'In my mind it was a foul on Bassey' - Fulham coach insists Arsenal's second goal should not have stood 

Fulham manager Marco Silva has insisted that Arsenal's second goal in today's Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium should not have stood because there was a foul in the build-up.

An Arsenal move ended with Eddie Nketiah scoring with a simple finish to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute, but the Fulham boss stressed that Calvin Bassey was taken out of the equation after he was brought down by Saka. 

Andreas Pereira gave Fulham an early lead after poor positioning from goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

In the 70th minute, the north London club equalized through Bukayo Saka, who kept his cool to convert a penalty awarded after Tete brought down Fabio Vieira in the box. 

Palhinha salvaged a point for Fulham when he converted from a corner taken by Harrison Reed.in the 87th minute. 

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day post-match, Silva said: "They score the second too quick and in my mind it was a foul on Calvin Bassey.

"At 10 men we showed the ambition and determination and capacity to keep believing in ourselves. After we equalised we are brave to defend our box with 10 men."

On his full Premier League debut, Nigeria international Bassey was shown a red card in the 83rd minute for a second bookable offense.

Four minutes into the second half, the former Rangers and Ajax Amsterdam central defender received a yellow card for time wasting and was issued a second yellow card and then red for blocking Arsenal striker Nketiah. 

Bassey got his first-ever start in Fulham colours a week after coming off the bench for his Premier League debut against Brentford. 
 

Igho Kingsley 

Photo Credit: fulhamfc.com

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