Graham Potter admitted Chelsea are in a "tough moment" following Thursday's 2-1 Premier League defeat at Fulham while also defending new signing Joao Felix who was shown a red card on debut.
Chelsea have now won just one of their last nine Premier League games and languish 10th in the table while their West London neighbours Fulham are flying high in sixth.
Felix only linked up with his new teammates this week after Chelsea agreed a loan deal with Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
But the Portuguese striker only added to Potter and Chelsea's woes when he was shown a red card for a rash challenge on Kenny Tete.
The score was 1-1 when the 23-year-old was sent off, after Kalidou Koulibaly bundled the ball over the line to cancel out former Chelsea winger Willian’s opener for the hosts.
But Carlos Vinicius’ header secured the win for Fulham and only their second victory over Chelsea since 1979.
“It’s really frustrating, it’s incredibly challenging, it’s a tough moment, I feel for the supporters,” Potter said.
“We’re disappointed to lose tonight I thought it was a relatively even game in the first half.
“We had a couple of good chances, but I think the basics we can do a little bit better in terms of our defending and our football actions
“At the same time we get back in the game and then the red card, it’s where we’re at at the moment where things can happen for us.
“Obviously losing Denis [Zakaria] beforehand as well, so we just adjusted and then Joao was obviously having a fantastic impact on the game and you could see his quality.
“So, to lose him, and then to lose him for three matches it’s just really disappointing.”
Felix now faces three matches on the sidelines, to add to the lengthy list of players unavailable to Potter.
The Portugal international almost had an instant impact, with some clever wide play to set up Kai Havertz, and the ball fell to Lewis Hall after a rebound, but his shot was straight at Bernd Leno.
Ratings
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FULHAM RATINGS: Bernd Leno - 8, Made great saves from Lewis Hall’s deflected shot and Joao Felix’s powerful strike, but there was nothing he could do for Kalidou Koulibaly’s goal. Rushed out to stop Kai Havertz’s dinked shot, then impressively stopped his compatriot’s late strike. Booked for time wasting. AFP -
Kenny Tete - 7, While a poor pass put his team in an awkward situation, he often defended well and provided a nice cross for a Carlos Vinicius opportunity. Did well in the latter stages as Fulham saw out the win. Reuters -
Tosin Adarabioyo - 6, Blocked Kai Havertz’s shot in the early stages and had other good moments, but was lucky to get away with letting Havertz in behind him. Did well to stop Lewis Hall’s cross attempt. Booked for time wasting. AFP -
Tim Ream - 7, After an awkward start in which he was nutmegged by Felix, the American put in a solid display, notably cutting out Havertz’s cutback then blocking Cesar Azpilicueta’s shot. AFP -
Antonee Robinson - 6, Had some poor moments, including fouling Felix for the yellow that will see him miss the Newcastle match and letting Havertz go outside him. Did get forward well and deliver some nice crosses. Reuters -
Joao Palhinha - 7, Was brilliant defensively, winning the ball back when Felix tried to nutmeg him. Played a lot of good passes but there were also some needlessly sloppy ones. Reuters -
Harrison Reed - 7, Lacked quality on the ball on a couple of occasions, having a shot blocked and playing a poor pass that resulted in a chance for Felix, but put in a lot of selfless defensive work. AFP -
Bobby Reid - 7, Having smashed the crossbar from a promising opportunity, he did well to win the ball back and deliver the cross that ended in Willian scoring the opener. Showed a willingness to work for the team. PA -
Andreas Pereira - 8, Put in a lot of good work on and off the ball, pressing brilliantly, although he got himself booked for a foul on Felix. Provided some great set-piece deliveries and a moment of entertainment with his stepovers, then the superb cross for Vinicius’ goal. Reuters -
Willian - 8, Gave Azpilicueta a tough time and worked space from his former teammate to score the opener. Also provided some lovely flicks at times in an impressive overall attacking display. AP -
Carlos Vinicius - 8, Was very busy throughout and put in a lot of good work for the team, selflessly teeing up Reid for his big chance. Struck wide on the turn and saw a header saved, but then got his reward with a headed goal. AP -
SUBS: Tom Cairney (Reed, 68’) - 6, Immediately got on the ball and moved it confidently. Came agonisingly close to reaching Dan James’ cutback. EPA -
Harry Wilson (Reid, 68’) - 5, There wasn’t much conviction, as he notably floated a cross from a promising position harmlessly into Kepa's hands. EPA -
