Fulham manager Marco Silva voiced his joy in seeing Ryan Sessegnon reap the rewards of his hard work with a goal against his former club as the Cottagers beat Spurs 2-0 at Craven Cottage.
The game was set for a hard-fought goalless draw until Rodrigo Muniz made the breakthrough for Fulham in the 78th minute, before Ryan Sessegnon put the game to bed less than two minutes after his introduction off the bench.
Sessegnon came up through the Fulham academy, breaking into the first team in 2016 and making over 100 appearances for the Cottagers before transferring to Spurs in 2019.
Injuries heavily blighted his time in North London, however, with the 24-year-old rejoining Fulham on a free transfer last July.
“It was a really emotional game for Sessegnon,” said Silva. “You know what it means for him to play in our shirt again, it was an emotional comeback from the day that he signed again for our football club.
“He had some tough seasons at Spurs, not because of his quality or that there was something wrong, it was because of his injuries, and sometimes that can be hard for the players to deal with.
“He is in much better shape right now and I know him much better as well. We all know his quality and he is now getting more chances and showing what he is capable of.
Sessegnon struck in the 88th minute as he out-paced and out-fought Ben Davies to win possession from a long ball over the top of the back line, before finishing emphatically into the top-right corner with his weaker right foot.
“His goal was a moment for us to kill the game and he did it,” said Silva. “With his right foot, which is something that he has been working on in training sessions, so it is nice to see him rewarded for something he is working really hard on.
“One good thing is that he is still very young, because he started very young. He was one of the biggest talents in the country in his position.
“For many reasons, sometimes football and life are not how we expected. Sometimes you have downs that you cannot control and you are really unlucky.
“The main thing this season is to keep him fit, it is important for him not to lose training sessions, not to lose games, and to be always available, to build his confidence again.
“He is already a very good tool for us and he is going to be even more important in the future.”
PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD
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