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  • Davies (13), Bouazza (48), Murphy (75)
  • Petrov (36), Mpenza (50), Petrov (60)
  • Date:2007-09-22
  • Kick-off:17:15
  • Venue:Craven Cottage
  • Attendance:24674
  • Referee:Halsey, M

Live Commentary

90mins

All square at Craven Cottage after a thrilling game

90mins

Geovanni drived forward from the middle and opened up some space to shoot, but his effort flew desperately over the bar

90mins

Kasper Schmiecal made a difficult decision to come and punch the ball from a free kick and he can count himself lucky Fulham didn't score

90mins

Lawrie Sanchez is out in his technical area urging his team to go on and win the game

90mins

The fourth official indicates 4 minutes of added time

88mins

Dietmar Hamann booked for a needless foul

86mins

Richard Dunne with a sliced clearance is adored by the home crowd as Fulham regain possession

84mins

Stephen Ireland is replaced by Sun Jihai

83mins

Richard Dunne showed great strength and pace to match Kamara as he raced through on goal and clear the ball to safety

81mins

Bianchi and Geovanni replace Elano and Mpenza

80mins

Sven Goran Eriksonn gets Rolando Bianchi and Geovanni ready to come on as substitutes

77mins

Emile Mpenza with a total mis-cued shot as Man City push forward to try and get a winning goal

75mins

FULHAM 3 - 3 MAN CITY: (GOAL) Danny Murphy with a good finish to equalise in this dramatic game

70mins

And so is Dempsey

70mins

Richards is booked for his part in the incident

70mins

Micah Richards and Clint Dempsey go head to head after an aerial challenge

67mins

Seol Ki-Hyeon replaces David Healy

67mins

Hameur Bouazza is replaced by Danny Murphy

66mins

Micah Richards shows his class once again as he held off Kamara and played the ball on easily

63mins

Man City are playing some fantastic football and are looking very dangerous every time they attack

61mins

FULHAM 2 - 3 MAN CITY: (PETROV) A great move and goal between Elano and Petrov allowed Petrov into the box and the Bulgarian fired home to put City in front

60mins

Kasper Schmiechel dealt well with a low cross into the box from Konchesky, gathering it comfortably

57mins

Bocanegra once again in the action this time almost smashing the ball into the top corner with a half volley

55mins

Carlos Bocanegra is booked for a late lunging tackle on Elano

52mins

Carlos Bocanegra clatters into the boardings after tackling Mpenza but he looks to be ok

50mins

FULHAM 2 - 2 MAN CITY: (MPENZA) Emile Mpenza with an immediate reply for Man City with a close range header

49mins

FULHAM 2 - 1 MAN CITY: (BOUAZZA) Hameur Bouazza with a magnificent powerful free kick from twenty yards out

47mins

Kamara straight into the thick of the action nutmegging Richard Dunne and winning a free kick on the edge of the area

46mins

Fulham restart the game

45mins

Diomansy Kamara replaces the injured SImon Davies

45mins

Half time and it's all square at the break

45mins

It's all Man City towards the close, as the fourth official indicates one of added time

43mins

Bouazza did well to win a corner off Corluka as he surged down the left

40mins

Man City are getting back into the game slowly but surely as their goal looks to have knocked Fulham's confidence

38mins

Dietmar Hamann struck a half volley with perfection but unfortuneately it flew past the left hand upright

36mins

FULHAM 1 - 1 MAN CITY: (PETROV) Martin Petrov cut in from the left hand side and rode two challenges before poking the ball past Niemi into the bottom corner

34mins

Dietmar Hamann switched the ball to Garrido on the left, but the Spaniard couldn't pick a blue shirt out in the box

32mins

Vedran Corluka got forward to the byline and whipped the ball accross the face of the goal, but there was not a Man City player in sight and Chris Baird cleared to safety

30mins

Simon Davies is doing well down the right hand side and is causing Javier Garrido some problems

27mins

Martin Petrov missed the chance to put City level as Elano flicked a cross onto him at the back post, but the Bulgarian fired wide of the goal

25mins

Man City are off the pace and giving the ball away sloppily, this time it was Micah Richards who was caught in possession

23mins

David Healy claims for a penalty after he looked to be blocked off by Javier Garrido inside the penalty area

21mins

Fulham have played some good football in the opening twenty minutes and are putting Man City under suprising pressure

19mins

Steven Davis with another electrifying run from midfield but Hameur Bouazza stole the ball and fired way over the bar

17mins

Micah Richards with some solid defending once again for City

15mins

Clint Dempsey leaves the field for treatment on a head injury inflicted by Micah Richards

13mins

FULHAM 1 - 0 MAN CITY: (DAVIES) Simon Davies puts Fulham ahead with a superb glancing header from a Hameur Bouazza cross

11mins

Martin Petrov win Man City their first corner of the game which dropped just outside the box, for Elano to fire the ball straight down Anti Niemi's throat