Manor Solomon (Willian, 83’) – N/R, Was weak when he tried to keep the ball near the corner. Dan James (Pereira, 93’) – N/R. Nathaniel Chalobah (Vinicius, 93’) – N/R. AFP -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5, There wasn’t much he could do about the opener but he played some passes that put his teammates in awkward positions. His save from Vinicius’ header was an unconvincing one and he then got caught out for the second. AFP -
Trevoh Chalobah - 3, Having already got away with a terrible header that resulted in Reid’s chance, he then failed to clear the Jamaica international’s cross and deflected Willian’s ensuing shot past Kepa. Completely lost Vinicus for his goal. Was booked for a lunge on Palhinha. AP -
Thiago Silva - 6, Made some superb defensive headers but couldn’t get his attempt on target at the other end. Cleared when Kepa unconvincingly saved Vinicius’ header, but he and Chalobah couldn’t deal with Vinicus for the winner. Getty -
Kalidou Koulibaly - 7, Often looked awkward on the ball and ended up needlessly losing possession in dangerous areas in the first half. However, he reacted quickly to equalise after Mount’s free-kick had hit the post and had a better second half, releasing Havertz for his late chance. Reuters -
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5, Often struggled when Willian went inside him, as was the case for the opener. Saw his shot deflected over and delivered a couple of good crosses, then headed the ball back well from Vinicius’ attempted flick. AP -
Denis Zakaria - 6, Looked strong in midfield, even if he would have been nervous following a challenge on Vinicius in his own box. Went off injured after doing well to start a Chelsea move forward. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic - 5, Did well to tee up Felix for a chance after his initial shot was blocked, but failed with his other efforts on goal with one acrobatic attempt sailing comfortably over. Nonchalantly went out to Pereira when he crossed in the ball for the winner. AFP -
Lewis Hall - 6, Had a tame shot saved early on before his deflected effort was also saved by Leno. Lost the ball to Reid in the build-up to the opener, but his positive play won the free-kick for the equaliser. Booked. Reuters -
Mason Mount - 7, Showed real quality and provided some lovely deliveries, one of which hit the post to set up Koulibaly’s goal, and was also involved in some lovely link-up play. His frustrations came out as he got booked for a late challenge on Cairney. AP -
Joao Felix - 4, Enjoyed a bright start with his runs at the Fulham backline but lacked any sort of clinical edge in front of goal with various shots going straight at Leno, then got himself sent off for a lunge on Tete. EPA -
Kai Havertz - 6, Mixed game, providing good moments such as beating Adarabioyo to tee up Felix and linking up well with Mount. However, there was also a tame shot in the early stages and wastefulness on the counter, while he had two late efforts denied. EPA -
SUBS: Jorginho (Zakaria, 56’) - 6, Immediately won the ball after his introduction and went on to move it well. AP -
Marc Cucurella (Hall, 79’) N/R, Hit his shot straight at Tete from a promising position but then provided some inviting crosses. Carney Chukwuemeka (Chalobah, 79’) N/R, Made a great burst forward. AFP -
Carney Chukwuemeka (Chalobah, 79’) N/R, Was very positive in his play and made a great burst forward, even if Havertz couldn’t control his ball through. EPA -
Conor Gallagher (Kovacic, 79’) – N/R, Wasn’t as aggressive as he has been in recent appearances, losing out in a couple of 50/50 tackles. EPA -
Hakim Ziyech (Mount, 80’) – N/R, Overhit his pass when there was a chance to play Cucurella in. EPA
However, Potter does not think their was any intent in the challenge that saw Felix dismissed.
“All of them will be learning moments. Joao is a young player. He’s a top player, you can see his quality, you can see what he’s brought to the game,” the Chelsea boss said.
“I don’t think there was any malice in the challenge at all, it was a little bit high of course and then the referee has got a decision to make … he [Felix] will learn from it.”
The result lifted Fulham up to sixth, four points off fourth-placed Manchester United, after a fourth consecutive victory, and Marco Silva believes it was a significant moment for the fans.
“Overall I think it was a great night for our fans and they deserve it. Sixteen years without a win in this game, and Chelsea superiority in these type of games has been huge,” Silva said.
“We know they have completely different goals to ourselves, they are a massive club and their budget is completely different – we cannot compare anything but we knew that on the pitch with our work, with our strategy, with our identity, we could balance a bit more things and we did it.
“I’m sure that it was a great night for our fans and they deserve it.”
