Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris scolded his players after their 1-0 defeat at Fulham ended in a rolling maul of pushing and shoving.
A game of few clear-cut chances was settled by Raul Jimenez’s third goal of the season six minutes from time as the 34-year-old Mexican striker beat Dan Ballard to substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s teasing cross to prod the winner from close range.
After only Sunderland’s third Premier League defeat this term, players and staff from both sides squared up to each other on the pitch at Craven Cottage, and Le Bris was not impressed.
He said: “For me it’s not important. I told the players I don’t like the fighting at the end – if you still have energy in your tank it means before we didn’t push hard enough. For me, it’s not a positive situation.
“We managed OK in the first half but we were not proactive enough to change the momentum. We had opportunities in the first part of second half but it wasn’t enough.
“We struggled to manage (the game) when they went long and we were not good enough to manage the duels.
“Basics are really important in football and if you don’t win this part at least 50-50, you can’t impose anything.
“We have to be at our best or the opponent can exploit their strengths. The level is high in the Premier League and everyone learns.
“They were good with the ball, they appreciated their ability to attack in different ways. We will face many good teams like that.”
The Sunderland bench was animated when Wilson Isidor appeared to be impeded by last man Calvin Bassey in a rare Sunderland breakaway in the first half, but Le Bris shrugged: “The game is finished now, what can I say?”
Jimenez scored for Mexico against Paraguay in midweek on international duty in the United States, and he only arrived back in London on Thursday.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva was full of praise for his centre-forward, saying: “He has gone from the worst moment of his life five years ago (a fractured skull, playing for Wolves against Arsenal in November 2020), and the way he bounced back with our help, he knows he is always playing with his heart.
“He can play amazingly well, at other times not so well, but he always plays with his heart.
“It shows if you can provide for him, he will show his killer instinct. It was a tough game for him, a big fight with their guys, but it was a great pass from Chuku and a proper striker’s goal in that situation.”
Silva played down the fracas after the final whistle, saying: “it’s about emotions in the game. It’s not normal that we see it in every match, but sometimes one person from the staff speaks a bit louder and a bunch of people starts to speak to each other.
“Sometimes it looks much worse than it is. I tried to keep out of the way – I am very calm and keep out because yellow cards (for coaches) are important.
“We are happier than them, but it’s part of football, nothing special.”
