- Bullard (27)
- Benjani (6)
- Date:2008-12-06
- Kick-off:12:45
- Venue:Craven Cottage
- Attendance:24012
- Referee:Styles, R
Live Commentary
90mins
FULL-TIME: FULHAM 1-1 MAN CITY. An entertaining game, Fulham perhaps had the better chances in the second half but you can't begrudge City a well-earned point.
90mins
Bullard is booked for a tug on a City player
89mins
Fulham have a couple of corners in quick succession but City manage to clear.
87mins
Ched Evans is isolated up front, City look like they are settling for a point.
83mins
Wright-Phillips plays in Zabaleta whose shot is fumbled away by Schwarzer, Michael Ball then crosses but Fulham's 'Keeper punches the ball away, good goalkeeping.
80mins
Both teams are still going for the win, it could go either way in the final ten minutes.
77mins
Change for City as Ched Evans comes on for Benjani Mwaruwari
76mins
Bullards free kick goes straight to Hart's gloves
74mins
Ireland is booked for a foul on Johnson, the free kick is in Jimmy Bullard territory.
68mins
Another chance from Fulham as the ball breaks for Zamora in the box, but it's hacked off the line for a corner, bad miss by Zamora.
66mins
A fantastic free-kick from Bullard but it is tipped away by Joe Hart. Magnificent save
61mins
Paintsil is booked for a clumsy foul on Wright-Phillips.
61mins
Irelands corner is cleared and Tal Ben Haim tries a half volley that goes just over. Decent effort from the City centre-back.
60mins
Everyone takes a breather as the game slows down for a few minutes.
56mins
Stephen Ireland gets into a decent position but volleys high, wide and not very handsome.
54mins
Zabaleta is involved again as he shoots right footed but Schwarzer does well to tip the ball wide. It's a good spell of pressure for City at the moment.
49mins
It's City's turn to come forward as Pablo Zabaleta fires a ball across the box. An entertaining start to this half.
48mins
Another chance for Fulham, Johnson and Zamora combined again but Zamora's shot trickled wide. Fulham's front two are causing all sorts of problems for Mark Hughes' side
46mins
First chance of the half, Johnson broke through the middle and laid it off to Zamora, but the striker slipped as he shot and it flies over.
45mins
We are back underway again at Craven Cottage.
45mins
Half-Time: FULHAM 1-1 MAN CITY. It's been an exciting game, City started well but Fullham hit back and perhaps are a bit unlucky not to be winning.
45mins
There will be three minutes added onto the end of this entertaining first half.
41mins
All of a sudden City hit back, Benjani turns on the ball and lets fly but his shot whistles just past the post. It's end to end stuff at the moment.
39mins
It's all Fulham at the moment, Zamora again stretches the City defence and he lays the ball to Bullard whose cross is met at the far post by Dempsey, but he can't get his header on target.
37mins
Great chance for Fulham as Johnson and Zamora combined to set up Clint Dempsey in the penalty area but he fired his shot wide, that should have been a goal for Fulham.
33mins
Chance for Fulham as John Paintsil is played in but much to the frustration of the home crowd he wastes the chance and blazes the ball over.
30mins
Fulham have grown in confidence since the goal and all of a sudden Johnson, Zamora and Bullard are causing problems for City
27mins
FULHAM 1-1 MAN CITY. Great work by Zamora down the right and he plays it infield to BULLARD who strikes it low past Hart, game on here at the Cottage.
22mins
Penalty shout for Fulham but their appeals are turned away by referee Rob Styles, replays however showed that Richard Dunne did handle the ball in the area. Fulham finally start to get into the game.
19mins
Fulham are trying to pass the ball but City are working hard and closing them down well, Johnson and Zamora are looking isolated up front
15mins
City are looking confident on the ball with Wright -Phillips inparticular causing problems. Fulham's midfield are yet to get into the game
12mins
A through ball is dummied by Bobby Zamora and Andrew Johnson tries to latch onto it but Joe Hart is alert at comes out to claim the ball, that was better from the home side.
7mins
Nearly 2-0 for City as Stephen Ireland drags his shot wide, Fulham need to sort things out at the back.
