Fulham lost 1-0 at home to Southampton on matchday five, overshadowed by referee Jared Gillett’s controversial performance, and were eliminated from the FA Cup.
A much-changed Fulham controversially conceded a bizarre first-half lead, with their second goal also ruled out for offside, but Ross Stewart’s second-half penalty sealed Championship team Southampton’s place in the quarter-finals.
The defeat was another game in which Fulham suffered for their frustrating handling of VAR after Marco Silva voiced his displeasure following Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to West Ham.
The most controversial moment came in the 18th minute when Saints goalkeeper Daniel Perez rushed to take a goal kick, but the kick deflected off Ryan Manning and into the path of Rodrigo Muniz, who slotted it home.
However, when Peretz restarted play, he judged the ball still rolling and referee Gillett’s early whistle, which he blew to stop play, left Southampton blushing after the comical play that led to the goal.
Replays showed that the ball was not rolling at the time, and although VAR was in use in the fifth round, it was unable to intervene on the on-field call due to Gillette’s early whistle.
“I have to say that ball wasn’t rolling,” former Fulham manager Chris Coleman said on TNT Sports. “The ball was stopping. It was really tough for Fulham.”
Timothy Castagne puts the ball into Southampton’s net but it is ruled out for offside.
Gillette would have another call in a similar situation in the second half, but Cyle Larin frustrated the Saints by not making a play as he raced in front of goal and committing a foul on Leo Cienza on the halfway line.
Larin sent a shot wide of the target and, although reports nearly flagged him for offside, replays showed he was onside before play stopped abruptly and prematurely, wasting the chance.
Southampton continued to increase the pressure on Fulham, and when Finn Azas’ deflected shot hit the bar, a last-minute contact with Joachim Andersen brought the midfielder down in the area, and Gillett took a penalty shot without hesitation.
Stewart went ahead in stoppage time to secure qualification for the next round, with Fulham once again left on the wrong side of the ball in a match full of controversial decisions.
Ross Stewart scores from the penalty spot to give Southampton a late lead against Fulham
Silva: It was a really bad day, we weren’t good enough.
Fulham manager Marco Silva told TNT Sports.
“It was a completely disappointing result and afternoon for us, for the football club and mainly for the fans. Expectations were very high as usual so (they) will suffer.”
“(This is) a time for us to really look at ourselves, because we weren’t good enough.
“We can talk about a lot of things, and now is probably not the time for me to be here talking about that situation.
“Basically, it’s a really, really bad day for us, so we have to look at ourselves and move on.
“We’re going to play another game but I really have to say that one wasn’t good enough for us. We can talk about the command of the game and we can talk about so many things.”
“That’s really something we look at and improve on, but I think it’s more than that and we need to look deeper.”
Marco Silva on the bench during Fulham’s 1-0 loss to Southampton
Eckert: “We had to suffer to beat Fulham”
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert told TNT Sports:
“We knew it was going to be a tough game for us. This is a great stadium to play in. We needed moments with the ball, not just defense.”
“We had to suffer for a while, but we did it well.
“I would like to give a huge compliment to the players who defended us. If we played well but did not win the game, it was more about finding the belief than what we did technically.
“We’re not satisfied with just winning one game. We need to win the next game as well.”
‘Exhausting and uninspiring’ – moderator for another Fulham discussion topic
Patrick Lowe of Sly Sports:
Marco Silva wasn’t unhappy in his post-match interview. He was a crazy person.
When asked about the cancellation of Fulham’s first half, he frankly answered, “I didn’t receive any explanation.”
Fulham’s manager is tired of discussing controversial refereeing decisions. In his defense, so do I.
Marco Silva pictured at full time after Fulham’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton
The events that led to Rodrygo Muniz’s canceled goal were comical, but somehow Jared Gillette’s opening whistle made things even worse, and VAR was unable to intervene.
It wasn’t the only time play was rushed in the match, but then a soft penalty call in the dying embers handed the team a shock defeat.
Sadly for Fulham, this is just the latest refereeing mishap in a season full of events. I watched Josh King’s canceled goal at Stamford Bridge in August and covered the 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Wednesday. Man United’s equalizer at Craven Cottage was another one.
Match refereeing was a hot topic during these matches and is now a common theme not just for Fulham but for most teams in football.
It’s exhausting, repetitive, and uninspiring.
