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  • Nevland (29)
  • Date:2009-04-25
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Craven Cottage
  • Attendance:25069
  • Referee:Mason, L

Live Commentary

90mins

Full time: FULHAM 1-0 STOKE: Fulham run out worthy winners thanks to Nevland's first half strike. Stoke offered little in attack but have probably done enough to be safe from relegation.

90mins

The fourth official signals there will be four minutes of added on time.

88mins

Lawrence tries his luck from 25 yards out but the ball goes wide of the target. It looks like Stoke are running out of time and ideas as they chase an equaliser.

86mins

Midfielder Pugh makes way for striker Dickinson.

85mins

Delap chips the ball forward but Hangeland heads clear.

83mins

Last roll of the dice for Stoke as Kelly and Cresswell make way for Sonko and Camara.

82mins

Roy Hodgson is forced to make another substitution because of injury as Konchesky is replaced by Baird.

80mins

Murphy skips over two challenges before hitting a shot that goes well wide of the Stoke goal.

78mins

Shawcross gets his head on a Lawrence cross but the ball sails over the Fulham goal.

75mins

Lawrence hit a volley on the edge of the Fulham box but Konchesky got across to block his goal bound effort.

73mins

Murphy goes down on the edge of the Stoke box after exchanging passes with Kamara. The ref waves play on though.

71mins

Shawcross heads down and the ball bounces over the Fulham crossbar. It's Stoke's first effort of the second half.

70mins

Stoke force a corner from Lawrence's deep cross. The visitors are starting to get a foothold in the game.

68mins

Konchesky is down after a late tackle by Pugh. No card for the Stoke player though.

65mins

Fuller tried to get a shot off in the Fulham box but Hangeland was there to clear the danger.

63mins

The home side have started the second half in the same way they finished the first. Stoke will have to get more of the ball if they're to get anything out of this game.

61mins

Pugh fires in a cross for Stoke but the ball goes straight to Schwarzer.

59mins

Shawcross is booked for a late tackle on Kamara.

59mins

Kamara dances into the Stoke box but his shot is charged down by Faye.

57mins

Gera hits a volley from the edge of the Stoke box but it's deflected wide by Shawcross and out for a Fulham corner.

55mins

Stoke build up some momentum with a flowing move involving Pugh, Fuller and Lawrence - but that man Dempsey is there again to clear the danger for Fulham.

53mins

Sorensen does well to collect a dangerous cross from Murphy.

51mins

There's a break in play as Pugh gets treated after being caught in the face by Nevland's boot.

49mins

Dempsey is having a lively game. His 30 yard shot hits Kelly and spins out for a Fulham corner.

47mins

Dempsey fools Kelly with a clever step-over but his pass runs behind Nevland and is cleared by the Stoke defence.

45mins

Fulham get the second half up and running. No changes for either side at the break.

45mins

Half Time: FULHAM 1-0 STOKE: Fulham came to life after taking the lead through Nevland's 28th minute goal. Stoke will need to up the tempo if they're to get anything from this game.

44mins

Nevland is booked for a late challenge on Simonsen.

43mins

The goal seems to have given Fulham a lift and they're starting to control the game.

42mins

Dempsey just fails to connect from ten yards out after more good work by Murphy.

40mins

Gera finds Kamara in the Stoke box but the striker pushed Kelly and the referee awards the visitors a free kick.

38mins

Lawrence is the first name into Lee Mason's notebook for a foul on Gera.

38mins

Etuhu should have made it 2-0 to Fulham. Murphy found Konchesy but his low cross was missed by the Fulham midfielder from six yards out.

36mins

Gera and Dempsey race clear for Fulham but Pugh makes a vital last ditch tackle to break up the move.

34mins

Lawrence hits a well struck effort from 20 yards out that goes inches over the Fulham goal.

32mins

Kamara has an immediate impact with a long range drive that goes wide of the target.

31mins

Johnson does leave the field and is replaced by Kamara.

30mins

Fulham could be set to make their second substitution - and it could be another striker as Johnson is treated for a knee injury.

28mins

FULHAM 1-0 STOKE: Substitute NEVLAND exchanges passes with Johnson before sliding the ball beyond Sorensen from six yards out.

27mins

There hasn't been a clear cut chance for either side yet but Stoke have probably edged possession.

25mins

Dempsey has Fulham's first shot on goal after collecting a chipped pass from Nevland and firing wide of the target.

23mins

Dempsey races clear after a mistake by Shawcross but his cross goes straight to Sorensen.

21mins

Fulham are forced into an early substitution as Zamora leaves the field injured and is replaced by Nevland.

19mins

Pantsil is forced to concede a corner after Cresswell found Pugh with a lovely reverse pass.

17mins

Delap winds up another long throw but Hangeland again clears with a thumping header.

14mins

Murphy links well with Konchesky before releasing Johnson but the former Everton man is eased off the ball by Shawcross.

12mins

Stoke register their third shot on goal but again, Etherington's long range effort fails to trouble Schwarzer.

10mins

Whelan finds Fuller with a great pass but Hangeland steps in to take the ball off Stoke's top scorer.

