Released at 16: Leeds had a howler with “crushed” star whose value soared by 2,300% – Your Take

THE BEST SNAPS FROM A BRILLIANT AFTERNOON IN SW6.

To be honest, I don’t think anyone could have called this meeting before kickoff, but once play began, there was only one likely outcome: a stunning Fulham victory with a clean sheet. Brighton knocked it around with little to brag about; they may have attractive patterns, but the true threat came from the Whites’ cut-and-thrust menace, and there could have been an avalanche of goals, but three would suffice. We aren’t suddenly spoiled brats, right?

Balls could have been squared, strikes could have skewed wide of the mark, but Fulham were voracious on the attack, and our directness on the offensive surprised a Brighton side that is often difficult to beat. The visitors probed, Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan tried to stretch our shape, but we were regimented, and as we absorbed pressure, we counteracted their strategy and leaped for the throat.

Brighton enjoyed almost 70% possession, but they had no response for Fulham’s streamlined approach. They were outfought and outgunned, and while we love to dictate the pace of play, our previous two games are noteworthy because they demonstrate Silva’s setup’s adaptability and resilience. We had to be patient and sit tight, and when it came time to burn rubber, it was full throttle football as the light turned green.

Fulham were immaculate in terms of composition; we were drilled and organised, we are durable, we are problem solvers, and we will put every other team in this division to the test, particularly those with overinflated reputations. Silva ball is adaptable; it may come undone from time to time, but overall, it’s a brand designed expressly for the Premier League, and we embraced Roberto De Zerbi’s vision. Marco established the standard on Saturday, and his ostensibly inventive Italian rival simply couldn’t equal it. Bellissimo.

Money Muniz made it rain!

Rodrigo Muniz may have been a little too young to play for Brazil’s senior team, but if he continues to tease highly seasoned defenders while constantly smashing nets, he will undoubtedly gain international notoriety. Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Joel Veltman are all considered as great defensive stalwarts; they command the air, are tough in challenges, and take no prisoners. That was until they met Muniz, anyway.

Rodrigo, who was frequently put against two of Brighton’s three central defenders at once, defiantly occupied the Seagulls’ back line, pushed himself between man and ball under enormous pressure to safeguard possession as the Whites advanced, and Money Muniz made it rain in vital areas at critical moments. He was credited with an assist for our first goal of the afternoon; his willingness to shunt play forward as Brighton struggled to regroup was admirable, and as he nodded Harry Wilson into a decent striking zone, a goal of top quality followed.

Nothing was a lost cause; his entire attitude has shifted dramatically, and he now understands how to use his physicality to his advantage; he is a very terrifying number nine, with a killer instinct to match. Reading Wilson’s magnificent cross, Muniz’s smart movement offset Brighton’s defensive line, and as the ball curved towards the penalty spot, he nutted a fierce header through a writhing Jason Steele, unmarked, for our second goal of the game and his fifth in five starts. Remarkable.

Muniz’s revival following the January transfer window has been nearly tear-jerking, with two direct goal involvements and Mitro-esque authority despite several defenders trying hold off. His willpower is infectious; he’s gone from being an outcast at Middlesbrough to being one of the Premier League’s rising stars in the space of a year, and while I still believe we need to sign another striker in the summer, Rodrigoal is gradually becoming our very own £40 million bagsman, and he will be massively important regardless.