An Ollie Watkins brace had Fulham 2-0 down before Rodrigo Muniz restored hope with an opportunistic goal amid slack Villa defending.
Fulham did have chances to level it with Alex Iwobi, Harry Wilson and Adama Traore all had opportunities.
It just wasn’t to be though as Fulham were unable to build on last weekend’s win over Bournemouth
Rodrigo Muniz praised
Muniz, a guy who has had a true purple patch, was the one who brought Fulham back into the match.
The Brazilian, who originally cost Fulham approximately £6.8 million in 2021, only scored five goals in his debut campaign while playing as Aleksandar Mitrovic’s backup.
Although Muniz only managed two goals in 18 games during his loan spell at Middlesbrough last season, it didn’t exactly help.
Even after Mitrovic was sold, nobody anticipated Muniz to play a significant role this season, especially after Armando Broja and Raul Jimenez arrived in January.
But since the end of the January transfer window, Muniz has emerged as a surprise player, scoring four goals in his last three games.
On the team’s official website, manager Marco Silva has now praised the 22-year-old striker for his prolific scoring.
In response to a question concerning Joao Palhinha’s potential replacement after his tenth booking of the year, Silva cited Muniz as a “great example.”
With Jimenez down, Silva feels that Muniz has assumed the correct amount of responsibility. With Palhinha out against Manchester United and Brighton, others in the squad will need to follow Muniz’s lead.
“It is what it is.” He’s going to be out, so someone else needs to play. “I believe that our football team has a great example with Rodrigo’s actions over the past two weeks,” Silva stated.
“A player takes on the obligation to get his opportunity while everyone is creating a big tale about that circumstance. Additionally, he’s supporting the team and doing incredibly well.
“The person who will play in João’s position and in the upcoming games needs to experience the same thing. All he can do is accept responsibility, stand up, and demonstrate his abilities because we have capable players on our team to take his place, he continued.
Although Jimenez and Broja will soon be back available, Muniz has established himself as a strong candidate to start for Silva’s team.
With any luck, Muniz’s recent turnaround will allow him to leave a lasting impression despite his rather poor start to his Fulham career.
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