Blackburn dominated large parts of their meeting with Fulham, but had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw.
Stalemate as Dempsey cancels out Samba opener
Blackburn dominated large parts of their meeting with Fulham, but had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw.
Rovers can boast a formidable record at Ewood Park under Sam Allardyce and they looked to be on their way to another three points when Chris Samba nodded them in front.
However, they were left to pay the price for failing to turn possession into goals when Clint Dempsey restored parity after the interval and helped to preserve Fulham's unbeaten record in the league.
Rovers started much the brighter and should have been in front when Nikola Kalinic sprang the offside trap, only to then roll the ball past the post.
Blackburn did take the lead, though, on the half-hour mark as Mark Schwarzer collided with traffic as he came to reach a floated free-kick and Samba glanced into an empty net.
Allardyce would have been looking for his side to build on that lead after the break, but instead they conceded an equaliser after 56 minutes as Carlos Salcido whipped over a cross for Dempsey to power a header past Paul Robinson.
Dominant
Blackburn were utterly dominant for much of the opening half, starting when Kalinic won an early free-kick in a dangerous spot right on the corner of the area - another inch and it would have been a penalty - but Fulham were able to clear.
Fulham goalkeeper Schwarzer came close to having a nightmare afternoon with a series of fumbles. The first nearly led to the opening goal but Brede Hangeland managed to head clear off the line after his fellow Norwegian, and good friend, Morten Gamst Pedersen delicately chipped in the loose ball.
Phil Jones hooked over from the ensuing long throw-in and, when Fulham did finally conjure up a meaningful opportunity, Dempsey drifted the direct free-kick well wide.
Mame Biram Diouf looked to be in on goal but his control deserted him at the critical point, and the Senegalese striker then claimed a penalty when he was challenged by Hangeland, though it appeared the big Norwegian just nicked the ball away.
Hangeland was then booked for going through the same player and, from the free-kick, the goal that Blackburn had been threatening finally arrived.
Robinson hoisted the ball high and with Schwarzer again looking uncertain, and some shoving by El-Hadji Diouf not helping Fulham's cause, Samba won the heading lottery to loop the ball into the empty net.
Hughes reacted with anger on the touchline, provoking good-natured jeers from the home crowd, and his mood would not have been improved when Robinson displayed superb agility to turn aside Salcido's impressive curling strike.
Positive
Fulham looked much more positive in the second half and had a chance to get back on terms within seconds of the restart but Simon Davies' direct free-kick was woeful.
Dempsey made no mistake in the 56th minute, however, when Salcido floated across an inviting cross from left, beating Ryan Nelsen to the ball to plant a powerful header past Robinson for the equaliser.
Schwarzer dropped the ball again under pressure from Samba as Blackburn tried to respond and this time referee Anthony Taylor awarded a free-kick when replays showed clearly there had been no foul.
Benjani Mwaruwari came on for Kalinic to make his Blackburn debut and his header down gave Brett Emerton space for a snap-shot but he hit it straight at Schwarzer.
Schwarzer's uncertainty continued to be a problem for the visitors and he was left grateful to his defence for keeping out El-Hadji Diouf after another fumble.
Fulham were lucky to survive again when Salgado whipped a vicious ball across the face of goal, then Danny Murphy tricked the Spanish defender into conceding a free-kick on the edge of his box.
Murphy tried to curl it into the top corner but Robinson never looked worried as it sailed over.
The match might have been there for the taking for either side after that, but fear of defeat won the day as the game drifted into a stalemate.
| Blackburn Rovers |
Team Statistics |
Fulham |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 3 |
Corners |
3 |
| 19 |
Fouls |
10 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 58.1 |
Passing Success |
77 |
| 23 |
Tackles |
17 |
| 73.9 |
Tackles Success |
76.5 |
| 38.4 |
Possession |
61.6 |
| 50.5 |
Territorial Advantage |
49.5 |
|
