Fulham manager Marco Silva was delighted with his team’s performance as they beat Ipswich Town 3-1 to progress to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, although was unhappy with Town’s late goal.
The Premier League Cottagers earned an away tie in the last eight at Everton by comfortably defeating a Town side Silva rates highly.
“A very good performance, credit to the players, congratulations to them. We made eight changes in our XI, we probably needed more because we are going to play an early kick-off [at home to Manchester United] on Saturday.
“If I had the chance I would do even more but the main thing for me was we kept our structure, we kept playing the same way. All the players they know the way we wanted to play.
“We were really serious in the approach for this game. We knew that they’ve been having an amazing season. They have been so consistent in a competition we know very well, it’s not easy to do what they’ve been doing.
“Even in the Carabao Cup, in the last game they played against Wolves and they were losing 2-0 and they were able to change the score and to win through in the competition.
“Playing at home they’re an even more dangerous team, with the crowd, with the atmosphere they can create at home.
“And from the first minute we were the dominant team on the pitch like we wanted. We controlled the game.
“Job done and well done to our players. It’s a good sign. The ambition that we prepared for this game, they showed on the pitch a desire to command the game and to go through in the competition.”
Silva was impressed by the Portman Road playing surface, which underwent a £2.5 million refurbishment in the summer, but not Elkan Baggott’s 79th-minute goal which gave the Blues a sliver of hope in the latter stages.
“The pitch helped us, a very good pitch, a pitch on which to play football, to enjoy the football as well,” he added.
“Three nice goals for us. Unfortunately I’m not happy at all with the goal we conceded, but it’s for us to keep working on it and to keep the focus until the last minute of the game.”