Wolves manager Vitor Pereira couldn’t conceal his dismay after his side’s disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Fulham, just days after a vital victory had given them a boost in their battle against relegation.
Reflecting on how his team failed to adjust after the interval: “Today I’m frustrated. Starting the first half conceding a goal, a very easy goal, our level of concentration or focus was not in the level of the game.”
He remarked on the team’s improvement yet lamented repeated mistakes: “We reacted and started to play against a good team, winning 1-0. We created some situations and scored a goal but when we start the second half in the same way it is very difficult.”
Pereira noted the impact of fatigue: “In the second half I felt the team was tired. The game on Saturday (is why we are tired). Two games in three days, it was not possible to recover totally.”
He emphasised the need for better defence: “We need to defend well and today we committed mistakes we cannot commit again.”
Marco Silva is optimistic about Ryan Sessegnon’s prospects after the player contributed to Fulham’s win in his first Premier League start this season. Fulham scored early, just 58 seconds into the game, thanks to Andreas Pereira setting up Sessegnon who slotted past Jose Sa.
Despite a Wolves equaliser from Joao Gomes at the 18th minute, Rodrigo Muniz secured Fulham’s lead shortly after half-time. Silva, after making five changes post their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, which involved starting Sessegnon for his first league start in over two years due to injury issues, praised the young player: “He’s a lovely boy and the last two or three years were really tough for him.”
He expounded on the struggles Sessegnon faced being a prominent talent yet plagued by injuries, saying, “A player that started 16 years old at a high level and everyone here and everyone who loves football in this country recognising that he’s going to have an amazing career because he’s a top talent but football is not always like that.”Silva noted the impact on confidence and match sharpness due to these injuries, but emphasized Sessegnon’s resilience and effort: “He’s working hard. It’s the first Premier League start but in both cups he’s started and his performance was good.”
Acknowledging the adversity Sessegnon has endured, Silva added, “Sometimes it’s really tough but when you get injuries in a row but lets hope the future is going to be bright for him again.”
Silva expressed satisfaction with his squad’s performance after the break, saying, “The second half after 2-1 we controlled the game in a different way.”
He acknowledged the match’s challenges but praised his team’s response: “It was difficult for us. But the reality was, Wolves had the ball but didn’t create one chance second half.”
The manager applauded his players’ adaptability amid changes: “Changing five players, short period between games, changing the formation, the boys responded really well and I’m pleased for them.”
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