Fulham 3-0 Blackburn: Clint Dempsey Seals Comfortable Win For Cottagers

It was perhaps to be expected that a game between two sides who have scored just 30 goals in 24 league games would be lacking in chances, and with the sides separated by a solitary point going into the game it was likely to be a close and fraught encounter.

And so it proved to be in the first half, with both sides failing to muster clear opportunities until Nevland's 44th minute strike gave the home side the lead against the run of play that foresaw a far more open second half.

The home side's first chance came from an in-swinging cross from Damien Duff that found American Clint Dempsey whose weak close-range header bounced the wrong side of Paul Robinson's goal.

But it was Blackburn who dominated the early stages of the game, with Mark Schwarzer saving well from Franco di Santo when the Argentine was through on goal. Midfielder David Dunn relished the space afforded to him, finding the time to pick out passes in the centre of the pitch under little pressure.

With Dunn and El Hadji Diouf industrious, Blackburn came close to prising open Fulham's defence on numerous occasions. The visitors, who won their first away game of the season at the weekend, appeared confident throughout, but produced few clear opportunities despite dominating possession.

Dunn, perhaps surprised by his easy acquaintance with the ball, struggled to find a measured final pass, much to the frustration of Jason Roberts and di Santo ahead of him.That frustration was shared by the home fans who had seen their side overcome Liverpool in a buoyant display in their previous outing at Craven Cottage, yet that performance seemed a distant memory as Blackburn were by far the more assertive and composed of the two teams. Aside from Dempsey's tame header, the fans had little to shout about other than a half-hearted handball claim against Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen.

Holding a deep line, the home side invited trouble and should have been punished from several corners, but Christopher Samba could only head wide when well placed in the six yard area. The visitors were first to the second ball throughout the first half, and looked more likely to take the lead with Dunn and Roberts peppering Schwarzer's goal from distance.

Rovers were made to rue their missed chances and wasted dominance, as a Fulham counter attack culminated with Duff finding Nevland who coolly slotted the ball under Robinson at his near post, giving the home side an undeserved lead just prior to the break with their first piece of neat attacking play.

The home crowd were anxious throughout a tepid first half display, and Roy Hodgson's side should have given themselves breathing space early in the second half, but Dempsey failed to find his fourth league goal of the season after firing another close-range header wide from a Jonathan Greening cross.

Fulham continued to exert pressure, and finally began to assert control over proceedings, in a second half that was the antithesis to their lethargic first half performance. Defender Chris Baird came close to scoring his first goal for the club, but his stinging drive from distance was well saved by Robinson.

Blackburn, so comfortable in the opening half, were overwhelmed by the home side with the influential Dunn marginalised by a much more aggressive, pressing Fulham midfield, resulting in more hopeful than poised passes to the front line. But di Santo came close to equalising with a stooping header that grazed the Fulham post from a Dunn free-kick.

The Argentine was soon taken off along with strike partner Roberts for Nikola Kalinic and Benny McCarthy respectively, but the home side maintained the high tempo they had set since the beginning of the half and were rewarded as Dempsey atoned for his earlier misses by turning in a 66th minute deflected cross from the dangerous Duff.

The American nearly turned provider soon after, releasing fellow goalscorer Nevland who spurned a glorious chance to seal the three points by blasting wide after good work from Dempsey, who went onto miss another clear chance.

The visitors failed to capitalise on the capital club's wastefulness in front of goal, with Croatian Kalinic unsuccessful in an attempt to earn a penalty from Brede Hangelaand in a sign of desperation and exhasperation as Fulham grew in confidence and asserted control.

A blistering strike from Paul Konchesky was blocked by Dunn, whose waning influence and  increasing impotence typified the reverse in fortunes of the two sides after the break, with only a Pascal Chimbonda strike coming close to troubling Schwarzer as the game drew to a close.

Dempsey added gloss to Fulham's victory with a confident take down from a Simon Davies cross, before calmly beating Robinson at the near post in injury time.

Nick Price