Fulham could not resist sticking the boot into after ’s new signing was sent off on his Premier League debut.
Felix was named in Chelsea’s starting XI at Craven Cottage just one day after completing a loan move from Spanish club .
The Portugal forward made a bright start to his Chelsea debut, combining well with his new team-mates to trouble west London rivals Fulham.
But Felix will not remember his debut in the English top-flight fondly as he saw red in the second half for a reckless challenge on Kenny Tete.
As a result, Felix became the first player to be sent off for Chelsea on their Premier League debut, and the first to do so for any club since Federico Fazio for Tottenham in 2014.
Fulham’s social media team taunted Felix after the red card, posting ‘AdiosJoao’ – before swiftly deleting the tweet.
The message came after Chelsea tweeted – and then deleted – a welcome message to Felix that said ‘HolaJoao’. While Felix may have appreciated the sentiment, fans pointed out that ‘olá’ would have been more appropriate for the Portuguese star.
To make matters worse for Felix, Chelsea’s poor run of form continued as Fulham clinched a 2-1 win to pile the pressure on Graham Potter.
Blues defender Kalidou Koulibaly cancelled out former Chelsea star Willian’s first-half opener but Carlos Vinicius settled the affair with 20 minutes remaining.
Reacting to the challenge that led to Felix’s sending off, former Leeds United star Lucy Ward said on BT Sport: ‘There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it was a red card.
‘He followed through and there was no suggestion he was going to bend his leg. It was reckless.’
Ex-Premier League referee Peter Walton added: ‘He has lunged in, there is no intention of course, but he’s gone in too high. It’s the right decision for me. He has endangered the opposition.’
Fulham’s win was their first over west London rivals Chelsea since 2006 and sees Marco Silva’s side climb to sixth in the Premier League.
Willian said: ‘We deserved the win. We know how difficult it is to play against Chelsea. They are in a difficult moment but we are a really good team. We deserved it and we have to carry on.
‘I had an amazing seven years at Chelsea. I have a big respect for the fans and the club. I play for Fulham now and have to do my best. It was a special night.’
Former England striker Peter Crouch added: ‘Fulham are an amazing story. It started right on the opening day.
‘It was a huge performance because Chelsea normally get the result here. The surprising thing was it wasn’t really a shock. Fulham deserved it.’
, .
, and .
