Fulham boss Marco Silva gives his post-match reaction after a fortunate win for Fulham over Leeds United
Fulham boss Marco Silva admitted his side enjoyed fortune for their winner against Leeds United but felt his side changed the game in the second half.
The Whites came within two minutes of a 0-0 draw but conceded a 94th minute own goal to leave Craven Cottage empty handed. Gabriel Gudmundsson's header found the back of his own net to hand Fulham all three points in a game Silva felt was 'balanced.'
"Difficult game as we expected," he said. "Good organisation from Leeds. It was difficult to break them down in the first half. The tempo and the dynamic was not at the level to disorganise them. First half the better chances were for Leeds."
Though Leeds created a good chance just after the break for Brenden Aaronson, the home side took more and more control. The arrival of new £34.6m signing Kevin turned the screw however. He tormented Leeds' right hand side and forced Karl Darlow into an acrobatic fingertip save. That was one of a number of vital stops from Darlow, who could do nothing with the own goal.
Marco Silva praises his substitutes after win over Leeds United
"Even before Kevin came in the tempo was different for us, we had some good chances and a great chance for Lukic," said Silva. "The players who came in made a massive impact, it was not just Kevin, and helped the team to push the last minutes. These type of games we need a player with a different profile and Kevin has something that is not easy to find.
“He made a massive impact. It was a moment for us to push a bit more forward and he did it. We are fortunate the way we won the game, it was very tight and balanced. Not the best feeling for Daniel and the Leeds boys, it's part of the game, sometimes for us, sometimes against us."
Deadline day signing Kevin's introduction grabbed the headlines and rubbed salt in the wounds of the away side, who tried but failed to bring in an attacker on the final day of the window. Daniel Farke's side have looked light in attack since pre-season began and he made clear he wanted more from the market prior to the deadline. Silva expects Kevin to be a difference maker for the Cottagers.
"He's a player we've been following, he was on our radar when we looked at the most talented young wingers on the left side," said the Fulham boss. "We took enough time to analyse and made a decision we wanted him here. It was not easy. He wanted to come and wanted to join us. He wanted to be in the Premier League.
“He's young but even if he wasn't playing in one of the best five leagues in Europe he has Champions League games and Europa League games. He just arrived on the last day of the market, he needs time to settle. He's going to bring something different for our team."
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