Silva hails ‘top class’ Willian after Fulham victory

Marco Silva praised Willian after the Brazilian set Fulham on their way to a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The victory at Craven Cottage moves the Whites up to seventh in the Premier League – and Willian’s terrific 17th-minute strike put them ahead before substitute Manor Solomon added a second goal.

Silva brought Willian, 34, to Fulham in September from Corinthians – and the former Chelsea star delivered against Steve Cooper’s industrious outfit, before being substituted in the 71st minute with a calf knock.

“He (Willian) is a top class player and great guy,” said Fulham head coach Silva.

“He works hard and plays with a smile on his face. He enjoys playing for us and he wants more. He also has the confidence to show the quality that he has all the time.

“If I even had doubts I would not have signed him. He is a class player and has made great connections with his team-mates. You can see his quality week in, week out. It worked out really well for Willian.”

Silva was also pleased with the resilience shown by the Whites against Forest who have enjoyed a revival over the last few weeks.

He added: “This is a great and well deserved three points for us. The first hour we were much better and the first chance we had, we scored.

“There was a reaction from them – we knew they could be strong on counter-attacks and one or two moments they were dangerous, but we had many chances to kill the game.

“We scored a late goal and kept a clean sheet. The players deserve a lot of credit.”