Fulham suffered a third successive Premier League defeat on Saturday, losing 3-2 to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage — and were met with boos from sections of their own supporters at full time.

Manager Alvaro Arbeloa's side had twice taken the lead in the first half through Josh King and summer signing Cesar Palacios, only to be pegged back each time by Tyrick Mitchell, who scored in both halves. Substitute Ben Chilwell then settled the contest three minutes into his second stint at Palace, completing a dispiriting afternoon for the hosts.

The result leaves Fulham level with Coventry City as the only two Premier League sides yet to claim a single point this season, having also lost at Sunderland and at home to Chelsea — both finishing 3-2.

Arbeloa backs his players

Speaking on BBC's Match of the Day, Arbeloa refused to place blame on his squad. "We didn't deserve to lose this game," he said. "My players did everything — good attitude, they were brave, so many chances to score more goals. They [Palace] took their chances — in the end football is about that."

Despite the scoreline, Fulham's underlying numbers offered a degree of comfort: their expected goals tally of 3.13 outstripped Palace's 1.97. The same pattern emerged against Chelsea on the opening weekend, when Fulham also pushed their opponents close before ultimately falling short.

"With that spirit and character, if we play in this way the victories will come," Arbeloa added, singling out the performances of Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia.

New signings central to Fulham's project

Fulham made seven signings over the summer, with Palacios, Garcia, and deadline-day arrival Manuel Angel all following Arbeloa from Real Madrid's Bernabeu to Craven Cottage. Shea Charles, a £30 million recruit from Southampton, was handed his first league start of the season against Palace.

Palacios scored with a smart finish after Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson spilled Jaydee Canvot's attempted clearance into his path. Garcia, tasked with being Fulham's primary goal threat this season, went without a goal on the day but had already found the net on his debut against Chelsea and as a substitute in the EFL Cup second-round victory over AFC Wimbledon.

Next up for Fulham are league fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United — two former clubs of Arbeloa — before the extended September and October international break. Sandwiched between those league matches is a Carabao Cup third-round home tie with West Ham United, another club where the Spaniard once played.

Only six Premier League clubs in history have lost their opening five matches of a season, and just two of those survived relegation. Fulham's task is to ensure they never reach that milestone — and quickly.