Published: 22:15, 2 Apr 2024Updated: 22:17, 2 Apr 2024
Fulham boss Marco Silva hooked off THREE players just 33 minutes after a shocking start against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
Alex Iwobi, Sasa Lukic and Harry Wilson were roped off at the same time following a disastrous start for the west London side at the City Ground.
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Silva took some pretty drastic action in the 33rd minute at the City GroundCredit: Getty
Adama Traore, Willian and Tom Cairney took their places.
Forest raced into a 2-0 lead through Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood and were well on top as Fulham looked turgid on the ball.
And Silva had simply had enough by 33 minutes, pulling out the lesser-seen triple sub – especially at this stage of the match.
It had little effect, though, as Forest went ahead and scored a third just before half-time through Morgan Gibbs-White.
It capped off a disastrous opening 45 minutes from the Cottagers, who started the night 12th in the Premier League.
Forest, meanwhile, are fighting for their lives in the top-tier and started the evening three points above the relegation zone.
Hudson-Odoi had put the relegation-threatened side ahead early on after cutting in on his preferred right-foot before a devilish finish low into Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s corner.
While the German stopper might be forgiven for the early strike, there was a moment of confusion for the second that saw Wood double the lead for the home outfit.
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Silva was not happy with his players after a dismal first-halfCredit: Getty
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Forest were in rampant mood on Tuesday nightCredit: Getty
The former Arsenal star was inexplicably off his line when Wood attempted a shot from outside the box that seemed to just trickle into the net.
Fulham’s defending had completely deserted them for the third strike as Danilo and Gibbs-White paraded unchallenged towards goal with a couple of one-twos.
In the end, the former Wolves star had all the time in the world to slot home and all but end the contest by half-time.
Fulham did strike in the second-half through Tosin Adarabioyo but that was as good as it got for the visitors as Forest went on to claim a 3-1 win.
Speaking after the match, a diplomatic Silva absolved the three taken off of any blame and insisted that he wanted to see his side take grip of the match.
The Portuguese coach told talkSPORT: “I wanted to see a reaction and I have to be clear, it was not the fault of Lukic, Wilson or Iwobi in that moment.
“If I could change more players, I would have changed more players not just the three. I don’t want to highlight the three players, it wasn’t at all their fault.
“It was the moment I wanted to see some reaction, I wanted to see more of the ball and Cairney and Willian have the ability to do that.”
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