Source: Team_Talk
Fulham too strong for Clarets
First-half goals from Danny Murphy and David Elm put the home side in control and Bobby Zamora wrapped up all three points with a second-half free-kick.[LNB]Burnley, who have yet to win away this season, remain close to the relegation zone.[LNB]Fulham engineered the first chance of the game in the seventh minute when Damien Duff's cross shot only just evaded the far post and the waiting Simon Davies.[LNB]Duff should have done much better when he got clear of the Burnley defence five minutes later but his cross from the touchline fell behind all the onrushing Fulham attackers.[LNB]Burnley responded with Andre Bikey trying his luck from 30 yards. However, his weak effort was well wide of the target.[LNB]There was little to enthuse about in a dull opening period although Duff continued to threaten for the home side.[LNB]In the 21st minute, Elm tried to curl the ball around Brian Jensen but the Burnley goalkeeper held the ball at the second attempt.[LNB]But captain Murphy broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. A cross from Nicky Shorey was headed into his path by Elm and the Fulham midfielder applied a neat finish from six yards.[LNB]Burnley almost levelled from the restart but Steven Fletcher's 20-yard angled drive flashed past Mark Schwarzer's right-hand upright.[LNB]Dickson Utuhu was denied Fulham's second goal in the 28th minute when his 20-yard shot was brilliantly pushed to safety by Jensen.[LNB]But the second goal arrived in the 31st minute when Zamora got the better of Leon Cort only to see his shot parried by Jensen.[LNB]However, Elm followed up to slip the loose ball beyond Jensen from six yards for his first goal for the club.[LNB]Burnley boss Brian Laws immediately replaced Cort with Chris Eagles.[LNB]In the 42nd minute the Clarets almost pulled a goal back when a 25-yard free-kick from Tyrone Mears hit the angle of crossbar and post.[LNB]But Fulham remained in charge and Elm could have added to his tally had he not drifted offside moments later.[LNB]Zamora was a constant thorn in Burnley's side but required much better support from the midfield.[LNB]Schwarzer was called upon to deal with a cross from Wade Elliott in the 45th minute but the Fulham keeper had largely been untroubled in the opening half.[LNB]Zamora should have made it three for Fulham five minutes after the interval but his eight-yard shot was brilliantly saved by Jensen.[LNB]Seconds later an attempted cross from Duff almost confused Jensen and the Burnley keeper was relieved to see the ball drop onto the top of the net.[LNB]But Burnley paid for some woeful defending in the 54th minute when Zamora was fouled by David Edgar on the edge of the Fulham penalty area.[LNB]The striker dusted himself down and curled a low free-kick into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-0 to the home side.[LNB]Fulham continued to dominate and Duff had a shot deflected just wide in the 65th minute.[LNB]Elm and Zamora were forming a clever partnership in attack and Burnley struggled to cope with their neat approach work.[LNB]In the 69th minute Murphy almost worked a shooting chance for himself after threading his way through the Burnley defence but Jensen smothered the danger.[LNB]Substitute Stefano Okaka should have made it 4-0 to Fulham in the 78th minute but Jensen pulled off another fine save to deny him.[LNB]Okaka then saw a 90th-minute shot flash just the wrong side of the post as Fulham tried to finish with a flourish.[LNB][LNB]
