Fulham Battle To Crucial Three Points

The home side got off to a bright start, and Jimmy Bullard came close to giving them an early lead. The goal did come for Fulham after a Newcastle defensive mix-up allowed Andrew Johnson to pounce and slam them into the lead (23). Damien Duff hit the post for the visitors as the half drew to a close.

Newcastle equalised after the break with Shola Ameobi finishing well from close-range (57), before the Cottagers regained the advantage with a Danny Murphy penalty (66).

Team News

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson named an unchanged side for the fifth successive time for the match, with Bobby Zamora and Andrew Johnson leading the line in attack in what is a much-settled Cottagers line-up.

There was only one change for the visitors, Steven Taylor did not travel to West London, meaning Claudio Cacapa was handed a start at centre-back. Michael Owen was on the substitutes’ bench with Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi continuing as interim manager Joe Kinnear’s preferred front two combination. 

First Half

Fulham started the brighter of the two teams and could have taken an early lead when Bullard forced a reaction save from visiting goalkeeper Shay Given at the near post after some good creative play from Johnson.

Zoltan Gera then had a header cleared just in front of the line by Jose Enrique, although Given could have been able to get across to cover.

The deadlock was broken by the home side a quarter of the way through the match. Gera knocked in a cross that did not look too threatening, but all of a sudden there were panic stations in the Newcastle defence as Cacapa headed the ball against the back of his defensive team-mate, Fabricio Coloccini.

Johnson reacted well and pounced, slamming the ball past Given in the Geordies’ goal from just inside the penalty box.

After being distinctly second best for the first half hour, Newcastle came into the game more towards the end of the half and Martins shot narrowly wide after a good lay-off from Ameobi after 40 minutes.

Moments later the Toon came so close to scoring an equaliser. Ameobi played through Damien Duff, the Irish winger timing his run well as he ran across the defence. Duff controlled well and weaved past Fulham ’keeper Mark Schwarzer at pace, but could only find the outside of the post from a narrowed angle with his right foot and it was to be the home side who led at the break.

Second Half

Newcastle’s equaliser came early in the half. Nicky Butt found Duff out in space on the right. The ex-Chelsea player got a cross into the box, which deflected off two or three bodies before rather fortunately falling to Ameobi at the far post. The striker, despite looking narrowly offside, swivelled well on the ball and slammed his shot home from six yards.

Joey Barton then forced a superb save from Schwarzer with an accurate long-range drive and Butt shot wide with an attempt from distance of his own as Newcastle attempted to seize the initiative.

But it was Fulham who scored the next goal, regaining the lead with 25 minutes remaining. Substitute Clint Dempsey fed through Johnson who barged his way, perhaps illegally, past Cacapa, before being brought down just by Coloccini just inside the area to win a clear penalty.

Danny Murphy stepped up and dispatched the penalty into the bottom corner, beating Given even though he guessed correctly when diving to his right, to score his 100th career club goal.

Simon Davies shot inches wide after cutting inside, before Martins shot straight at Schwarzer from the edge of the box. Michael Owen, moments after coming on, and then Coloccini both missed good headed chances from close-range.

The last ten minutes were end-to-end, but few clear chances were created and Fulham held on for an important three points which propel them into the top half of the Premier League table. Newcastle drop back into the relegation zone.

--Chris Myson, Goal.com