MX23RW : Sunday, May 19 07:01:05| >> :120:17064:17064:

Scott Parker admits Fulham were "punched in the belly" by Wolves loss

Scott Parker admits Fulham were
© Reuters
The Cottagers get another chance to try and claw their way out of trouble when they visit London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

Scott Parker said Fulham had been "knocked and punched in the belly" by their last-gasp loss to Wolves and admitted the squad will have to show their quality against Arsenal.

When the whistle blew after Adama Traore's last-gasp winner had sealed victory for Wolves at Craven Cottage last Friday, Mario Lemina was seen in tears while a number of other players appeared dejected.

Fulham get another chance to try and claw their way out of trouble when they visit London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

"We've shown during this year our quality and we've shown in this year that we can win football matches against very, very good teams so nothing's changed in that sense – we need to believe that," Parker said.

"I understand that we're very devastated at this moment in time, but we've been knocked and punched in the belly but we move on now and we need to concentrate on that and keep going."

Given a third opportunity to move out of the bottom three for the first time since December, Fulham again fell short, slumping to their fourth successive defeat.

It leaves the Cottagers firmly in the bottom three and six points behind 17th-placed Newcastle but Parker has backed his squad to bounce back.

"Time will tell," the Fulham manager said. "This team, early part of the season, and up until this part have been very resilient, have always come back and fought and kept working, kept trying to improve and I have no doubt that will be the case.

"Of course, the nearer you get to the end of the season, this is where things are defined and this is where one's character and one's mentality are really going to be tested because it's defining.

"So I hope and I have no doubt that these players will show what they've shown me for large parts."

He added: "We need to show our quality, show what good players we are, be clinical in key moments.

"But of course a large part at this moment in time is standing up here and the last six games and how it is going to be, we need big characters, big personalities.

"People who thrive in these moments, embrace these moments, these challenges that are ahead of us. But you are going to need to be on the right end of those key moments, show your quality and finish one off, in whichever box."

ID:443510: cacheID:443510:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3594:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates his hat-trick against Leeds United on September 12, 2020
Read Next:
Premier League gameweek 32 predictions including Leeds United vs. Liverpool
>
Read more about Scott Parker Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Chelsea371791175621360
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371761481602157
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd37176145558-357
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton371212135560-548
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!