Fulham were aiming to win three successive top-flight games for the first time since January – but they were unable to build on their promising start at Craven Cottage.
They were the better side in the first half but were undone by a moment of magic from Matheus Cunha, who was able to stroll unchallenged into the Fulham penalty area to control Mario Lemina’s ball and restore parity.
Raul Jimenez’s first-half miss ultimately proved costly, the Mexican striker somehow failing to beat goalkeeper Jose Sa with the score still goalless.
Manager Marco Silva made five substitutions in the space of 12 second-half minutes as his team chased the game – a move he would come to regret when Joachim Andersen was forced off with an injury with the score at 2-1, forcing the home side to play the rest of the contest with 10 men.
With games against Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal and Liverpool coming up in the first half of December, Fulham supporters can be forgiven for viewing Saturday’s defeat as a missed opportunity.
