DDDDDD: Fulham 1-1 Spurs
Nobody in the Fulham team tackles harder than Heidar. It can get the crowd going, it can unsettle defenders, but today it probably cost us the match. Until his red card Fulham had been gradually building momentum, chances were coming, Spurs had nothing, and it just felt like a matter of time before we buried them. Then Heidar was late on a midfield challenge, a second yellow was out in a flash, and we were down to ten men. From there it was even, Spurs still not really threatening, but Fulham’s cutting edge blunted massively.
The first half had been messy with only Franck Queudreu standing out. The Frenchman was magnificent, winning challenges all over the place and bending evil balls into the Spurs box. We nearly scored from two of them, that man Helguson failing to capitalise on the clear chances. Otherwise the football was untidy, two mid-table teams playing like dogs chasing their tails. Mr Malbranque got an earful and looked up into the crowd two or three times, but didn’t really hurt us and will probably want to forget his return to the Cottage.
It got better after the break, Fulham playing increasingly smooth football. The sending off killed things, but still we pressed, and in the last ten minutes a McBride volley was charged down by Dawson, presumably with his hands. Penalty! Vincenzo Montella, pure class again, stood expectantly by the spot while the Spurs players protested. After a long and unsettling delay he was confident and definite, sending Paul Robinson the wrong way with that wonderful left foot. 1-0 to the Whites, with 10 men!
Shortly before this we’d seen the introduction of new signing Clint Dempsey, whose first act in a white shirt was to misjudge a headed challenge. Shortly afterwards he threw himself into a defensive challenge, and did so again soon after. He won a couple of free-kicks, played a nonchalent back-heel in his own half, and moved about the pitch with an easy grace. We’re going to enjoy watching him.
With a well earned lead and the minutes ticking away it finally felt as if we were to get a vital three points. But a free kick from the right somehow ended up with Pascal Chimbonda. The world seemed to slow down, I lost all my bearings really, but HANDBALL! flashed before my eyes. Chimbonda’s skidded shot went back to where Lastuvka had come from and trickled beyond (under?) his dive and into the net for a punch in the guts equaliser. Karma for the points we’ve stolen lately perhaps.
We like to say that this is a results business, and in that sense it was another game unbeaten, but this was another game where points were dropped. Now we’ve let Watford, West Ham and Spurs take points from us at the Cottage, three teams with woeful away records. Today’s game was slightly different in that we were clearly the better team, the sending off changing all, but to allow such a soft and late goal is hugely annoying. Credit the lads for staying unbeaten, and nice to see Montella and Dempsey out there, but… well, I don’t know. Is the glass half full? Damned if I know.
