Arbeloa defends his position as late goals prolong Fulham winless start

Alvaro Arbeloa said he was not worried about his position as Fulham manager after Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Ipswich left his side bottom of the Premier League without a win in six matches. In comments reported by BBC Sport, he said the club's need for points mattered more than questions about his own future.

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Arbeloa said a coach had to make decisions and give players confidence, while stressing that he remained pleased with aspects of their work. He also pointed to his experience as a player and coach at Real Madrid when discussing pressure, describing it as a familiar part of football rather than something he feared.

The setback came after Ryan Sessegnon had put Fulham ahead in the 55th minute at Portman Road. According to the BBC's match report, his low shot from outside the penalty area broke the deadlock after the visitors had created the better first-half opportunities. Fulham were still protecting that advantage as the match entered its closing stages.

Ipswich had threatened through Emersonn, whose unmarked header hit the post, before Abdoul Ouattara equalised from 25 yards in the 88th minute. Dara O'Shea then headed the winner from a set-piece in stoppage time. The turnaround gave Ipswich their third league victory of the season and took them to ninth, while Fulham remained on two points.

For Fulham, it followed another late disappointment against Manchester United before the international break. They had also led that match before a deflected Matheus Cunha strike forced a draw. The BBC's match statistics recorded 13 attempts for Fulham against Ipswich's 11, with each team putting five shots on target, but the visitors again failed to turn a lead into victory.

BBC Sport reported that Fulham have conceded in the final 15 minutes in four of their six league games. Sessegnon called for greater demands within the squad and higher standards, identifying mentality as an issue. Arbeloa acknowledged the urgency of collecting points despite the season being only six matches old.