Adel Taarabt: 'Fulham below par'

Adel Taarabt has admitted that Fulham played below par during Saturday's 4-1 defeat at home to Sunderland in the Premier League.

The Cottagers were comfortably beaten in front of their own fans to leave themselves one point above the relegation zone.

"We didn't perform as well as we have done recently," Taarabt told the club's official website. "If we'd have scored first, it would have been a different game but we made it difficult for ourselves.

"I stayed calm but the play was compact and there wasn't much space for me and Dimitar Berbatov – it was difficult. Credit to Sunderland, but we're all very disappointed."

Fulham return to action on Tuesday when they host Norwich City in an FA Cup third-round replay.