Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland Fulham and Sunderland are two of the Premier League's draw specialists
 Fulham had to settle for a league draw for the 10th time this season as they failed to break down Sunderland. In a game of few clear-cut chances, Andrew Johnson came the closest to scoring when his close-range strike was well saved by Simon Mignolet. Dickson Etuhu's header was cleared off the line and Clint Dempsey had a shot blocked as the Cottagers pushed for a much-needed win in the second half. Sunderland's Kieran Richardson wasted a chance to grab an unlikely late winner. Fulham's display improved in the second half of a dour contest but the result will increase the pressure on manager Mark Hughes, who has picked up only two league wins all season.
And although Fulham have only lost five times in their 17 league matches, the result leaves them above the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Sunderland's previous trip to west London brought a famous 3-0 win at Chelsea but they failed to hit such heights at Craven Cottage and were happy to hold on for a point at the end. The previous four league matches between these teams had delivered a mere two goals, and neither side looked like adding to that total in an uneventful first half. Hughes frustrated with home draw Fulham passed the ball crisply but had little cutting edge, as the Sunderland defence coped well with the early loss of Anton Ferdinand to a hamstring injury. Darren Bent had the visitors' best chances, twice glancing headers wide from good positions. For Fulham, a spectacular 30-yard volley from Dempsey, held by Mignolet, was as good as it got. Fulham showed more urgency after the break and Etuhu's header was cleared off the line by Phil Bardsley after Mignolet came off his line. The Cottagers had an even better chance when a corner fell at the feet of Johnson, who spun and fired goalwards from close range, only to see Mignolet make an excellent stop. Sunderland then broke with numbers but Bent wasted the chance to tee up Asamoah Gyan for an easy one-on-one. Bruce delighted with clean sheet Fulham pressed with Dempsey at the heart of their best play, and the American was unlucky to see his goal-bound effort bravely blocked by Ahmed Elmohamady. Sunderland also had late chances to win it, with Boudewijn Zenden smacking a vicious long-range drive just past the post. Moments later, the Dutchman was knocked out cold when John Pantsil's clearance hit him in the face from close range, but he was soon back on his feet. The game's quality was summed up in added time when the ball fell perfectly to Richardson on the edge of the area, only for the midfielder to send a feeble effort wide of Mark Schwarzer's post. Fulham manager Mark Hughes: "We're lacking a bit of luck. We had a number of chances, in the second half especially. Sunderland defended really well today, got their bodies on the line for goal-bound shots and cleared things off the line. "We're scrambling to get that win that will settle everyone down. There was initially some anxiety in our play. In the second half I thought we took the game to them and deserved to win." Sunderland boss Steve Bruce: "It was agony. From start to finish and for both sides it was one of those games when we might have gone Christmas shopping. "I couldn't fault the effort or endeavour and this was probably the youngest side we've ever put out in the Premier League but we pride ourselves on keeping the ball better. "However, you're always pleased with a point away from home in this league. We're sixth in the Premier League. I can't be displeased about that." Live text and stats
Saturday, 11 December 2010 Barclays Premier League
Fulham
SubstitutesSunderland
Substitutes
Ref: SwarbrickAtt: 24,462 | |||||||||||||||||||
12/13/2010
Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland
Assinar:
Postar comentários (Atom)
0 comentários:
Postar um comentário