Marco Silva insists Fulham deserved a positive result despite losing 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.

The Cottagers fell to Joshua Zirkzee’s late debut goal in the new Premier League season’s curtain-raiser, and Silva felt his side were cruelly denied a point they deserved.

Last season saw United stunned by Fulham when Alex Iwobi’s stoppage-time winner sealed a 2-1 victory for the London club at Old Trafford.

A disappointed Silva said after Friday’s defeat: “It was the same story again. I believe that we deserved more from the game in terms of the result, definitely. Looking overall at the game, I think we deserved more.”

The match followed a well-trodden path in recent seasons of Fulham losing by a single goal late on to United despite playing well.

“Some games between us and Man United have been decided by fine margins. Tonight was more or less the same story. We’ll have to work for next time to write a different story.

“We started well, with some good counter-attacks. We started on the front-foot. A very good reaction, after that, from Manchester United. They pushed us back and we couldn’t play the way we like.

“In the last 10 or 15 minutes, the game went in the direction that we knew. It’s the part of the game when Manchester United can punish you.”

Emile Smith Rowe earned his competitive debut for the club following his £34million move from Arsenal this summer, and Silva believes the Englishman will soon hit form once he is back up to speed of playing regularly.

“Emile, it was important for him”, Silva said. “He’s still not in his best shape. We need to give him minutes. He was a bit more tired at the time when we took him off. Some good moments.

“You know the quality he has going to give us. If he can arrive with the ball in certain areas, he can be decisive. He’s going to be — I’m 100 per cent sure — a really important player for us. We are going to make him better every single day, and he will show that during the matchdays.”