Silva responds to question mark over team selection after Fulham's tame FA Cup exit

Any regrets? Picture by @CapitalFootball

It was the issue bugging many a frustrated Fulham fan as the Whites bowed out of the FA Cup in such a deflating way.

Beaten on home soil by Championship side Southampton after conceding an injury time penalty.

There could be no excuses about the defeat, even if they were arguably unlucky to have a goal chalked off when Saints tried to take a quick free-kick that they messed up to gift a free shot for Rodrigo Muniz.

The talking point was more about why Marco Silva had opted to make so many changes and rotate his line-up when Fulham had a golden opportunity to book a quarter-final slot - and be one game away from a Wembley semi-final.

Capital Football asked the Fulham boss after the 1-0 defeat whether he had any regrets about benching key regulars like Kenny Tete, Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson and whether it was a mistake to withhold Raul Jimenez and Alex Iwobi until late in the game as the Whites struggled to land a telling punch.

Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge were also kept on the sidelines, with Bernd Leno dropped at the expense of Benjamin Lecomte, which has become the norm for cup ties.

"It was a very bad afternoon for us. I understand the question of course, when you make nine changes," Marco Silva said. "It was my decision. I'm the coach and the manager of the football club.

"But if Joachim [Andersen], Cuenca, Timothy [Castagne] Sessegnon they are not good enough to win a cup tie - and they have started games against top sides in the Premier League - and if Emile Smith Rowe and Rodrigo [Muniz] along with Chukwueze and Oscar Bobb they are not enough to win a cup tie, we have to look in a different way.

"The only two players that are probably not playing enough football so far this season are the goalkeeper - but that's a decision from us that he plays in the cups - and Harrison Reed, who was probably one of the most consistent players throughout the game this afternoon. All the others, I'm sorry to tell you all of them they are [good enough to win the tie].

"If you ask me, I agree that Alex Iwobi is a starting XI player for ourselves always when he's ready but I'm 100 per cent sure he cannot be playing every single minute in every single match in the Premier League and the cup as well. But OK, I took that decision."