Fulham were booed off the pitch by some supporters after a 3-2 Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday. The match saw the Blues take an early lead twice in the first half, only to be undone by Palace’s resilient response.
Josh King and summer signing Cesar Palacios opened the scoring for Fulham, but Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell equalised twice, once in each half. The game was finally decided when substitute Ben Chilwell scored three minutes into his second stint with the club, securing a Palace win.
It marks the third straight Premier League loss for Fulham since Alvaro Arbeloa took over from Marco Silva, who departed for Benfica in the summer after five years in charge. The Blues are now one of only two clubs to lose their opening three Premier League games this season, alongside Coventry City.
Arbeloa, speaking to BBC’s Match of the Day, said, "We didn’t deserve to lose this game. My players did everything – good attitude, they were brave, so many chances to score more goals. They took their chances – in the end football is about that. We did many good things to win the game. It was similar against Chelsea but we lose. For the players it’s a difficult situation, difficult moment, but I am very proud of them."
Fulham now face Liverpool and Manchester United before the extended international break in September and October. The club will need to regroup quickly to avoid further damage to their league standing.
