Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon, speaking to Sky Sports: “We started the game very well then conceded quite a bizarre first goal but going into half-time at 1-1, it’s still a decent result but we kind of just collapsed, to be honest.
“We conceded one straight after half-time which can happen but to concede the next one straightaway was disappointing. The game was pretty much done after that.
“There is no real explanations, it’s just poor defending from us. Quite unusual from us but we have to look back at the game and see where we went wrong.
“It was probably just lack of concentration, it was very bizarre. We have to pick ourselves up and go again.
“Hopefully on Friday against Bournemouth we can put it right.”
Aston Villa captain John McGinn speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “Delighted but relieved at the same time. It has been a very poor start to the season. To lose here 3-0 in the last home game was tough to take. We actually started well and then we reacted really well to conceding at the corner.
“It is not an easy place to play when the crowd are on your back but then when you get momentum, what a place it is to play. It was important to show belief and confidence in each other. What a win and what a huge show of character for us.”
On Ollie Watkins’ form: “He has had a lot of criticism in recent weeks but what he will get from us as team-mates and staff is love and support. What he has given us in recent seasons is nothing short of brilliant.
“He always has a spell in the season when it doesn’t quite click for him but he runs a lot and he works hard and then when he gets the ball you expect that he will score. Hopefully that shuts a few people up.”
On Villa’s form: “It can change quickly but we are not getting carried away. We have turned a little corner the last few games but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s about recovering now and then back here next Sunday to try and pick up another win in the league.”
Emery, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “To win is the consequence of how you are building the team, how you are individually and tactically as well, being consistent and being demanding.
“We are getting better. We started [the season] so, so poor but then after the break we draw with Everton, Sunderland and Brentford. We were more or less getting balanced but not enough, performing better but not enough.
“We needed to improve some things, not just tactically, and on Thursday we did that and today as well. We reacted fantastically to conceding the goal. We showed energy, collectively and individually.
“Progressively, we are getting better and those points will hopefully help us to be more consistent for the next matches.”
On slow starts: “We are looking forward and trying to get better at everything. We started poor but I don’t know why. In the first 15 minutes, we conceded one goal and we weren’t playing.
“But it was important how we drew level in the match and started playing to our gameplan. Then in the second half we were really pushing with energy, scored two goals and after we controlled the game.
“Today was very important to try and feel confidence through the result.”
On Ollie Watkins: “Happy winning, happy for the players, happy for goalscoring players, Emi Buendia and John McGinn as well. Happy because we conceded one goal then we defended well.”
On Emi Buendia: “Transfer window finished one month ago. Emiliano is showing his wishes to help us and his quality. Hopefully he is going to be very important, he is playing minutes, getting confidence, understanding tactically how we want to play. Fantastic for him and the team.”
On Tyrone Mings’ injury: “I don’t know. Injured but I don’t know which injuries.”
On building on the win: “Hopefully it can help us and we can keep going. Getting the points like we did helps us to feel confident and we can get better in the table and we have to try to reach the level we achieved last season.”
This is how fans reacted as the Fulham boss Marco Silva criticises “impossible” VAR decisions during defeat at Aston Villa…
@ffcLuca: Another rigged match but we need to get way better at reacting to bad decisions going against us, it’s costing us a lot
@camstutely: Frustrating, very frustrating, didn’t wake up in second half but again game changed due to poor decision by ref and var, similar to chelsea game! Also Samuel > Adama
@bossieffc: Can’t help but feel it would’ve been different had we gotten a penalty. But the second half was piss poor and we rolled over way too easily. Serious lack of quality up top without our strikers.
@JSmithy64: An impressive collapse even by our standards. Pretty unlucky with Raul injury & missed penalty shouts, but some shocking decisions & defending. Andersen in particularly back to his very worst. So frustrating we can never kick on when it matters…
@svntiago19: Typical robbery again. 2 pens? Adama up front doing nothing was a terrible decision as a sub by Marco. He was awful just like against Cambridge. 1st half played well, dominated with king running it all. Ref was against us. 2nd half we had nothing up front. Chuckwueze looked bright
@exitzoostation: Fulham should feel extremely hard done by, things could have been very different had Josh King not been robbed of a penalty Marco Silva putting Traore as the striker didn’t work because he kept coming back too deep & didn’t keep things simple
@FulhamTransfer: FT: I said the game was there to be won. Fulham came out 2nd half and offered very little! Villa knew Adama’s only threat was in behind so they dropped a couple of yards which nullified any threat from him. Marco has questions to answer in regards to not having a striker on the bench… If he had no intention of putting JKA in team then he should have planned to have ALB with the squad. The lack of an out and out striker & some poor defensive errors have played a big part in Fulham losing today. I don’t think we played that badly but it all seemed to change after that penalty decision 🤔. I said this was the chance to show we mean business & we started so well… But ultimately those errors defensively will still cost us. We go again against Bournemouth 💪
@mattjkfarmer: I’m so shocked at this, imagine being 1-0, having a blatant penalty turned down and then the game flips on its head. I can accept losing but not when PGMOL decide to give Villa the game 😅
Poor start to second half cost us after should have scored more in first. Fair play to Villa for noticing Fulham struggling with offside line. But refereeing so inconsistent, not to mention handball. King booked for simulation in box, Watkins and Rogers do it, absolutely nothing https://t.co/eSLFVuaQe3
— Simon Hamalienko (@si88) September 28, 2025
