‘Main thing’ - Marco Silva makes honest claim about Everton return with Fulham

Marco Silva insisted he did not have a point to prove as his Fulham side pushed his former club Everton deeper into the relegation mire.

Silva was sacked as Toffees chief in December 2019 after little more than one-and-a-half years in charge. That was despite the Portuguese being popular among supporters and felt issues at the club were bigger than him in the weeks before his axing.

Silva’s since displayed his managerial qualities at Fulham after guiding them to the Championship title last season while they’re on track to finish in the top half of the Premier League this term. On Silva’s first return to Goodison Park, the Cottagers were by far the better side as they earned a 3-1 win courtesy of goals of Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson and Dan James.

When Silva was jettisoned by Everton, they were 18th in the table yet had 23 fixtures remaining. Now the Blues are only above the drop zone because of goal difference and face a real threat of relegation with seven games left.

But Silva, who watched his side’s win from the directors’ boss as he serves a touchline ban, didn’t have any added motivation to beat his former employers. He said: “I don’t need one football match to prove anything. I have to keep proving for myself, my staff, my players and Fulham Football Club fans. This is the main thing.

“I'm pleased with the three points, it was important because we come from a bad spell and it was good. I'm even more pleased about the second half and the way we did it, not just because we won. I saw improvements from last week, we missed some runners in behind to create problems for the opposition.

“These are the main things for me. Not on one game will not change the quality of what I am doing. I want to win the next game and the next game and don't need to prove anything.”