The defender drew us level at our neighbours shortly after half-time, and in truth it was no more than we deserved following a first 45 minutes in which we had threatened plenty but gone behind to a deflected Willian effort.

Unfortunately, a red card to debutant Joao Felix swung the contest in the hosts’ favour and halted our prospects of completing the turnaround, with Carlos Vinicius rubbing salt into the wound by netting this west London derby’s decisive third goal.

‘We know it’s difficult for the supporters,’ acknowledged Koulibaly after another disappointing day at the office.

‘We are going to do everything to change this situation, and I hope the supporters keep believing in this team.

‘There is a lot of pressure on the manager and on the team, but everybody is behind the manager. We want to help him and make him proud, it’s difficult at the moment but we’re going to do everything. We are going to help each other, and as a team we are going to keep on working.

‘We know we have a lot of injuries, players who are missing,’ added Koulibaly, with Denis Zakaria the latest to succumb to a mid-game knock.

‘It’s difficult in this moment but we have to keep on working. We cannot stay like this and wait for them to come back to show something else on the pitch. It’s a difficult situation but we can’t complain about that, we just have to work hard and keep on believing.’

Joao Felix’s debut did not have the desired ending, but in his near-hour on the pitch he was one of our brightest sparks, showcasing a litany of tricks, good awareness and a willingness to shoot.

‘He’s a talented player, an important player for us,' was Koulibaly's verdict.

'We saw in the 60 minutes what he can do, a lot of good things. He can change the game, he can score and give some passes. We know he is going to help us, and having a player who can change the situation is good for the confidence of the team.’