds.

The stat doing the rounds is that Fulham have dropped 10 points from winning positions this season. Those points would put us hot on Manchester City's heels in second place. But football is a game of 90 minutes - and modern football is even longer than that.

These late, low moments make it so difficult to judge this season - and gauge how good this iteration of Marco Silva's Fulham really is.

One thing is clear; we will be looking up the table and not nervously down it. That is still a novel feeling. And though we finished 10th in our first season back in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago, this squad is capable of finishing higher.

Much is made of our "Hale End trio" - Alex Iwobi, Reiss Nelson and record signing Emile Smith Rowe - and rightly so. Iwobi is adding goals to his game as he demonstrated on Saturday, Smith Rowe is showing glimpses of his class as he continues to get up to speed, and calls for Nelson to start games are growing ever louder.

Also, late goal aside, our defence is as solid as a unit as it has been in years. Issa Diop slotted in for the colossal Joachim Andersen on Saturday and impressed. It is that sort of squad depth that will help us if we are to push on across the next 29 games.

So there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Our next three games offer a real chance to form a more solid opinion of this Fulham side. It is Brentford in the West London derby, followed by lowly duo Crystal Palace and Wolves.

Suffice to say, we will be hoping for no tricks and plenty of treats.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

There was late drama...

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And late drama...

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And late drama...

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Sometimes you just can't escape it.

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There were returns to goalscoring ways...

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And goalscoring partnerships...

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While sometimes the spoils just have to be shared...

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And after a busy day at work, sometimes you just need a lie down.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Everton and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Andy: A tough watch. We were so passive. We were lucky to take a point really, but our run continues. The goal clearly meant a lot to Beto and I'm pleased for him. Young had another decent game and he showed great skill with the assist. We need to take three points against Southampton now.

Anton: We somehow drew, so that shows good character, but we were so poor. I do love Sean Dyche but he needs to figure out how to play at Goodison Park because it is just not good enough. The derby last season is the blueprint. How we set up to play works very well away, but he needs to find a new way for the home ground. It's a good job the next two matches are away.

Chris: When is Sean Dyche going to learn that with the amount of possession that Everton concede to the opposition, they are not going to win enough games to stay in the Premier League. They are simply not good enough!

Marshall: As a long-time Everton supporter, I live in hope that we will be winning games more often and move up the table. I have to say that I was quite disappointed with our performance. The only saving grace was our effort towards the end and, of course, Beto's great goal! I sometimes wonder how the team prepares during the week, to be honest.

Fulham fans

Simon: A much improved display from last week. We were easily the better team but we simply must learn to concentrate, and defend, for the whole game. With three central defenders on the pitch, giving a free header to Beto in the 94th minute is not good enough. We shouldn't always have to score more than one goal to win games.

Lucas: Disappointing result. Once again we threw it away and it is fair to say that every Fulham fan knew what would happen. It has happened time and time again. The goal was good and I thought Sander Berge was decent. It is just a shame. We need to stop allowing pressure to come on us and playing for the 1-0. Also, how many chances does Pereira need before he gets dropped?

Jim: How can you have so much possession and only one goal? I think Pereira needs to think about his team-mates. We really move well and then it falls apart in front of goal, so perhaps there ought to be some instruction about who is our "target man" and a plan for getting the ball to him.

Philip: The lack of a number nine has been a problem for two years now. We should be a top-six team but we miss so many chances that a good goalscorer would take.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

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

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth

• Everton 1-1 Fulham

Fulham manager Marco Silva has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the draw: "It's so tough for us and players in the dressing room. We didn't give them any chances to press high. We frustrated their press. We controlled the game.

"We created clear chances to score. The result is really unfair because we should have scored one or two more goals. We had one or two chances to score again. These games are always tough when you are so much better than the opposition.

"We should have scored the second goal to completely kill their hopes. We didn't. Unfortunately for us came a moment where we should have done much better to defend the ball into the box.

"The players are down right now, but they should be proud with the way we played. The points will come for us by being more clinical, a little bit more quality in the attack. We should have scored more because we created enough.

"When I say we are down, it is because football wasn't fair this evening.

"It's not easy to come here and control the way we did it. Looking at the bigger picture, we have to be pleased with the way we have started the season. We should have more points then we have really because they [the players] deserve that.

