This was the fourth occasion that Fulham had started a Premier League season with a London derby and they have now lost all four.
However, on the night when Alvaro Arbeloa was also in a Premier League dugout for the first time – and against the man he replaced briefly at the Bernabeu earlier this year – there were plenty of positives in defeat.
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Gonzalo Garcia, a player he recruited from his former employers over the summer, made an immediate impression with some excellent movement and exhibited predatory instincts to open his account in England.
In doing so, he became the first player to score on his Premier League debut for Fulham since Chris David in May 2014 against Crystal Palace.
But the standout performer in white was Josh King, who is still only 19, already an England Under-21 international and looks to be a star in the making.
At times, he was Fulham’s driving force in midfield and was unfortunate to drag a late effort wide that might have given the home side a point.
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