9mins

Emile Mpenza did well to knock the ball off for Stephen Ireland who ran onto the ball but fired it a mile over the bar

7mins

Steven Davis with a surging run from midfield but took one touch too many and Vedran Corluka intercepted the ball

5mins

Good intervention by Micah Richards who just did enough to knock David Healy off balance as he looked to get his shot off

4mins

Simon Davies picked the ball up on the wing and whipped a good cross into the box that was cleared by Richard Dunne

2mins

Kasper Schmeichel get his hands on the ball early in the game with a good claim from Clint Dempsey's cross

1mins

Man City get the game underway

0mins

Referee: Mark Halsey

0mins

Clint Dempsey will be looking to continue his good for for Fulham, who will be looking to climb up the table with a home win here at Craven Cottage.

0mins

City will be boosted by the return of Richard Dunne who was suspended in the last game against Villa, and Stephen Ireland is also recalled to the side after his recent ordeal.

0mins

Fulham Line-up: Niemi, Baird, Bocanegra, Hughes, Konchesky, Bouazza, Smertin, Davies, Davis, Healy, Dempsey

0mins

Manchester City Line-up: Schmeichel, Corluka, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Ireland, Hamann, Johnson, Petrov, Elano, Mpenza

Match Preview

Fulham must get over the disappointment of Wigan's late equaliser last weekend when they host in-form Manchester City on Saturday evening.

The Cottagers ran last weekend's game but couldn't build on Clint Dempsey's opener. It cost them two points as Jason Koumas equalised with a penalty 10 minutes from the end. That barely deserved goal has been bugging Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez ever since.

"I'd have thought that was about as comprehensive as you can get without actually winning a match and ultimately we were hanging on," Sanchez complained later in the week.

There was some good news though for midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who won the 'worst injury' award last season with a dislocated kneecap and massive cruciate ligament damage. The former Wigan man has returned to training and is looking to play again in October.

Distractions are the last thing Fulham need though, as City look to make it five wins from seven games.

Their fourth win followed two defeats - to Arsenal and Blackburn - and the beginning of what was supposed to be a downturn in fortunes for the surprise package.

As it is, the 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa left them second in the league, one point above their more esteemed Manchester rivals.

Despite this early promise, veteran German midfielder Dietmar Hamann has warned that getting over-excited could be rather premature.

"If we can (win consistently at home) we can stay in the top half. But I think we are going to have to wait until Christmas and see where we are then," he suggested.

A question mark remains over young Republic of Ireland international Stephen Ireland, who was dropped by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson having pulled out of the recent Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic in controversial circumstances.

City have options in midfield but would want Ireland back if possible as the 21-year-old has become an important cog in the team that has climbed up the Premier League table this season.


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Match Report

Two inspired substitutes clawed the game back for Lawrie Sanchez's Fulham as they came from behind to equalise and very nearly the win this pulsating game with Manchester City.

Ki-Hyeon Seol and Danny Murphy combined as the former Spurs man rolled the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the 75th minute.

This six-goal bonanza put paid to Sven-Goran Eriksson's conservative start to his Premier League campaign - City's previous five games had ended 1-0.

City held on for the draw - their first of the season - and Sanchez managed to break the hoodoo of conceding late as Fulham, urged on by an expectant crowd, showed great character.

After a slow start, the game really ignited after the interval.

The teams went into the break with one goal a piece, with Welshman Simon Davies having opened the scoring for the home side.

After 13 minutes the tousle-haired winger ghosted in from the right, undetected by City's sluggish defence, and ran in between Micah Richards and Richard Dunne to nod home Hameur Bouazza's cross at the near post.

The City skipper, making his 250th Premier League appearance, was culpable after ball watching, but his team managed to equalise through left-winger Martin Petrov ten minutes before the break.

The Bulgarian cut inside from the left and breezed passed the woeful challenges of Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird before shooting.

Fulham keeper Antti Niemi should have done better, though Petrov did not mind - it was his first for City since signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer.

The goal spurred City on and Fulham played as though they were expecting to lose, though Sanchez had other ideas.

At half-time he brought on striker Diomansy Kamara, who made an immediate impact.

He was felled on the left edge of the area by Dunne and Bouazza netted the resulting free-kick.

Petrov, galvanised by his first-half goal, began to look menacing, and his shot three minutes later was parried by Niemi, but only as far as Emile Mpenza, who
obligingly nodded in.

The winger then put City ahead ten minutes later after volleying home a one-two with Elano.

Murphy and Seol came on with 22 minutes left and Fulham looked hungry again.

Murphy's goal - his first for the club - was deserved for Fulham's tenacity.

The 30-year-old could have won the game for Sanchez but he blazed over two minutes later.

In the end a draw was a fair result in a game where both teams tried their hardest and produced a great spectacle.

Fulham

Manchester City

Corners

62

Fouls

107

Goal attempts

1311

Shots off target

56

Offsides

10

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