Fulham left things late to snatch a point from Blackpool as they drew 2-2 in a pulsating encounter.
Holloway's men concede late leveller on home bow
Fulham left things late to snatch a point from Blackpool as they drew 2-2 in a pulsating encounter at Bloomfield Road.
The now 17,000 capacity stadium played host to it's first Premier League game, and it didn't disappoint as the Seasiders nearly stole a victory.
Bobby Zamora gave the away side the lead in the first half very much against the run of play after Blackpool had dominated in large spells with a lively display.
However they roared back in the second half to take the lead thanks to an own goal form John Pantsil and a great finish from debutant Luke Varney.
It looked like Ian Holloway's men would take all three points and deservedly so, but Dickson Etuhu ran through three minutes before time to draw level after great work from new signing Moussa Dembele.
Charlie Adam was at the heart of everything for Blackpool with an excellent display, however at the end of the match neither Holloway nor Fulham boss Mark Hughes would have been too disappointed with the result.
England manager Fabio Capello took in Blackpool's first Premier League game at Bloomfield Road and must have felt he was on a rollercoaster ride during the game.
Zamora, who could be called up for England's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland, opened the scoring for Fulham before going off with a knock in the second half.
Etuhu had the final word but Blackpool have now taken a heartening four points from three games in the top flight.
Varney almost put Blackpool ahead in the third minute. He tested goalkeeper David Stockdale - another possible England candidate - from the edge of the area in the third minute, the keeper reacting to see the ball to safety.
Blackpool had the ball in the net after 18 minutes but Brett Ormerod's header following a cross from Charlie Adam was ruled out for offside.
Lively
Varney was looking lively and skipped past Pantsil two minutes later, only to find the wrong side of the post with his effort.
Fulham responded and Etuhu saw his header from inside blocked after a corner by Damien Duff.
Fulham carved out a good chance in the 26th minute when Zamora worked his way into the area and tried to release Simon Davies.
But Alex Baptiste stood firm and made a crucial challenge just as his opponent was about to shoot.
Fulham made the breakthrough in the 35th minute with a simple move that split the Blackpool defence.
Duff slipped the ball through to Dembele, who delivered it into the centre and Zamora sent a powerful header beyond goalkeeper Matt Gilks.
With the England squad about to be announced, it was good moment for Zamora to stress his aerial ability.
Fulham were keen to build on their lead and Zamora got goal-side of Stephen Crainey in the 49th minute but failed to put enough power on his shot and Gilks made the save.
Back came Blackpool and Ian Evatt's effort troubled Stockdale but he recovered with Ormerod handily placed to capitalise on any mistake.
Under pressure
Now it was Fulham's turn to come under some pressure and Stockdale spilled the ball following a challenge by Varney in the 61st minute.
It fell to Elliot Grandin and he found the net but again Blackpool were out of luck.
Referee Mike Oliver ruled that Stockdale had been fouled and disallowed Grandin's effort leaving Holloway incensed on the touchline.
Blackpool drew level in the 70th minute when Varney's shot came off Aaron Hughes and back to Pantsil, who lost his bearings and diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper.
With Zamora going off after taking a knock Fulham appeared to have lost their way a little.
And Blackpool took the lead in the 76th minute to send the home fans in the 15,529 crowd into dreamland.
It was new recruit Varney who took the plaudits with a glorious finish across Stockdale after a defence-splitting pass by Ormerod.
That goal only sparked Fulham into life, however and they drew level in the 87th minute when Etuhu sent a delicate lob over Gilks after being released by Dembele.
| Blackpool |
Team Statistics |
Fulham |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
5 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 4 |
Corners |
5 |
| 13 |
Fouls |
16 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
7 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 78.4 |
Passing Success |
78 |
| 28 |
Tackles |
18 |
| 71.4 |
Tackles Success |
72.2 |
| 54.2 |
Possession |
45.8 |
| 49.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
50.2 |
|
