Fulham

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed Tom Cairney and Sasa Lukic have both returned to training this week and they will "have to assess them again" before making a decision on who will be available, but it is "nice to have them back there with their team-mates and looking good". However, the Sunderland game will be too soon for Samuel Chukwueze.

• On the importance of FA Cup win over Stoke after recent Premier League defeats: "It's very important always to win games, but it's not that the mood was down at all. I didn't feel that... Sometimes even if the results are not the best one, doesn't mean that everything is wrong or the mood can be down. I think we did what was our obligation against Stoke, a game that we needed energy, we made 10 changes from one game to the other. The team responded very well. We are very serious in a competition that we want to win."

• When comparing their form over the Christmas period and more recently, asked whether it is sometimes better having busy spells of fixtures, Silva responded: "Depends, really. When the games are coming thick and fast and you are getting good results, the fatigue will not come, the lack of energy will not come. You are never tired if you are getting good results and you are winning. But if you ask some teams that in that period didn't get the right results, for sure they were tired and mentally they were not in their best."

• The Fulham boss believes, however many fans manage to make the trip to the Stadium of Light on Sunday, they are "going to be loud, they are going to support the team", adding: "We want to make them proud and we want to make them have a good game, and if they can have a good journey back with a smile on their face, it's going to be everything for us."

• Silva said him and the club are "aligned" and having conversations about "many, many things", including his contract, so there is no further news on his future at this time.

• On racism in football following the incident in the Champions League this week with alleged racist abuse from Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni towards Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr:" I think we we all have this battle and here is clear, but around Europe, around the world, I think the battle is there for us to win and at the end we are going to win."

Listen to full commentary of Sunderland v Fulham on Sunday from 14:00 GMT on BBC Sounds

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

Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

They say if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. Progress might not always be fast, but making it is the important part.

Kevin arrived at Fulham on the last day of the summer transfer window with the millstone of being our record signing around his neck.

His debut - a scintillating 20-minute cameo against Leeds United in September - got everyone at Craven Cottage purring, but he endured a patchy first 20 games, with no goals forthcoming.

The 22-year-old Brazilian now has three goals in his past seven games. Not enough to win him the Ballon d'Or perhaps, but it's a welcome shift that indicates Kevin is starting to settle in to his new surroundings.

His goal against Stoke City in the FA Cup on Sunday helped us on our way to the next round, keeping fans' hopes alive that Marco Silva can bring the first major trophy to Craven Cottage.

The scars of our abject capitulation to Crystal Palace are still fresh - and the vision of seeing the Eagles lift their first piece of silverware should be all it takes to fuel us this year.

In many ways, Kevin represents the progress the club continues to make. He and new recruit Oscar Bobb, who made his first start on the opposite wing on Sunday, are both highly rated - and highly coveted - attackers in their early 20s, who both saw the appeal of this modern Fulham side.

If we can reap the rewards from these youngsters by helping them fulfil their potential while at the club, then who is to say where this progress might take all of us?

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties in the order they were drawn.

• Fulham v Southampton

• Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland

• Newcastle United v Manchester City

• Leeds United v Norwich City

• Mansfield Town v Arsenal

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool

• Wrexham v Chelsea

• West Ham v Macclesfield or Brentford

The matches will be played over the weekend of 7 March.

Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham boss Marco Silva says his team need to "have the ambition" to go all the way in the FA Cup as he eyes silverware at the end of the season.

Goals from Kevin and Harrison Reed helped the Cottagers come from behind against Stoke on Sunday to progress to the fifth round, despite a much-changed starting XI.

The win kept up Silva's impressive record in cup competitions with the west London side.

Since arriving in 2021, he has led the team to the last eight of the FA Cup or League Cup three times, as well as one semi-final against Liverpool in 2023-24 - and Silva is looking for more.

"[This is our] fourth season, the last three in one cup competition or another we have been reaching quarter-finals," he said.

"We changed completely [after] the past 15 to 20 years of the football club in terms of the ambition for these competitions.

"If you want more you are going to fight for more. We are not going to hide ourselves - it is the goal, it is what we want to achieve.

"We have to be grounded but at the same time to have the ambition."

Victory at Stoke ended a three-match losing run for Fulham, who next head to Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday.

We asked for your views on Sunday's FA Cup fourth round win over Stoke City.

Here are some of your comments:

Joseph: We NEED to see more of that Kevin/Robinson link-up on the left flank in the Premier League. Their chemistry was on-point throughout the entire game. Nice to see Reed get some minutes, and he played consistently well throughout the time that he was on the pitch.

James: Great performance to send us into the fifth round. Fulham absolutely dominated and ran the entire game with a star display from Kevin. That is the form we need to bring to Sunderland next weekend.

Tom: Shaky at times but fully deserved win. Hoping for a good draw but City away seems to happen every year in one cup or another! So good that Kevin seems to be settled in now.

Chris: After a difficult few games in defeat, glad we got a victory. But now is the time to be smart. I respect Silva and he has been the best manager since Hodgson but he needs to be more confident in his substitution and make the changes early in 2nd half.

