Source: Telegraph
Fulham 0 Everton 0: match report
Although tight games sometimes turn on a piece of sublime skill, more often they are decided by outrageous fortune. After this humdrum, uneventful display, we would happily have settled for either. [LNB]Not that this was a terrible game. Great battles abounded all over the field: Marouane Fellaini against Danny Murphy; the dashing Seamus Coleman against the shrewd Carlos Salcido; the tireless Tim Cahill against the towering Brede Hangeland. [LNB]There were chances, too - several to each side - but ultimately, what was missing was a flash of inspiration to illuminate this watery afternoon by the Thames. [LNB]Paradoxically, a draw suited the still-unbeaten home side more than it did David Moyes's visitors, who still have no wins and an embarrassing cup exit to show for their labours this season. [LNB]Fulham, meanwhile, can revel in the fact that they have maintained their unbeaten start to the season on the same day that their west London neighbours were relieved of theirs. [LNB]It was Everton, though, who made the early running. Steven Pienaar had their first chance, latching on to a knock-down by Cahill and firing straight at Mark Schwarzer. [LNB]Cahill's neat flick then almost put Yakubu through on goal, and in sliding to deny him, right-back Stephen Kelly injured himself sliding to stop him. [LNB]Yet for all Everton's industry, here was a team still unsure of itself, unaware of where its next goal was coming from, routinely taking three touches when only two were required. [LNB]As a result, they were unable to rock Fulham with a counter-attack or deflate them with a string of chances. The game took more than half an hour to come to life, and when it did, it was Fulham who came closest. [LNB]On the stroke of half time, a soaring Dickson Etuhu squandered the best chance of the half. An excellent, early Salcido cross surprised the Everton defence, and deserved better than Etuhu's tame header at Tim Howard. [LNB]At the other end, Mikel Arteta fired in a wicked dipping shot from distance, and a flying Schwarzer did superbly to tip it around the post. [LNB]Mark Hughes replaced Zoltan Gera with Eddie Johnson in the second half. It was an attempt to add some ballast in the final third, and for a while it threatened to pay off. [LNB]Clint Dempsey rifled a shot straight at Howard when it almost seemed easier to score, while Damien Duff's follow-up evaded both the far post and the encroaching Salcido. [LNB]Still both sides pressed, yet still half-chances were all that either side could fashion. Arteta went just over from distance. Yakubu shot wide. Simon Davies missed his kick when presented with a golden opportunity from 18 yards. [LNB]Yakubu's fierce low drive from 20 yards was incompletely saved by Schwarzer, and Chris Baird, Kelly's replacement, scraped the ball away from his own goalmouth a fraction of a second before Leon Osman could pounce. [LNB]As normal time leaked into injury time, Yakubu threatened to quicken the pulse once more, slapping a volley just wide and then losing his balance from six yards. [LNB]By this stage, though, it was becoming clear that fate had decided to give Craven Cottage a miss. By the time Howard Webb blew for full-time, some fans were long gone, having streamed through the exits to beat the traffic. It was they, on reflection, who were the fortunate ones.[LNB]
