Marco Silva refused to accept that he proved a point to the Everton hierarchy after he made a winning return to Goodison Park.
Silva was appointed Everton manager ahead of the 2018/19 season and guided the Blues to an eighth-place finish in his first season in charge. However, his second campaign didn’t go according to plan, and he was sacked in December 2019 after a 5-2 defeat to Liverpool.
The Portuguese spent just under two years out of the game following his dismissal from Everton before returning to management with Fulham at the start of last season. He then helped the club return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
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And Silva came back to haunt his old side on Saturday afternoon as he made a winning return to Goodison. Despite Dwight McNeil cancelling out Harrison Reed’s opener before the break, Harry Wilson and Dan James were both on target in the second half.
The victory was Fulham’s first in five games, while Everton’s relegation worries only depended as a result of the 3-1 defeat. But Silva was in no mood to gloat post-match.
"I don’t need one football match to prove nothing to no one," he replied when asked if he took extra satisfaction in the manner in which his side won.
"I have to keep proving myself to my staff, my players and for Fulham Football Club. I am really pleased with the three points.
"It was important because we came from a bad spell, and it is always good. I am even more pleased for the second-half. Not just because we won, but the way we did it.
"I understand your question, but for me, it is not one game that will change. I don’t need to prove anything in one football match."
Reflecting on his side’s performance, Silva said: "Many many positives to take from the game. First, of course, the three points and the win, and we were clearly the best team on the pitch.
"The way we started and the moment we scored was well deserved because we were the best team on the pitch."
"In some moments, we take some risks, and in that moment, they won the first and second balls, and they reacted well and scored the goal.
"They had small momentum at the end of the first half, but we spoke at half-time to stick to the plan. Our second half was very good, and we had even more chances to score.
"We had good chances in those moments. Congratulations to the players and the fans. We changed some things and played with a different striker, and Daniel James had a very good performance and deserved his goal."
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