Player ratings: Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace

The difference between last Saturday and this Saturday’s performance is the perfect microcosm of what being ‘Fulhamish’ is all about. Going from looking like a side set for European football to a team paying homage to Scott Parker’s 2020/21 Fulham side in the space of seven days.

Bernd Leno

A stronger hand, an issue that has stuck with Leno all season long, could have prevented Joachim Andersen’s 37th-minute own goal. Alongside some poor distribution and the German’s persistence to stay on his line, it only made it easier for Palace to double their advantage. Despite a couple of impressive stops towards the end of the game, the former international’s form across this season should see some more questions be asked of the ex-Arsenal keeper. 3.5/10

Timothy Castagne

Tougher out of possession today than in recent weeks, Castagne, similarly to his teammates, struggled to find players in a white shirt, but in a side not showing for the ball, you can hardly blame the Belgium international. 4.5/10

Joachim Andersen

Joa was outmuscled for what was ultimately an unfortunate own goal, alongside countless other occasions today. Games like today – hardly the Dane’s first poor game back in a Fulham shirt – make you really question paying £30m for a soon-to-be 29-year-old centre-half. 3/10

Calvin Bassey

The 25-year-old’s worst game in a Fulham shirt since Spurs away two Octobers ago; it’s fair to say Calvin should be allowed a poor game after a fantastic vein of form. He chose the wrong moments to come for the ball or sit off; perhaps he had the worst eye for a pass on the side. 4/10

Antonee Robinson

Once again Robinson couldn’t make an array of simple passes; A major problem in his game, but the American was at least aggressive, showing for the ball and attempting to win it back. And on a day like today, that earns you one of the better ratings. 5/10

Sasa Lukic

Seemingly one of maybe two players that fancied pressing the visitors today, Lukic’s efforts seemed null and void throughout his performance today, with the pressing cohesion leading the Serbian to be caught out of possession on numerous occasions. It has to be said the lack of times he showed for the ball today seemed to be a large reason why Fulham struggled to break through the lines of our South London opponents. 4.5/10

Sander Berge

After gaining much praise in recent weeks alongside the aforementioned Lukic, Sander Berge was yet another who had one of his poorest performances for Fulham today. Out of sync with the tempo of the game, the positioning of his midfield partners and where his back four were behind him. Despite his towering frame, he almost forgot the Norwegian was even on the pitch at points; Berge looked tactically confused this afternoon. 4/10

Alex Iwobi

At one point this season, Alex Iwobi would have been a sure bet for Fulham’s player of the season, but fast forward a month or two, and he has proved to be creatively ineffective on Silva’s side’s left flank. Despite playing one or two balls in behind today, I’d argue that the aptitude that the Hale End graduate showed for getting the ball back and taking the game upon himself to create chances, rather than waiting for runs from an overlapping full-back, saw the Nigerian put in yet another lacklustre performance. The pattern of Fulham only creating a plethora of chances at home when Iwobi is on form resumes. 4/10

Emile Smith Rowe

Before being pulled off in what looks like yet another worrying injury for a Fulham playmaker, I thought Smith Rowe started the game off brightly, making direct runs at the Palace back four from receiving or winning the ball back within the first 20 minutes of this afternoon. After this, however, he faded out of a game that the Whites desperately needed him in. The once Arsenal prodigy came to West London to reinstate himself as a top talent in the English game, and his timid approach to football matches won’t be helping his ambitions. 4.5/10

Adama Traore

One week on from terrorising Neco Williams, Adama Traore showed us why he isn’t still at Barcelona and is still at, well, Fulham. In fairness, the quality of the ball into the Spaniard, particularly into the channel, from his two centre-backs was particularly lacking. Nonetheless, I felt the former Wolves man reverted to type with both an unwillingness to track back and a lack of end product on the right wing. 4/10

Raul Jimenez

The Mexican has hardly put a foot wrong in recent months for Marco Silva, and by no means was this a vintage Raul performance, but I felt he proved useful in holding the ball in a game where he lacked service and support from his teammates. At the very least, the most resourceful player in black and white today. 6/10 – man of the match

Substitutes

Tom Cairney

I don’t want to be harsh on Tom; he was only on the pitch for 22 minutes, but he lost and made Fulham increasingly stagnant instead and didn’t seem ambivalent in possession. I suppose these things happen when players age, though. Get well soon, skipper! 4/10

Issa Diop

I don’t even know where he got subbed on. Striker, right-back, right centre-back maybe? Didn’t have a chance, bless him. I would have liked to have seen the pure chaos of actually having a front free of Rodrigo Muniz, Raul Jimenez, and Issa Diop, though. 5/10

Rodrigo Muniz

The overhead kick was a good laugh; he ran around a lot, but I mean, what is he supposed to do? Stand still? I put his ineffectiveness at the feet of his manager today. The two up top never work. 5/10

Willian

A very small silver lining to a very forgetful West London afternoon, Willian got some more minutes in the tank, and like last week, the three-time Fulham signee looked tidy while doing so. 5/10

Andreas Pereira

Since Andreas Pereira has been dropped from the side, the Brazilian has proved to be a useful outlet from the bench. After his 58th-minute introduction, Pereira was hungry to beat his man and play a killer ball in possession and obsessive in his hunger to regain it for his side. After much criticism from many, myself included, Andy P deserves to be starting at Molineux on Tuesday night. 6/10

Manager

Marco Silva

I love the man; we all do, but Marco Silva’s lack of in-game tactical flexibility when facing inferior sides has cost Fulham some valuable points this season. Fulham only seems to change into a back three when in front and into a front two in a last-ditch effort to salvage a game. Silva’s subs happened too late; they should have been made at four out of the five used by the 60th minute, with at least one made at the break. He needs to advance what Fulham’s secondary shape is when facing sides worse than us. Out of the 30 or so times I’ve seen Silva deploy a front two, it makes Fulham less threatening in the final third.

He has to find a way to get key creators involved in play in earlier phases of play. Oh, and don’t even get me started on what on earth he was doing for the debacle that was Emile Smith Rowe coming off and back onto the pitch. 3/10