Knives were being sharpened for Alvaro Arbeloa throughout the build-up to Saturday's win over Hull City.

His post-match comments - "I played for the best team in the world, I have coached the best team in the world" - following defeat at Ipswich hadn't helped his cause.

The media smelled blood, so it was no surprise to see reports of squad unrest and certain players not being happy with the methods of their new head coach published days before the game.

I spoke to Antonee Robinson before kick-off, though, and he was quick to shut down any talk of not being behind Arbeloa. He said adaptation to change was taking more time than everyone would have liked, but was adamant Fulham are moving in the right direction.

The stakes were extremely high on Saturday. Lose, or even draw, and it would have been Fulham's worst start to a Premier League season. Anything other than a win, and it would have been hard to envisage the Spaniard remaining in charge.

If this was to be the "last dance", Arbeloa was determined to go out on his terms.

He continues to trust and believe in youth. Josh King, Shea Charles, Gonzalo Garcia and Oscar Bobb have a combined total of just over 100 Premier League appearances between them, yet all remain first-choice players despite the intense scrutiny, with each integral to the Fulham gameplan.

There was no adaptation in style either. The match continued the Arbeloa blueprint of possession and passing through the lines.

However, unlike in previous performances, Fulham didn't retreat to protect a lead, they remained on the front foot and continued to create chances.