Marco Silva confident his Fulham squad can cope without suspended Joao Palhinha
- Planet Sport writer
- 1 March 2023
Fulham boss Marco Silva has faith another member of his squad will step up to fill the hole left by the suspended Joao Palhinha for the next two Premier League matches.
Palhinha will miss two London derbies, against Brentford on Monday night and title-chasers Arsenal a week later after he was booked for the 10th time this season against Wolves on Friday night.
The absence of the Portugal international will be a blow to Silva and Fulham, having established himself as a mainstay in central midfield during their high-flying season.
"Of course he will be a miss for us, he is an important player for us but another one will come in and another will do his job well for sure," Silva said.
Silva insisted it is "for the fans to decide" which goal was better after two moments of individual brilliance proved the difference in Fulham's 2-0 win over Leeds which saw them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Manor Solomon continued his excellent run of form since recovering from a knee injury, finding the net for a fourth time in as many matches with a clever curled effort from the left wing.
But it was Palhinha's stunning strike which broke the deadlock. He won the ball in midfield, drove forward and then unleashed a superb shot from outside the box.
"It's not easy to decide (which is better)," Silva said after the game. "Two different moments but two great finishes.
"The first one was a very good recovery from Joao, the way he won the ball and a great finish.
"The other one was different. The way Manor linked with our striker and a great finish from a spot (on the pitch) that (he) is very strong (from). It's for our fans to decide what's the best, but they were two great moments."
