Marco Silva commended Raul Jimenez’s crucial “killer instinct” after his late winner secured Fulham a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, highlighting the striker’s impressive resilience since overcoming a severe head injury.
Fulham manager Marco Silva praised Raul Jimenez’s “killer instinct” after the experienced forward scored a late winner to help secure a crucial 1-0 victory against Sunderland at Craven Cottage.
The Cottagers dominated the match but appeared set for a draw until Jimenez connected with a superb left-wing cross from Samuel Chukwueze in the 84th minute to claim the lead.
The goal was hugely significant for the west London club, which had suffered five losses in their previous six league games. In his post-match comments, Silva hailed the 34-year-old’s resilience, noting his successful recovery from a life-threatening head injury sustained in 2020.
“It speaks about his killer instinct,” the head coach said. He added, “He had the worst moment of his life, I don’t know, five or six years ago. The way he bounced back with our help, with the help of this football club, he knows how he’s going to be always playing with his heart.”
Silva noted that Jimenez, who was competing against Dan Ballard (ranked fourth for aerial duels won in the Premier League), showed sharpness to score his first home league goal of the season.
The manager stressed the importance of the goal for Jimenez, who is tasked with stepping up following a hamstring injury to Rodrigo Muniz.
Silva concluded that the goal was a “proper striker’s goal,” highlighting the “Great assist, great pass from Chukwueze in that moment.”