After a goalless first half, the hosts were able to get goals from Tom Cairney and Ryan Babel in the second half. It should be noted that Fulham have already been relegated from the Premier League and they are only playing for pride in the remainder of the campaign. Silva admitted after the match that Everton did not do enough in order to get three points at Craven Cottage. The defeat was a missed opportunity for Everton, who also watched Leicester City and Wolves lose during the weekend. There is still hope of Everton finishing in the top seven with four matches left.

“It was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance. I didn’t expect this because we’ve been on a good run, and we’ve been in good confidence also. We knew it would be difficult playing here. Fulham played with character to achieve something for them, and they were more aggressive and faster than us. We didn’t perform in the way we needed to in order to win the match. I expected them [to play with pride] and it’s what I expected from my players too. All of us inside the dressing room knew this,” said Silva.

As such, they had to succumb to their first defeat of the month but the supporters were appreciative of the efforts of the team throughout the game. Speaking to Everton TV, Silva was pleased with the performance of his side on the road and feels were satisfied despite their failure to pick up three points on the day.

He said: “We are improving as a team. We are able to compete in this type of game and that is really important for us. It shows that we are growing as a team. The players are believing in the messages that we are giving to them. They are working hard in the week to perform at the level that we saw against Manchester United. You could see the fans giving them an ovation at the end of the match and that reflects that. The fans were unhappy at the result, like us, but they kept believing in us and for sure we will be stronger again next week.”

With the feat, Everton have dropped to ninth on the table behind Manchester United but they have the opportunity to redeem themselves when Brighton & Hove Albion make the trip to Goodison Park next weekend. Thereafter, the Toffees have difficult away games at Chelsea and Liverpool to contend but between those, they are scheduled to face Cardiff City in their home patch. The Bluebird have struggled to make a solid start since their Premier League comeback and they are currently just ahead of the drop zone on goal difference to Fulham.