"The way they have been playing, we probably deserve more but if you continue this way, the good things will come for us."

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Fulham have dropped 10 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, only Brentford (11 points) have lost more.

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Fulham midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the draw: "A real low blow today. We are really disappointed to concede in the last couple of minutes. I thought we dominated today, which is really annoying, so I'm not happy.

"It is really difficult. I thought we dominated at times and implemented the game plan really well, but in the last few minutes you have to stay switched on and we didn't today.

"I had a really slow first-half, so it was important for me to get on the ball in the second-half and inject something into the game.

"It was a good goal by Alex [Iwobi] as well so I was happy with that, but disappointed with how it ended today."

On Iwobi's goal: "He can do that. He can define the games. He is a really good finisher, so I'm happy for him to get his goal. It was really important for us to get the three points today and we didn't do that.

"The manager just told us that we have to keep our heads held high and go again. We are all really down at the moment, but we've got to go again. We've got a big derby next week [against Brentford]."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Everton's performance, external

What did you make of Fulham’s display?, external

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

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Ipswich

• Brighton v Wolves

• Manchester City v Southampton

• Everton v Fulham - 17:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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

For week nine he takes on rapper Nemzzz, who supports Manchester United.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

I don't like to mention that I said Everton would be fine, but I did.

After losing their first four games of the season, Sean Dyche's side are now unbeaten in their past four and climbing the table.

They are playing like a Dyche team too - hardworking and streetwise, but with a bit of quality too. Dwight McNeil is having an exceptional season.

This is a test for them because Fulham are one of those teams who can beat anyone on their day. They have lost their past two games, against Manchester City and Aston Villa, but they had good spells in both matches.

I wouldn't be surprised if either side won it, which is why I am going in the middle with my prediction.

Nemzzz's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Manchester City captain Kyle Walker talks former City midfielder Michael Brown through Adama Traore outpacing him in a duel during City's recent Premier League win against Fulham.

Listen to You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker on BBC Sounds

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Everton (17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva gave a fitness update on his squad: "Jorge Cuenca and Carlos Vinicius are going in the right direction. In the last two or three days, they have been working with the team. Tomorrow, we have another session and we will assess them."

• Joachim Andersen is suspended after his red card against Aston Villa and Sasa Lukic will not return until November.

• Silva said it is another chance for Issa Diop to step into central defence: "The way he reacted to the own goal [against Villa] was really good. He is going to be important for us. He works hard. He's a team player. He is ready to help everyone. Let's hope he can perform the way we know he can."

• Reacting to Andreas Pereira's penalty miss against Villa, Silva said: "We have three or four players who can take penalties. I am going to decide. The players show me in training who is most capable to take them. It's always a tough moment if you miss a big chance, especially a penalty."

• On Calvin Bassey: "Calvin had an impact last season. He has the skills, ability and talent to be a top central defender. I really trust him. I really believe he has the capacity to be a very good central defender. He has everything."

• On the challenge posed by the Toffees: "For a long, long time, Fulham wasn't able to win there and as a team we were able to change it. It's a good sign. We know the type of game we are going to play, but it's always really tough."

• It will be his last visit to Goodison Park: "It was an honour for me to be Everton manager. It's going to be my last game at Goodison. It's a special place. But it's a football match, nothing more. I'm managing Fulham and I want to win the game."

All the main lines from Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked you to tell us one thing nobody is taking about at Fulham but should be.

Here are some of your comments:

Simon: Why does Andreas Pereira still start every week? On paper his stats look good but most fans, who watch him every week, will see that his real contribution is much less effective than what we need in that role. He has to up his game or lose his place.

Tim: People seem to overlook what depth we have. The second string would have been our first XI not long ago. Getting everyone settled down so quickly is the real success story.

Luke: Lukic has perfectly replaced Palhinha. All through the summer, pundits and Fulham fans alike were talking about how much Fulham would struggle without Palhinha. But so far this season, I haven’t heard anyone bring it up. A combination of a much higher press and Lukic’s amazing ability has quietened the media.

Andy: Marco Silva's unjustified favouritism of Andreas Pereira. Andreas hasn't had a good game so far this season but never gets dropped. We've even changed formation this season to accommodate him, while form players like Wilson and Nelson are on the bench and we have to put up with consistently ineffective dead balls - highlighted by the penalty debacle.

