Marco Silva was delighted after Fulham won their third game in a week by thrashing Nottingham Forest 4-0 at the City Ground this afternoon.

The Fulham boss admitted his side were far from their flawless best but was pleased that the Whites proved clinical in front of goal to move back into the Championship’s automatic promotion places again. Speaking to the press after the final whistle, Silva emphasised how impressive it was to see his side end Steve Cooper’s unbeaten start in charge of Forest.

“It was a tough game, like we expected. We came here to play against a team in a good moment. In the last six, they had won five. Since Steve’s arrival, they hadn’t had a bad result. Our aim was clear, to claim nine points in a week and that’s what we did. This is our way, it’s what we work on. Keeping a clean sheet is important, because to play good offensive football, you have to be compact as a team and be balanced. We clearly improved in the second-half, and scoring four goals again, it’s not the first time, it’s more than once.

Silva was particularly pleased that captain Tom Cairney came through his first ninety minutes in nearly a year unscathed.

“You saw how Tom finished the game. He was really tired. We tried to give 90 minutes because the result was under control. We have to work more with Tom, it’s all part of the process. If we have all our player available, we will be stronger as a team. Some moments we will be more compact, and sometimes we’ll be more creative. As a complete performance, we still have something more. The score gives a boost to the players’ confidence, and we’re really happy with the result.

The Fulham head coach also heaped praise on striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who added another brace in a display of first class finishing.

“Our goal is clear, we want to be successful at the end of the season. Every goal Mitrovic will come as a consequence of our game. He started well, and if you create for him, he’s a dangerous player. It’s up to us to create the conditions for him. Of course, he’s an important player for us, but everyone is working hard.”