6mins
FULHAM 0-1 MAN CITY. BENJANI rises highest to meet a Pablo Zabaleta cross and head the ball past Schwarzer, great start for City
3mins
Shaun Wright-Phillips has the first chance of the game but his left footed drive is seen wide by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer
0mins
Referee Rob Styles gets us underway here at a sunny Craven Cottage
0mins
City are without Brazilian duo Elano and Robinho while Micah Ricards also misses out. Shaun Wright-Phillips however has passed a late fitness test and starts
0mins
Roy Hodgson names the same Fulham side that drew away at Villa last time out meaning Zoltan Gera again has to make do with a place on the bench. Andy Johnson is paired with Bobby Zamora up fornt.
Match Preview
Defeat for big-spending Manchester City at Craven Cottage this weekend could leave Mark Hughes' side in the relegation zone.
It certainly won't be easy for City to clinch all three points in the capital as Roy Hodgson's team have been excellent at home so far this term, winning five of their seven matches at Craven Cottage and conceding only five goals in the process.
They have beaten Wigan Athletic, Newcastle United and Tottenham in their last three home games and have shown some new-found obduracy on their travels recently, having secured goalless stalemates at Liverpool and Aston Villa in their last two encounters.
In contrast, City have secured only one three-point haul in seven away games this season and that came in August at Sunderland.
Since then Hughes' side have taken only two points from five matches on their travels, although they did secure an impressive 2-0 win at Schalke in the UEFA Cup last week.
Only West Brom have lost more matches than City in the league this season, while only Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City have conceded more goals than Hughes' side in away encounters.
Hughes decided not to risk Micah Richards, Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips for the midweek European clash with Paris St Germain in the hope that the trio are fit enough to face the Cottagers.
However, Gelson Fernandes (hamstring) and Michael Johnson (groin) are unlikely to be available for another two weeks, while Michael Petrov (knee) and Valeri Bojinov (calf) will not feature again until February at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Hodgson has almost a fully-fit squad to choose from with only knee injury victims Andranik and Diomansy Kamara currently sidelined.
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Match Report
Jimmy Bullard scored his first Premier League goal of the season to earn Fulham a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at Craven Cottage and heap the pressure on Mark Hughes.
The visitors struggled without £32million man Robinho, who was nursing an injured ankle, and were lucky to escape with a point after Bullard had cancelled out Benjani's early header.
And Hughes' side have now won just two of their last ten league games, leaving a major question mark over whether he will be the man entrusted with the Abu Dhabi United Group's money when City go on what is expected to be a major spending spree in January.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, though, will be quietly pleased as his outfit extended their unbeaten run to five games, leaving them safely in mid-table.
The hosts went into the game having not conceded in their last two and with the knowledge they had also won their last three home games, while not one of Manchester City's 29 league goals this season had been a header.
But those statistics were turned on their head as early as the sixth minute when Benjani took advantage of a wonderful cross from right-back Pablo Zabaleta by slipping between two defenders and planting a powerful header into the corner.
But Fulham came back into the game after that shaky start and should have had a penalty after 22 minutes.
Richard Dunne was the lucky man as the City captain appeared to stop Andy Johnson from cutting inside him by using his arm to flick away the ball - although not in the eyes of referee Rob Styles.
But the incident served only to galvanise Fulham as the hosts were level after 27 minutes.
Bobby Zamora played an integral part in the build-up, threading a delicate ball into the channel between Dunne and Michael Ball and Bullard took his time before lashing the ball into the far corner past a static Joe Hart.
Clint Dempsey shot wide and then headed over as Fulham piled on the pressure before half-time, although Benjani nearly claimed his second when he lashed a drive just wide from 20 yards.
It was an entertaining end to a fine half, although the second period could not match that intensity, before Bullard sparked it into life again by drawing a superb tip over from Hart as his 30-yard free-kick swerved away from the goalkeeper and towards the top corner.
And from the resulting corner, Zamora missed the chance of the day as he failed to get a touch on Brede Hangeland's flick when just three yards out.
Both sides missed presentable chances in the closing stages and a draw was probably a fair result, although Hughes will be feeling the heat at the helm of the richest club in the world.
Fulham Team
Manchester City Team
Fulham | Manchester City |
Corners
| 9 | 7 |
Fouls
| 6 | 5 |
Goal attempts
| 12 | 15 |
Shots off target
| 4 | 8 |
Offsides
| 1 | 1 |



90mins
Two minutes to be added on by referee Rob Styles