Fulham Coach Marco Silva was able to reflect on arguably Fulham’s best match of the season following a 3-0 victory over Stoke City.
The margin may well have been even greater, such was his side’s dominance over the previously unbeaten Potters.
“Very good performance, no doubt about it,” he said. “For sure, at home it was our best game. I can tell you, maybe, in general as a team it was our best game.
“I said before the match, a very good Fulham Football Club on the pitch can win this game, the way we did it was a very good performance from the first to the last. We were the dominant team, we controlled the game, trying to score always more goals.
“1-0 at half time was not enough, because the chances we created in the first half, we should score more to be more clinical. But we started strongly in the second half with very good work from our players, not just on the ball, without the ball.
“I said to you before the match we will play against a very good side, with very good ideas. But a team working hard like we did, with a good organisation, like we had during the game, can block their game.
“They are a good side, with good players and they can create the spaces in the opposition if you are not in a good shape and if you don’t work hard without the ball, and we did that.
“A good example was the work that Fabio did today without the ball. He did fantastic work and I have to give congratulations to all of them.
“We are Fulham. This is our way to play and what we like to do.
“Some moments we showed that character and personality that we need to put on the pitch because we knew before the game Stoke would come here to press us and try not give us time to play.
“But we showed the courage that we need to put on the pitch and the way we need to play, and the first goal was a good example, a good moment. We want to play.
“The second goal is something we planned before if they come here to press, we have another way to arrive on the opponent’s box.
“I’m pleased to see the way we won, congratulations to our players, they did a really good job.
“Again, [it’s] just five games, we won one more, just three points in our box, nothing more.”
The result keeps Fulham at the top of the Sky Bet Championship, but Silva stressed that there’s a long way to go.
“We are doing well,” he admitted. “It is really important for me. It is something I like to see, step by step and game by game you are seeing better things.
“We didn’t have too much time to gel everything and put everything on the right track. We had just four weeks to work with these players. Even during this period some of them were not here with me.
“The time was not enough but, in the meantime, we have to rush some things for the first game, for the way we want to play. It's a process, we are building something, we are creating an idea inside this football club, with these players.
“And when you are a manager they have to understand as quick as they can, but in the meantime, they have to buy the idea of the manager, and they are doing that.
“They are enjoying it, we are winning games, and they are working really hard, but everything is so, so early to talk about it.
“It is not a moment for us to look for the future. Analyse this game, that is what we will do.
“We are happy, we will analyse, we will show the players what we did well, what we must improve and prepare the next one, nothing more.”
Aleksandar Mitrovic was involved in all three goals, but Silva was quick to praise every member of his side.
“Not just him, I have to be fair with all of them,” he stated. “Fabio does not come on the highlights and you are not asking me about him, [but] he was one of the most important players for us this afternoon.
“Tim Ream did a fantastic game this afternoon again. Of course, you like to look for the guy who scores more goals and that normally that will be the striker. That is not my way to see football.
“Many, many people work so hard for [Mitrovic]. He did a good game for sure, he’s happy, he is an important player for sure, no doubts about it.
“He missed a penalty but that doesn’t matter for us, he will score the next one and he will be there to score.
“But so many players, they did a fantastic game this afternoon, it will be unfair just to talk about him. As a team we did well, that is the most important thing.”