Fulham's FA Cup fourth-round
defeat by League One strugglers Sheffield United is their lowest point of
the season, says head coach Rene Meulensteen.
The Cottagers, who are also bottom of the Premier League, were beaten in a dour replay thanks to Shaun Miller's last-minute header in extra time.
"If you talk about this game and ask 'have we hit rock bottom?', we probably have," the Dutchman told ITV4.
Magic of the cup
Before beating Fulham, Sheffield United had won just one of their last five competitive away games - that win coming in the FA Cup third round at Aston Villa
"If you say that, then it cannot get any worse, it can
only get better."
After a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane, Fulham once again failed to impress against an opposition who are second-bottom in the third tier and were beaten 3-0 by Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.
Meulensteen's men created few opportunities and could not complain when Miller stooped to flick in Harry Maguire's towering header.
"We could have played until next month and not scored a goal," he added. "I think the knocks we have picked up over the last couple of weeks have definitely had an influence on the confidence.
"When it happens, that is when you need to stick together. We know we only have ourselves to blame, we need to look in each other's eyes and dig ourselves out of it."
Sheffield United boss Nigel Clough hailed the attitude of his players after defeating top-flight opposition in the competition for a second time, following their earlier triumph against Aston Villa.
"If you hang on in there at 0-0 you've always got that opportunity," Clough said. "[It was] a remarkable effort again by the players tonight."
The Blades will host either Preston or Nottingham Forest - who play their fourth-round replay on Wednesday - on Saturday, 15 February in round five
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