- Boss reacts following narrow loss against Fulham
- First half goal proved decisive at Craven Cottage
- Manager left with mixed emotions after 1-0 defeat
Michael O’Neill revealed that while he was disappointed to narrowly lose to Fulham on Sunday, his Stoke City side could draw positives from their performance.
A first half Bobby Decordova-Reid goal proved to be decisive in the capital as the third-placed Cottagers claimed maximum points.
After a slow first half, the Potters improved in the second 45, applying plenty of pressure but without managing to net and claim a reward for their efforts.
Speaking to Stoke City+ in the immediate aftermath at Craven Cottage, the Northern Irishman delivered a balanced assessment of his side’s display.
“Listen, we are disappointed to come away with the defeat, but I thought second half we were very good and pushed all the way," the 50-year-old expressed.
“We were a bit unfortunate with Ryan (Shawcross) picking up a calf injury and having already made all three subs – we essentially played the last 10 to 15 minutes with ten men but we still pushed and there was only one team hanging on at the end and it wasn’t us.
“In the end I thought we could have taken something from the game and were unfortunate not to do so.
“The opposition played a part in that (first half performance) – they started the first half well. They looked a half yard sharper than we were in the first half and we struggled to get up to the ball as much as we would want to create things but we stayed in the game.
“We showed great character to stay in the game and in the second half I thought we were the dominant team.”
He added: “We’ve come to a team who are challenging at the top of the league and have been narrowly beaten.
“We pushed all the way and in the end I thought we were unfortunate not to take anything from the game.”