Under-pressure Steven Gerrard 's future was thrown into further doubt as Aston Villa fans chanted for him to be sacked.
The former Rangers boss has mustered just one win from his last eight Premier League outings as Fulham lead his 10-man side 3-0 at Craven Cottage. Rumours circulated earlier this week that Villa were poised to part company with their manager - a claim they flatly denied - and replace him with out-of-work former Tottenham and Paris Saint-German boss Mauricio Pochettino.
But the ex-Liverpool captain remained in post for a trip south to London in search of a spark to ignite Villa's season. But Fulham bossed the opening 45 minutes and deservedly took the lead via Harrison Reed's drive from the edge of the box. Gerrard's side threatened to mount a revival in the early stages of the second-half but those hopes were emphatically derailed when Douglas Luiz was sent off for violent conduct.
The Brazilian midfielder was shown a straight red for throwing his head towards Aleksandar Mitrovic's face. Chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" rained down on Gerrard as it went from bad to worse as ref Michael Oliver penalised Matty Cash for handball in the box.
Mitrovic stepped up and converted the spot-kick - despite Emi Martinez' best efforts - to kill off Villa's already slim hopes of a comeback. That decisive moment prompted a section of Villa fans to break "we want Gerrard out" and "Steven Gerrard, get out of our club" as frustrations boiled over before a Tyrone Mings own goal rubbed salt in the wounds.
Gerrard was appointed in November 2021 but his first full season in charge has proven difficult. Villa sit 17th in the Premier League, just
