EPL, England, Keeping it real, Leagues POSTS
Full marks for Fulham
Published by Andrew Reilly on March 23, 2009
Are you a soccer fanatic? Do you have strong opinions about the game? Think you have the chops to write about it? Contact Us then...When major teams lose a game, the media and fans invariably focus on what went wrong with the star players as the main reason for the unexpected outcome. Although the score line of Aston Villas defeat to Liverpool was a surprise, the actual loss can be explained as Liverpool are the stronger side. However, any time Manchester United are defeated by a team such as Fulham, there is a post-mortem undertaken on the game focusing on the negative issues.
The two red cards, particularly that of Paul Scholes and the ineffectual display by Cristiano Ronaldo has been cited as the reason for United slipping up but perhaps the Fulham team just played to their full potential? In goal, Mark Schwarzer has been one of the best custodians in the premier League for a number of years and Saturday showed his shot stopping skills to the fore. In the second half, as United stepped up the pressure, the Australian goalkeeper was the match for everything they threw at him and the frustration of the champions grew stronger and stronger.
The early reason for frustration came when Bobby Zamora reacted swiftly twice in the box to send a header goal wards with the second being stopped by the hands of Scholes. The red headed midfielder saw red and he was barely in the dressing room before Danny Murphy had fired the London side into the lead. During his time as a Liverpool player, Murphy managed to put United to the sword with free-kicks so it was not an uncommon sensation for the player to revel in. And equally, the United fans knew the sinking feeling of a Murphy goal being celebrated by Liverpool fans all over the world.
Liverpool weren’t playing on Saturday but with united and Chelsea losing, it was one of the better days of the season for the Scousers however even at half-time with United trailing 1-0 and a player short, most would still have expected the lead to be overturned.
Its fair to say that Fulham were under the cosh for the second 45 minutes but as the game went on, the sting had been drawn from United and the Craven Cottage club looked the more dangerous on the break. The game was finally put beyond United when Fulham broke and Zoltan Gera swooped to give his side an unassailable lead. Gera is a player who has taken a lot of criticism for many of his performances for Fulham but he is a massively talented player who appears to be unappreciated by many. Hopefully his fine volley which slipped past Van der Sar with ease will improve his status and standing in the eyes of the Fulham fans.
There was still time for Wayne Rooney to give the home fans something else to cheer when he was dismissed for another show of dissent but the dismissal had little to do with the final outcome. Fulham may have received a few beatings at the hands of United in recent weeks but the fire and determination shown by Roy Hodgson’s men ensured they were fully deserving of the three points. The score may have a larger impact on the outcome of the Premier League but it moved Fulham further from the relegation dog fight and should hopefully make the end of the season a far more comfortable time this season that it was last year for Fulham.
** Picture courtesy of Nicksarebi **
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JC on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 9:01 am
Man U played terribly and Fulham were up to the task. Scholes reacted to save a sure goal but he should have let it go and given his team a chance in that game.