Fulham stretched their unbeaten run to five games after being held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester City at Craven Cottage.
All-square at Craven Cottage
Fulham stretched their unbeaten run to five games after being held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester City at Craven Cottage.
Jimmy Bullard's first league goal of the season cancelled out Benjani Mwaruwari's early opener for City.
City broke the deadlock after just six minutes when Benjani rose highest to head home Pablo Zabaleta's superb cross from the right.
Fulham drew level on 27 minutes when Bullard drilled home a shot from an acute angle after some fine approach play by Bobby Zamora.
Both sides had chances to win the game in the second half, but they had to be content with a point apiece.
City were without top scorer Robinho, however, and also missed Micah Richards in defence, who failed to shake off an ankle injury.
For all Benjani's power and Shaun Wright-Phillips' trickery, City were not convincing going forward in the absence of Robinho, showing little to suggest that strong competition awaits some of the grandiose names linked with January moves to the club.
It looked a different story early on, though, when Benjani outjumped and outmuscled Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland to head home Zabaleta's cross in the sixth minute.
Wright-Phillips had already run at the Fulham defence and dragged a shot wide before Benjani's goal, and in the eighth minute Stephen Ireland fired wide following a poor punch from Schwarzer.
Equaliser
But Fulham began to find their feet and finally started to enjoy a spell of pressure midway through the first half, which told when Bullard smashed home the equaliser in the 27th minute following a slick build-up.
Dempsey played the ball up to Zamora on the right who held off the attentions of Dunne before skilfully playing in Bullard.
The former Wigan man took a touch to steady himself before rifling a shot across goal and in at the far post.
Minutes later Darius Vassell stung the palms of Schwarzer with a sharp turn and shot, and Dempsey had two good chances to put Fulham ahead shortly before the break.
He drilled wide following Andrew Johnson's clever lay-off, and then headed Bullard's cross over the bar soon after.
The hosts were on top at the beginning of the second half, with Zamora, who has scored just one league goal all season, wasting two good chances.
A minute after the restart he fired way over after being played in on the right by Johnson, and he was soon after given time to turn and shoot in the area but curled his effort agonisingly wide of the far post.
City responded through Zabaleta, who steamed into the box from the right flank and shot low across goal in the 54th minute, which Schwarzer did well to tip wide.
Piledriver
Bullard unleashed a piledriver from a 30-yard free-kick in the 66th minute which was tipped over the bar by Joe Hart, and from the resulting corner Zamora just failed to connect with a loose ball almost on the goal line, summing up the striker's lack of confidence.
From another free-kick, earned when Ireland halted Dempsey's surging run with a clattering foul outside the box, Bullard this time opted for placement over power but curled tamely straight at Hart.
Schwarzer was called into action late on, denying Zabaleta from close range after the right-back yet again powered into the box unchallenged.
Fulham pressed for a winner as full-time approached but City's defence held firm.
