Talking Points: Stoke

A different type of win

Us fans have been spoilt over the last few matches, winning every game by a minimum of four goals. Those were fantastic to witness, but there was something about the weekend that felt every bit as enjoyable. We had to dig in, fight back, hold on – all of which the boys did with aplomb. “It’s not always going to be rosy,” Bobby De Cordova-Reid told FFCtv. “We’re not always going to win 7-0 and not concede a goal. There will be times where we have to really show character. We did that, everyone was counted for, the subs that came on did well, and it was a real team performance.”

Able replacements

Stoke City might have been licking their lips when team news dropped at 2pm on Saturday to reveal that Aleksandar Mitrović and Harry Wilson – who have 52 Championship goal involvements between them this season – were not in the matchday squad. Unfortunately for the Potters, their replacements each had a stormer. Rodrigo Muniz and Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored and created a goal apiece, leading to plaudits from their Head Coach. “Rodrigo is one of the happiest guys in our dressing room at the moment,” said Marco Silva. “He’s always working hard and he deserves it. He deserves this type of afternoon. Bobby has been fighting and fighting for the chance. He got the chance and got an assist and a very good goal.”

Professionally managed

Protecting a one goal advantage when six minutes of stoppage time have been announced can prove to be a nervy affair for many teams, especially in front of a hostile home crowd such as the one present on Saturday, but Fulham displayed some excellent game management to get over the line. Composed, intelligent football saw us keep possession and even fashion a couple more chances, including one for Anthony Knockaert which led to the corner that effectively meant the game was done.

Conquering the congestion

Following Birmingham City and Reading requesting postponements at the back end of 2021, Fulham’s New Year calendar was somewhat congested. We’ve now played five times in 15 days, and so huge credit must go to the players for coming away with five victories in that time. Nonetheless, having a week to prepare for Blackpool will no doubt be welcomed by Marco and his men.

First win since Bairdinho

Stoke away is never an easy match, with Marco even referencing Fulham’s imperfect record in the Potteries in his post-match interviews. Only one of our previous eight trips to the bet365 Stadium ended in an away win, and you have to go back more than 11 years for that one. Chris Baird was the hero for the Whites that day with a brace to claim what proved to be a vital win, and Saturday’s three points felt pretty damn important, too.