'They are the club's present and future' – Arbeloa praises young players after Coventry win

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa praised his team's young core after the win over Coventry City, describing those players as "the present and the future of the club".

Fulham edged the contest at the CBS Arena 1-0 thanks to Oscar Bobb's neat placed finish from outside the box in the 80th minute. The goal was the young forward's first in a Fulham shirt and his first in the Premier League this season.

In a game short on clear chances until Bobb's strike, one of the most dangerous moments came in the first half when Josh King's powerful effort came back off the post.

The result was Fulham's second consecutive league win, following their 1-0 victory over Hull City in the previous match. The London side won back-to-back league games for the first time since March, while the last time they had recorded successive wins with clean sheets was in December 2025.

Speaking after the game, Arbeloa said: "I'm very happy. It was another very good performance from us at a difficult stadium against a tough opponent. This is exactly what we want: to run, to press, to play our own football and to win games."

Underlining his faith in the young players, the Spanish coach added: "We need goals from Oscar Bobb, Josh King and Gonzalo. They are very young, and for a head coach it would of course be an easier path to sign experienced players. Last season we had Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez in the team, players with 300-500 matches of experience in their legs and in their heads. When you have that experience, everything becomes easier. But these boys are young and they have great talent. I trust them because I believe they are both the present and the future of Fulham. I am extremely happy and pleased with these young talents. We prepared for this game from the start of the week and I am very pleased with everyone in the squad. This is the football we need to play."

The win also brought an end to Fulham's 8-match winless run away from home. Oscar Bobb, meanwhile, ended a 29-match run without a goal involvement in the Premier League.

Coventry manager Frank Lampard, on the other hand, saw his side's poor form continue, with only 3 wins in their last 25 Premier League matches (4 draws, 18 defeats). Assessing the game afterwards, Lampard said: "They are a good team and it was an even game with limited chances. That is the nature of this league; the differences are clear. Games like this can happen. We wanted to win, but even if you can't win, you must not lose. We were far from the level we are used to and we have to turn the situation around."