FULHAM FAN’S VIEW

ALTHOUGH I can empathise with Marco Silva and Aleksandar Mitrovic for losing their heads, they should not have done it. Silva knows he cannot interfere with the referee while he is looking at the VAR monitor and Mitrovic cannot touch the referee, no matter how upset he is.

For Silva it was a decision by the referee Chris Kavanagh that was one too many. The history with Kavanagh goes back to two very memorable bad decisions within the last 18 months.

First was a Preston equaliser where Ched Evans handled the ball three times before equalising in the Championship last year.

The second was the West Ham game earlier this season when we lost 3-1 after going ahead. All three West Ham goals could, and probably should, have been ruled out. The first was a penalty given against Andreas Pereira despite him being clotheslined by Craig Dawson.

For the second there was a handball by Gianluca Scamacca moments before he scored.

For the third, Michail Antonio basically controlled the ball with his arm, but it was judged not to be the same phase of play as the goal.

With his red card, Mitrovic, I think, just realised in that moment his chances of going to Wembley, winning this game and being a hero for Fulham were slipping away. However, what he did is the reason we had absolutely no chance of getting back into it. With 10 men, 1-1, there is a chance — given the way both teams were playing. Once it was down to nine the game was done. That is the big mistake Mitrovic will have to live with.

I am sure he and Silva both regret what they did and it is sad they were villains on the day.

I do, though, also respect what they have done this season. They are two of the main reasons Fulham are in the position we are in — challenging for Europe and reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals.