Silva salutes Fulham super-sub Muniz after last-gasp equaliser

Marco Silva saluted Fulham super-sub Rodrigo Muniz after his last-gasp equaliser rescued a point against Brighton.

Fulham looked like they would open the new season with defeat at the Amex Stadium, where a 55th-minute penalty from Matt O’Riley put the hosts 1-0 to the good.

Yet, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Muniz controlled Tom Cairney’s deflected corner, before firing home on the volley to snatch a point for the visitors.

The Brazilian, who has been linked with a move to Atalanta, ran over to celebrate in front of the ecstatic away fans, to whom he raised a scarf that had been thrown onto the pitch.

Seven of Muniz’s last nine Premier League goals have come from the bench, more than any other player has registered in the competition since the start of last season, and Silva was thrilled with his impact.

“His connection with the fans is very strong, not just because he scored today,” Silva said. “Rodrigo created something that isn’t so easy to do. The fans recognise his quality, and that he gives everything for the shirt.

“With Rodrigo, it doesn’t matter against who, and it doesn’t matter if he scores or not – he’s always going to give 100%. It was nice to see him score, and that connection is there. The fans showed their support for the whole team.

“We showed fighting spirit and the belief that we were capable of at least equalising. Looking overall at the game, I think the draw was a deserved point for both teams. I think it’s a fair result.”

Rodrigo Muniz. Proper Fulham.pic.twitter.com/GNHDWVnR82

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 16, 2025

Meanwhile, Brighton saw their streak of four successive Premier League victories on matchday one brought to a halt.

And Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler acknowledged it was “painful” to see two points slip away in such fashion, after his side had controlled large periods of the contest.

“For sure, it feels painful,” he said. “It’s really important to take the positives away. We played well and defended well. We should have scored the second goal, and I think the game would have been over. That’s football.

“It’s very difficult to say [if they could have defended the corner better]. It’s more about avoiding the corner. The ball is deflected, so it’s not easy to defend. We have to accept it.

“It doesn’t feel great now, but we have to be positive about the many good things we did and work on improving for next week’s game [at home to Manchester United].”