Ryan Sessegnon insists the spirit and togetherness which took Fulham to promotion will get his side through the top-flight’s harsh lessons.
The Cottagers’ first game back in the top flight after four years saw them begin brightly, playing the free-flowing football that earned them so many plaudits last year.
But Slavisa Jokanovic’s side were caught cold as wily Palace rode the storm and hit them with goals from Jeffrey Schlupp, just before half time, and Wilfried Zaha, to pop the bubble of euphoria that had been all around Craven Cottage.
Fulham spurned bids from Tottenham and Liverpool to hang on to 18-year-old Sessegnon in the summer and the teenager’s performances will be key to their chances of survival.
But he said: “I don’t think we’ll lose that spirit. The team that got us up, most players are still here, so we still have that togetherness. It’s about building on that. The new players can only add to that and make the team stronger.”
Jokanovic fielded seven of his 12 new signings, and Fulham initially gelled well. Sessegnon said: “We played the attacking football that we played last year. We’re disappointed we started off with a loss, but there’s lots of positives to take. It will take time for the team to settle. The back four hadn’t played together before. In the Premier League, you have to be clinical. We had the chances, we didn’t take them and, credit to Palace, they did.”
