Fulham wrapped up a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Seven unbeaten for Cottagers as midfield maestros seal home win
Fulham wrapped up a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage thanks to a trio of midfield goals.
Andy Johnson was singled out as the man to watch in Saturday's clash, but it was the midfield trio of Jimmy Bullard, Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey who got the goals as Fulham eased to victory.
Bullard, who has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage, opened the scoring after 41 minutes in opportunist fashion, as he tapped in Boro keeper Ross Turnbull's fumble from a decent Bobby Zamora strike.
Fulham doubled their advantage controversially on 54 minutes through a Danny Murphy penalty after Boro right-back Tony McMahon was adjudged to have handled in the area.
The second goal proved the turning point in the game as the game opened up, and Fulham wrapped up the three points with an excellent team-move which Dempsey added the finish on 59 minutes.
Shocker
Fulham started brightly and should have taken the lead after 19 minutes when John Pantsil somehow managed to head wide from three yards out.
The right-back found himself unmarked but perhaps the 27-year-old was still suffering from the after-effects of last weekend's tumble.
Boro had looked watertight in defence until then, and the away side could have taken the lead themselves a minute later when Tuncay's header from a corner went narrowly wide of the right post.
With 30 minutes gone, Fulham were forced to make a change with Zamora coming on for the injured Zoltan Gera and it proved a blessing in disguise as the Cottagers found another gear.
Boro were unable to handle the Fulham onslaught and Julio Arca resorted to a horror tackle on Johnson to halt the London club.
It was a terrible challenge which certainly should have resulted in a straight red, but the former Sunderland man got away with just a booking.
Despite Boro's tactics, Fulham found their lead through a good turn and shot from sub Zamora, whose effort could only be spilled into the path of the onrushing Bullard.
Controversy
Fulham started the second half like the first and gained the decisive second, albeit a controversial one, when McMahon was flagged by the assistant ref for handling in the area.
Murphy duly obliged and stuck the ball in the bottom right corner despite Turnbull diving the right way.
With the game opening up in Fulham's favour, the home side were able to seal the win in spectacular style with Dempsey rounding off an impressive passing move to slot home the third.
The game then petered out as both sides made full use of the available subsitutes, but it ended 3-0 as Fulham begin their Christmas preparations in fine fashion while Boro will have to gear themselves for two tough clashes against Everton and Manchester United.
| Fulham |
Team Statistics |
Middlesbrough |
| 3 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 9 |
Shots on Target |
5 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 5 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 5 |
Corners |
5 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
8 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 81.8 |
Passing Success |
72.5 |
| 18 |
Tackles |
16 |
| 72.2 |
Tackles Success |
87.5 |
| 59 |
Possession |
41 |
| 50 |
Territorial Advantage |
50 |
|