Emile Smith Rowe's promising start to his career at Craven Cottage and the resurgence of striker Raul Jimenez have been a couple of the main discussion points when assessing Fulham in the opening weeks of the Premier League season.

But you know your club best - so what is the one thing nobody is talking about, good or bad?

Tell us here, external

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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Football is littered with ‘sliding doors’ moments - seemingly small instances that go on to have a profound impact.

Fulham and Aston Villa have had two recently.

First, there was the play-off final in 2018. We won promotion at Villa’s expense - too early, it turned out, as we were dumped back to the second tier after one season. Villa went up as a far stronger outfit a year later. Then, two years ago almost to the day, we hammered them 3-0 to send Steven Gerrard packing and usher in the Unai Emery era. The rest is history.

Our missed penalty on Saturday was another sliding doors moment, albeit a small one. Andreas Pereira took a woeful spot kick, duly saved by Emiliano Martinez. With the chance to retake the lead blown, Fulham disintegrated, losing 3-1, having a man sent off and scoring an own goal to punctuate the capitulation.

Three weeks ago, Pereira argued with Raul Jimenez over who would take the penalty against Nottingham Forest. Jimenez took it and scored, but Marco Silva later revealed that Pereira was the designated taker.

That decision looks baffling now. Raul has scored 36 of his 38 career penalties - and is very much in form.

Jimenez’s opener was his fourth goal in eight games this season - and during our second-half collapse he was the only player to come out with any credit. Not bad for £5m. In a post-Aleksandar Mitrovic world, this side does not need a designated taker across the whole campaign; it could be decided game by game.

Had Pereira handed Jimenez the ball and the Mexican dispatched from 12 yards, who knows what might have happened?

It is all speculation, of course - but as the whistle blows on Silva’s 150th game in charge, we can be thankful that we do not need to daydream wistfully about what might be - we certainly would not want anyone else at the helm.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Christopher: Fulham blew it. At 1-1, they should have let Raul Jimenez take the penalty and if they had it's likely they would have gone on to get at least a point from the game. The third goal was a gift . Strange game because Aston Villa were not two goals better.

Ben: Great start but we quickly got over-run in midfield. Marco Silva needs to have a huge rethink on penalty takers, and has to play Andreas Pereira further forward. It wasn't a good performance overall and the red card, although I didn't think it was at the time, was fully justified when I watched the replay and summed the performance up.

David: An implosion and a half. Hugely disappointing after such a good start! We seem to be our own worst enemies. We should be winning games yet seem to fall off the ball or worse in this instance!

Aston Villa fans

James: This was a great win against a good, well-drilled Fulham side. I saw this as a real banana skin. Instead we are In fourth place which keeps our momentum going in the league as we continue to keep an eye on Europe.

Geoff: Villa didn't play particularly well, however to still win shows a team who could be challenging for the title. Fulham are a good team at home, and in the end we beat them. Unai Emery is showing what a great manager he is tactically - probably the best in the league.

Wardy: Solid performance. We always seem to need to go behind before they fully switch on. But the character, and depth in the squad is professional throughout. Emery is golden.

Gary Lineker brings highlights and analysis from Saturday's Seven Premier League fixtures.

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

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man Utd 2-1 Brentford

• Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

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"The reality is in decisive moments they punished us," Marco Silva lamented after Fulham's defeat to Aston Villa.

Arguably the most significant of those key moments was when Andreas Pereira stepped up to the penalty spot after Matty Cash was deemed to have handled a header back across goal from Raul Jimenez.

Whether it was the lengthy check by referee Darren England after the incident was flagged by the Video Assistant Referee, or the imposing presence of Emiliano Martinez in the Villa goal, Pereira looked nervous.

With such inexperience from spot-kicks it should not be a big surprise.

From 237 league appearances in England, Spain, Italy and Brazil before this game against Aston Villa, Pereira had scored one penalty.

Quite why Silva has determined the 28-year-old Brazilian is the man to take Fulham's spot-kicks is a bit of a mystery.

It's one thing scoring from the spot in training, quite another when the stakes are considerably higher.

There was a bit of an imbroglio after Jimenez took the ball off Pereira to score decisively from the spot in Fulham's 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest a few weeks back.

Most Fulham fans, and perhaps Silva, wish the Mexican possibly wish he had done the same again.