Graham Potter says Joao Felix's red card was the turning point in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Fulham, but the under-fire Blues boss understands why the debutant was dismissed.
Chelsea had levelled Thursday's contest at Craven Cottage when Joao Felix was sent off by referee David Coote for a studs-up challenge on Kenny Tete.
Carlos Vinicius went on to head home a winner for Fulham as they beat their west London rivals for only the fourth time in 53 top-flight matches, and the first time since 2006.
Potter was left to rue a sloppy challenge from Joao Felix, who was thrust straight into the starting XI after arriving on a short-term loan deal from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
He is the first Chelsea player to be sent off on his Premier League debut, and the first for any club since Federico Fazio for Tottenham against Manchester City in October 2014.
"It was a forwards' tackle. There was no malice in it but I understand why it was a red," Potter told BT Sport of the Portugal international's lunge on Tete.
"It is another blow for us; the hits keep coming at the moment. [Joao Felix] was really good. You could see his quality in the game so it is doubly disappointing for us."
Willian had given Fulham the lead against his former side Chelsea, but the visitors responded through Kalidou Koulibaly's close-range finish after Mason Mount had hit the post.
Carlos Vinicius' first goal for Fulham prolongs 10th-placed Chelsea's terrible run of form, which now stands at seven defeats in 10 matches in all competitions.
"I think we controlled the game early, won the ball back high, created some opportunities, maybe missed the last pass. We made a couple of mistakes for their goal," Potter said.
"Second-half I think we responded well and then the red card changes the game. It makes it a little more difficult for us.
"But I thought the application when we went down to 10 was really good. I'm disappointed with the [winning] goal because I think we could do better and that is what cost us."
Chelsea's return of 25 points from their first 18 Premier League matches is their fewest at this stage since the 2015-16 campaign (18 points), when going on to finish 10th.
Further questions will inevitably be asked of Potter, who only succeeded Thomas Tuchel in September, but the Englishman has called on his squad to stick together.
"We have got to keep working, there is no other solutions," he said. "You have to keep working stay together and try to get the three points."
Former Chelsea winger Willian did not celebrate his first-half opener against old suitors Chelsea, whom he won five major honours with earlier in his career.
"I had an amazing seven years at Chelsea," said Willian, who is the 26th player to score against Chelsea in the Premier League after previously playing for them.
"I have a big respect for the fans and the club. I play for Fulham now and have to do my best. It was a special night.
"We deserved the win. We know how difficult it is to play against Chelsea. They are in a difficult moment but we are a really good team. We deserved it and we have to carry on."
A fourth top-flight win in a row for Fulham – the first time they have achieved that since April 1966 (a run of five) – moves them within four points of the Champions League spots.
Sinner snaps Alcaraz's win streak, books Miami Open final against Medvedev
Jannik Sinner is through to the Miami Open decider after eliminating world number one Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2 in Friday's semi-final.
Sinner, 21, has enjoyed a terrific start to 2023. Since the beginning of the Australian Open, the Italian has only lost three matches – to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Alcaraz.
He avenged his defeat to Tsitsipas with a straight sets win at the Rotterdam Open, and he has now got one back on Alcaraz after their three-hour war of attrition.
Both players created exactly 12 break point opportunities, and Sinner's 26 unforced errors were only one less than Alcaraz's 27, but the Spanish 19-year-old committed an uncharacteristic nine double faults. The loss snapped Alcaraz's 10-match winning streak.
The victory gives Sinner his second appearance in the Miami Open final after losing the 2021 edition to Hubert Hurkacz, and he now joins Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the only players to ever reach the final here twice before turning 22.
Sinner will get a chance to avenge his only other loss this year in the final after Daniil Medvedev booked his spot with a 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3 victory over Russian compatriot Karen Khachanov.
Incredibly, Khachanov lost despite hitting 53 winners and only 11 unforced errors, and he ended up edging the total point count 93-88, but he could only convert two of his six break point opportunities, while Medvedev converted two out of four.
The win means Medvedev is the first player since Roger Federer in 2019 to reach the final of both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in the same season, and he is the first since Federer in 2006 to reach five ATP finals before the clay court season begins.
Kvitova defeats Cirstea to join Rybakina in the Miami Open final
Petra Kvitova is through to her 41st WTA singles final after defeating Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-4 in Friday's Miami Open semi-final.
Kvitova, 33, already has 29 singles titles under her belt, including eight at the WTA 1000 level. Despite showing she can still compete with the best – making the final at the 2019 Dubai Championships, the 2020 Qatar Open and the 2022 Cincinnati Open, her last WTA 1000 victory came at the 2018 Madrid Open.
Against Romania's Cirstea – who came into the contest with nine wins from her past 10 matches – Czech veteran Kvitova was put on the back foot early as her serve was broken to go 5-2 down.
But she saved two set points, and used that momentum to ignite a run of seven consecutive games, taking the first set and the early break in the second as a result.
Kvitova did not allow Cirstea to produce a single break point opportunity in the second set, winning 75 per cent (21-of-28) of her total service points to slam the door shut.
With the win, Kvitova joined Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to ever reach the Miami Open final after turning 33 years old, booking her place against the hottest talent on the tour – Elena Rybakina – in the decider.
Rybakina has won her past 13 matches, and is looking to become the fifth woman to ever complete the Sunshine Double after eliminating both world number one Iga Swiatek and world number two Aryna Sabalenka to lift the Indian Wells Open title.
Icing on the cake – Al Nassr celebrate Ronaldo's record-setting Portugal cap
Al Nassr celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking Portugal appearance in style.
Given his impeccable commitment to athleticism, Ronaldo might not have dug into the cake he was presented with on Friday.
Al Nassr were celebrating the 38-year-old becoming the most-capped men's player of all time.
Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for Portugal on March 23, scoring twice in a 4-0 defeat of Liechtenstein.
Along with marking that achievement, Al Nassr also celebrated Abdulrahman Ghareeb's 25th birthday.
"Today, we celebrate a record and birthday," the club tweeted. "The record of most capped player in international football [and] the birthday of a talented Saudi player."
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