Bobby Zamora On Target As Fulham Beat West Bromwich Albion
stonejah said
12:21 02/22 2009
Fulham welcomed bottom side West Bromwich Albion to Craven Cottage hoping to bounce back from defeat to Manchester United in midweek.
The Whites, strengthened by the return of Paul Konchesky, Andy Johnson and Dickson Etuhu, were hoping to maintain their impressive home record that has seen them lose only once this season at Craven Cottage.
Albion, meanwhile, were hoping for the three points that could see them move out of the bottom three and welcomed Gianni Zuiverloon, Felipe Texeria and Jay Simpson back into the starting lineup.
Yet it was the home side who began the game brightly, hitting the woodwork three times in the opening half an hour, as they dominated the first half.
Danny Murphy was the first to worry Scott Carson and find the frame of the goal. A free-kick left of centre, some 20 yards out, was floated perfectly over the wall but a flying Carson managed to tip it onto the post.
Clint Dempsey was the next to rattle the woodwork with a stunning strike, mid-way through the first period.
The American picked up the ball before firing a superb shot from range that flew past the despairing dive of Carson and looked destined for the top corner before rebounding back off the angle.
Minutes later and Murphy again was frustrated by the frame of the goal. Konchesky and Zamora c****ined well, allowing the striker to lay the ball back to Murphy who sidefooted it past Carson but onto the bar.
Yet in between those efforts Carson had also done well to save from Dickson Etuhu who caught a volley sweetly after the visitors failed to clear a cross and Leon Barnett had also saved Albion, denying Andy Johnson in the box with a well-timed challenge.
Still, Fulham really ought to have taken the lead and indeed it was Barnett who almost handed them the opener just before half-time.
A Murphy through-ball was headed back by Barnett towards Carson, yet it caught the West Brom stopper out, forcing him to race back and scoop the ball off the line to save his, and Barnetts, blushes.
Yet there was still time for Fulham to create another opening as minutes before the interval Zamora wasted a glorious opportunity to score.
The striker, goalless since September, picked up a Davies knock-down in the area and from only six yards, and with just Carson to beat, he conspired to blast over the bar.
The second half began in the same vein and finally on the hour mark, Fulham found the reward their greater ambition had deserved.
John Pantsil advanced down the left before cutting back onto his left foot and crossing. The ball came to Johnson who managed the faintest of flick-ons, allowing the ball to travel to the far post where Zamora was on hand to tap-in his first goal for five months.
Minutes later and Zamora ought to have had his second of the match. Another surging run down the left by Fulham saw the ball cut-back to the striker in the box but his effort this time was inches over.
Yet there was still time for Fulham to hit the post for a fourth time of the afternoon. A corner in to the near post found Brede Hangeland whose header came off the cross-bar before Carson eventually saved.
Still Fulham pressed and with 20 minutes to go the Cottagers finally doubled their lead. A long ball up to Zamora saw the striker chest it down before unleashing a shot which Carson blocked.
However, the ball rebounded to Johnson who slotted into an empty net to all but end the game as a contest.
Of course there was still time for more misery for the visitors as deep into stoppage time Hangeland was adjudged to have brought down Bednar and the referee pointed straight to the spot.
Up stepped Bednar but Schwarzer saved well as Fulham claimed yet another home win, to leave Albion rooted to the bottom of the table.
The Whites, strengthened by the return of Paul Konchesky, Andy Johnson and Dickson Etuhu, were hoping to maintain their impressive home record that has seen them lose only once this season at Craven Cottage.
Albion, meanwhile, were hoping for the three points that could see them move out of the bottom three and welcomed Gianni Zuiverloon, Felipe Texeria and Jay Simpson back into the starting lineup.
Yet it was the home side who began the game brightly, hitting the woodwork three times in the opening half an hour, as they dominated the first half.
Danny Murphy was the first to worry Scott Carson and find the frame of the goal. A free-kick left of centre, some 20 yards out, was floated perfectly over the wall but a flying Carson managed to tip it onto the post.
Clint Dempsey was the next to rattle the woodwork with a stunning strike, mid-way through the first period.
The American picked up the ball before firing a superb shot from range that flew past the despairing dive of Carson and looked destined for the top corner before rebounding back off the angle.
Minutes later and Murphy again was frustrated by the frame of the goal. Konchesky and Zamora c****ined well, allowing the striker to lay the ball back to Murphy who sidefooted it past Carson but onto the bar.
Yet in between those efforts Carson had also done well to save from Dickson Etuhu who caught a volley sweetly after the visitors failed to clear a cross and Leon Barnett had also saved Albion, denying Andy Johnson in the box with a well-timed challenge.
Still, Fulham really ought to have taken the lead and indeed it was Barnett who almost handed them the opener just before half-time.
A Murphy through-ball was headed back by Barnett towards Carson, yet it caught the West Brom stopper out, forcing him to race back and scoop the ball off the line to save his, and Barnetts, blushes.
Yet there was still time for Fulham to create another opening as minutes before the interval Zamora wasted a glorious opportunity to score.
The striker, goalless since September, picked up a Davies knock-down in the area and from only six yards, and with just Carson to beat, he conspired to blast over the bar.
The second half began in the same vein and finally on the hour mark, Fulham found the reward their greater ambition had deserved.
John Pantsil advanced down the left before cutting back onto his left foot and crossing. The ball came to Johnson who managed the faintest of flick-ons, allowing the ball to travel to the far post where Zamora was on hand to tap-in his first goal for five months.
Minutes later and Zamora ought to have had his second of the match. Another surging run down the left by Fulham saw the ball cut-back to the striker in the box but his effort this time was inches over.
Yet there was still time for Fulham to hit the post for a fourth time of the afternoon. A corner in to the near post found Brede Hangeland whose header came off the cross-bar before Carson eventually saved.
Still Fulham pressed and with 20 minutes to go the Cottagers finally doubled their lead. A long ball up to Zamora saw the striker chest it down before unleashing a shot which Carson blocked.
However, the ball rebounded to Johnson who slotted into an empty net to all but end the game as a contest.
Of course there was still time for more misery for the visitors as deep into stoppage time Hangeland was adjudged to have brought down Bednar and the referee pointed straight to the spot.
Up stepped Bednar but Schwarzer saved well as Fulham claimed yet another home win, to leave Albion rooted to the bottom of the table.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Murphy (Dacourt, 85), Etuhu, Dempsey, Johnson (Kamara, 81), Zamora (Nevland, 81).
West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon (Bednar, 81), Meite, Barnett, Robinson, Morrison (Menseguez, 78), Koren, Borja Valero, Filipe Teixeira (Brunt, 50), Fortune, Simpson.
GOALS
2-0 Fulham (Andy Johnson, 71)
1-0 Fulham (Bobby Zamora, 60)