Robbie: A great result at a tough place to play, Stoke always have a chance when they play at home. Kevin seems to finally be finding some confidence which is great for him and the team. Home draw next round please!

Mick: Very professional performance. Our line-up was experienced, lots of Premier league experience, with lots of players coming back from injury. Showed the depth of experience we have and we get a nice fifth-round draw.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2025-26 FA Cup fifth-round draw will take place on Monday, 16 February at about 18:35 GMT.

It will be done before the fourth-round tie between Macclesfield Town - the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - and Brentford, with former England internationals Joe Cole and Karen Carney conducting the draw on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 7 March.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

What are the ball numbers?

1. Liverpool

2. Fulham

3. Sunderland

4. Southampton

5. Wrexham

6. Arsenal

7. Chelsea

8. West Ham United

9. Mansfield Town

10. Norwich City

11. Port Vale or Bristol City

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers

13. Newcastle United

14. Manchester City

15. Macclesfield or Brentford

16. Leeds United

Jason Mohammed is joined by Paul Robinson and Leon Osman to bring all you the action and talking points from Sunday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Grimsby Town 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Birmingham City 1-1 Leeds United

• Oxford United 0-1 Sunderland

Keifer MacDonald
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

If Fulham fans were wondering where the FA Cup stood in Silva's list of priorities this season, that question was answered emphatically with his starting line-up.

After a run of three consecutive league defeats, the Portuguese opted to make 10 changes.

The move almost backfired as the home side could - and probably should - have been two goals ahead before Kevin and Reed turned the game on its head.

But Fulham's progression to the fifth round should now be cue for Silva to take the competition more seriously, especially with their league form.

A bright start had them flirting with a potential push for Europe, but the recent poor run has dropped them down to 12th and anxiously looking over their shoulders at the sides below them fighting relegation.

With the winners of the FA Cup earning a place in next season's Europa League qualifying rounds, the competition could offer Silva and his side a chance to finish the campaign on a high.

Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking to TNT Sports: "Very pleased with the way we played, the way we controlled the game and the way we reacted from the first goal. We created enough to have a different score – I don't think 2-1 reflects our chances. We did enough to score more goals. We kept them under pressure."

On not giving up after going a goal down: "It has been our image as a team. Even if something goes wrong for us, we don't have any reason to change things or give up.

"It is not part of our dictionary and not part of our dressing room. This game was important to have some players back from injury and give minutes in an official game, which is important.

"Harrison Reed is always that key player for us in that key area."

On aiming for FA Cup success: "We believe like we showed in the last few years that we are capable to go [far]. These type of competitions, the draw is a big part. We are serious in the competition."

Did you know?

• Fulham have now progressed from 17 of their last 19 FA Cup ties against sides from a lower division, including each of their last eight in a row.

• Kevin has scored three goals in his last seven appearances in all competitions, after going goalless in his first 20 games for Fulham beforehand.

• Harrison Reed has scored two goals this season in all competitions, only one fewer than he managed across the previous six campaigns (all 3 in 2022-23).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Fulham's performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Image source, BBC Sport

Stoke XI: Simkin, Talovierov, Phillips, Wilmot, Bocat; Seko, Rigo; Junho, Thomas, Cisse, Smit

Subs: Fielding, Gibson, Otegbayo, Cresswell, Pearson, Nzonzi, Curley, Ray-Sakyi, Manhoef

Fulham XI: Lecomte, Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Robinson; Reed, Iwobi; Bobb, King, Kevin, Muniz

Subs: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge, Smith Rowe, Wilson, Raul

Image source, BBC Sport

There are five ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Birmingham v Leeds (12:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Leeds

• Grimsby v Wolves (13:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Humberside & BBC Radio WM

• Oxford United v Sunderland - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Oxford & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Stoke v Fulham - BBC Radio Stoke

• Arsenal v Wigan (16:30) - BBC Radio Manchester

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Birmingham v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Oxford United v Sunderland", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Stoke's boss is my old Norwich team-mate Mark Robins, who is an excellent manager - he clearly learnt a lot from me - but I fancy Fulham here.

I don't know what Marco Silva's situation is with Fulham and if he is leaving at the end of the season, but he will want to go out with a bang.

I really like the way Silva's side play and I wouldn't rule out the Cottagers' chances of going deep in the FA Cup this season.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Sarah Rendell
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Championship side Stoke City (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "No fresh injury concerns for us from the last game and the session as well. We have another session tomorrow before the game. Tom Cairney and Sasa Lukic are going to be out."

• The manager also did not want to make a comment on Phil Foden's potential red card from the defeat at Manchester City: "The moment it is not for me to give an opinion about that."

• On whether Oscar Bobb could start: "He could - we have to wait more. We have another session to see. It was a good session from him today - like all of the other players - and we have to decide tomorrow whether he will start. There is a good chance for him."

• On the importance of a cup competition: "I don't like just to go by words - we must prove it on the pitch. Yes, any time we start a competition like this we aim high. To arrive in the final stages we have to be serious."

