Marco Silva has insisted Fulham’s away form will improve in the second half of the season after the Whites slipped to a narrow derby defeat at Chelsea yesterday afternoon.

The result – secured by a penalty in first half stoppage-time by Cole Palmer – means that the Cottagers have won only once away from Craven Cottage in the league all season: when they beat Everton on the opening weekend through Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s second half strike.

Silva told his post-match press conference at Stamford Bridge:

“It’s been tough for us. Of course we did start really well the season away from home at Goodison Park. After that we didn’t achieve the results that we wanted or deserved. It was a difficult schedule for us away from home for us in the first half [of the season]…I’m sure that we are going to turn it around for us second hal and we are going to start getting better results away from home.

Normally we are a really brave team that we don’t change really almost anything in our approach [to home games]. But the Premier League’s the Premier League and it’s always really difficult to play away from home. Of course we want to make Craven Cottage our fortress, where we are really strong at home, but I really believe and I’m confident that we are going to improve our away performances as well.”