Silva laments below-par display, but expects reaction on Boxing Day

Fulham's 11-match unbeaten can came to a juddering halt as they were blunted by the Blades in their last game before Christmas.

A fine early solo strike from Iliman Ndiaye was enough to give Sheffield United all three points as an off-form Whites failed to get their act together.

Boss Marco Silva admitted his side were not at the races: "It wasn't a good performance," he said. "We didn't perform even close to the level we should be.

"If you look at the chances created during the match, we did not create much, just one or two and the biggest one of course was in the last minute. They didn't create much as well after the goal.

"It was our fault, because the balance was not good enough and the goal was a little bit an unlucky moment for us.

"After that it is up to us to play with a different intensity but this evening we did a lot of unforced errors. We were so anxious and nervous to play our football and we didn't perform well.

"We didn't create the problems we should for them or open the gaps that we should. It wasn't a good game of football.

"You can always have an evening like that."

Silva, though, said he he is confident about the bigger picture.

"Of course in the last 12 [matches] we just lost one, so we can look at all the picture instead of just the last five.

The main thing for us is not to talk [just] about the last four," he said.

"The last time here we performed really well [against Bournemouth] even if we didn't win. We have to go again against Birmingham City on Sunday and keep doing the basics."