• Asked if Thomas Frank's sacking by Tottenham makes it more appealing for him to stay at Fulham instead of moving to a different club, Silva said: "In the business we are in now, the results speak louder than all the other things we are doing. For Thomas, and other colleagues when they leave their jobs, it is always a difficult moment. He is a very good coach and a great man as well. But football is like that. My decision, or the club's decision, does not mean we look for other examples. Each club is its own example."

• On Stoke City: "They started the competition very well. They were in a good position, in the play-off position [in the Championship]. They were playing well. It's always a difficult place to go because the home support is very good. We have to respect them and they have a quality side who could make our life very difficult."

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

Listen to live commentary of Stoke v Fulham at 14:00 on Sunday on BBC Radio Stoke on BBC Sounds

How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC

Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

Image source, Getty Images

Recently, Liverpool and the Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said former players-turned-pundits have a responsibility when discussing the performances of the current generation of footballers.

He believes they can stray into "clickbait" and have a possible impact on players' mental health.

On Thursday's episode of the More than the Score podcast, former Scotland international Pat Nevin and chief sports editor for Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf Marcel van der Kraan join John Bennett to discuss and analyse the modern world of punditry and the impact it can have on players and managers alike.

"As a player you do tend to take it to heart, especially when it feels a little personal," said Nevin.

"Generally, it isn't personal and the pundit is just having their opinion and we all kind of know where the lines are. But, the lines have been jumped over more often in recent years and I think Van Dijk is right about that.

"Because of the clickbait, it is so much easier to get more likes, views and work if you're a little bit more extreme. Ex-players aren't stupid and they know that. If you are too sensible and sit on the fence you won't get the big gigs.

"You have a dichotomy. Most ex-players would like to be balanced but they know if they are too balanced and sensible they won't be there next week.

"My criticism would always be constructive criticism which is explained. One-dimensional labeling of players should never happen. Sometimes if a big name says something enough it becomes accepted wisdom."

Van der Kraan added: "There are two different kinds of pundits; those who need to be on every week and those who are genuinely focused on what is right and what players should do.

"For Van Dijk, after so many years enough is enough.

"It all started after he came into the Netherlands team and became a big player at Liverpool. The first ex-player to really criticise him was Marco van Basten, saying he was not a leader. Van Dijk was biting his lip after every match because it became a bit of a stigma.

"Eventually it filtered to England and every time he had a bad game it became an open nerve."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your views on Manchester City's Premier League win over Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Manchester City fans

Brian: Man City displayed determination and professionalism in a true team performance against Fulham. They simply set out to win with Fulham limited to a few chances. Man City clearly had an eye on closing the gap on Arsenal. This was Man City of old with the new January signings showing their class and proving their worth. The title chase is clearly on. This was a good watch and Pep took steps to protect against injury in the second 45. Three points and improved goal difference in the bag. Man City have wind in their sails.

Luke: Comfortable. Great man of the match performance from Marc Guehi. All three goals were good, Haaland's being the best in my opinion. The title race is still on 100%. Hope arsenal lose to Brentford tomorrow!!

Rodrique: What a game! It was a joy to watch. The first half was a masterclass. The fighting spirit was there. Guehi at the back was phenomenal. Huge credit to the players.

Kevin: It's like Pep sends out two teams every game. First half it's slick passing, moving the ball across the field well, aggressive and scoring good goals. Second half, it's training ground football, short, sloppy passing, no leaders and insufficient real control. It won't cut it with bigger teams especially in Europe. On paper, an amazing squad - but the chemistry isn't there.

Fulham fans

James: It was always going to end like that. As every game against Manchester City goes they completely dominated in the first half and sunk us with 3 goals. We are on awful form at the minute with three losses in a row. Let's hopefully end that winless run on the weekend in the FA Cup.

Neil: Rubbish.

John: Terrible. We will only ever be a bottom half team - where we will be after next few games. Silva makes some strange subs, taking the best players off and starting with wrong 11. It would be better if he moved on.

BBC Match of the Day take a look at Manchester City forward Phil Foden's challenge on Fulham's Calvin Bassey during their 3-0 victory at Etihad Stadium.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have hit a rut with consecutive defeats leaving them 12th in the table, and they never looked like getting out of this game from the first whistle.

The Cottagers' backline found it difficult to cope with Manchester City's high press and there was only pride to play for after conceding three times in the opening period.

The latest defeat means Portuguese boss Marco Silva has now remarkably lost all 14 Premier League meetings as manager against City, having also taken charge of Hull, Watford and Everton in the top-flight.

Fulham's own record against City is a thoroughly wretched one, now suffering 20 straight losses against them in all competitions – the longest losing run against another side in English football history.

It could have been a different story had Harry Wilson converted in the first half, but they were made to pay dearly for the miss.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Somers to bring you the action and talking points from Tuesday's and Wednesday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We know normally in these types of games we have to be clinical.

"It was too easy for them to score the goals. At 1-0 we had a big chance and to equalise probably a different game.

"We have to be at our best level in these types of games and we weren't and that is why we lost the game."

Did you know?

• Only Burnley and Wolves (9 each) have lost more away games than Fulham (8) in the Premier League this season, with their eight away defeats already more than they suffered in the 2024-25 campaign (7).