8mins

Kelly does well to clear a dangerous Murphy pass across the Stoke six yard box.

6mins

Shawcross heads clear from Konchesky's deep cross into the Stoke box.

4mins

Fuller turns Hughes and fires in a shot from 25 yards out but the ball goes harmlessly wide of Schwarzer's goal.

2mins

Delap takes a swing at a loose ball on the edge of the Fulham box but his effort flies high over the Fulham goal.

1mins

Delap launches a long throw into the Fulham box but Hangeland gets above Cresswell to head out for a Stoke corner.

0mins

Referee Lee Mason gets the game under way.

0mins

The teams are out at Craven Cottage. A win for Fulham will help their push for seventh spot and a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League. Stoke will be hoping for three points to end any lingering talk of relegation.

0mins

Stoke: Sorensen, Kelly, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Pugh, Lawrence, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Fuller, Cresswell

0mins

Stoke have been dealt a double injury blow with Danny Higginbotham (back) and James Beattie (thigh) both ruled out. Defender Andy Wilkinson (back) is also out so Stephen Kelly comes into Tony Pulis' starting line-up.

0mins

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey, Murphy, Etuhu, Gera, Zamora, Johnson

0mins

Simon Davies remains on the sidelines for Fulham with a stress fracture of the foot. Zoltan Gera continues to deputise. On loan Derby midfielder Giles Barnes is also out with an injured achilles.

Match Preview

Fulham and Stoke City meet at Craven Cottage with the visitors needing one more victory to confound the pundits and ensure their Premier League survival.

The Cottagers have long since ended any fears that they might have had over a relegation battle, with boss Roy Hodgson having done a superb job in his first full season at the club.

Indeed a European spot is still a real possibility, with Fulham just a point behind seventh-placed West Ham.

However, Hodgson remains cool about his side's prospects, saying: "West Ham are still doing well and Manchester City, with the players at their disposal and Tottenham, they should be nourishing the ambition of finishing seventh with the investment they've had.

"If we get into Europe there'd be no question of me suggesting we need seven or eight top-class players and £40million of investment, because I know it's an unrealistic demand."

Hodgson has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from, as his side seek to build on a run of only one defeat in their last five games.

City arrive in the capital boosted by a 1-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers which pushed them eight points clear of the drop-zone.

However, boss Tony Pulis is refusing to believe that the job is done just yet, telling the club's official website: "I think we need to get to 40 points and maybe more.

"How many points will it take once we get into the forties I don't know, so we have to keep extremely focused. It's vital that we don't get complacent between now and the end of the season."

Pulis will be hoping that Abdoulaye Faye (back) and Salif Diao (groin) shrug off knocks to feature, with Mamady Sidibe the only long-term absentee due to knee problems.


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Match Report

Fulham inched a step closer to Europe with a comfortable victory over Stoke City that made a mockery of the 1-0 scoreline.

They dominated all but the first few minutes and a left a lacklustre Stoke still sweating on reaching the magic 40-point mark.

And it was an ill wind that blew Fulham some good when they lost Bobby Zamora to injury after just 20 minutes.

Less than 10 minutes later his replacement, Erik Nevland, swept Fulham into the lead with a goal the scorer set up himself.

A Stoke move broke down outside the Whites penalty area and Nevland stumbled over a Greg Whelan challenge before striding on to feed Andy Johnson outside him on the right.

The £12million forward barely looked up before pulling the ball back ever so slightly behind the retreating Stoke defenders for Nevland to side-foot under the despairing dive of Thomas Sorensen.

It seemed to get worse for the Londoners when Johnson himself limped off just five minutes later.

But if anything, Fulham then wasted the best chances of the half to put daylight between themselves and a Stoke side that started brightly and then faded big time.

A clever free-kick taken just outside the City box saw Danny Murphy dummy a pass to his left and when Paul Konchesky fired low, any half-decent connection from Dickson Etuhu would have doubled Fulham's luck.

Instead, the tall midfielder stubbed his toe into the turf and sent the ball over from point blank range.

Konchesky then got beyond the Stoke backline courtesy of a clever chip from sub Diomansy Kamara but blasted over from barely 10 yards.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Abdoulaye Faye's back pass was well short of a comfortable kick out for Sorensen.

Nevland chased down the loose pass and might consider himself unlucky when he all got for a 50/50 challenge was a yellow card as he clattered into ball and Sorensen.

It could have been much different had Rory Delap steadied himself barely two minutes after the start.

As ever, the Stoke midfielder launched a prodigious throw into the box and then caught up with it as the ball was only half-cleared.

Unmarked from 18 yards, he smashed a ball closer to the back of the stand than the net.

Liam Lawrence was closer with a fizzing right-foot effort from 25 yards but Mark Schwarzer was still able to watch the ball fly wide of his right upright.

Ryan Shawcross' downward header that bounced over was the best they had to show for an incident-free second period that leaves the Londoners checking to see if their passports are up to date.

Fulham

Stoke City

Corners

57

Fouls

811

Goal attempts

109

Shots off target

37

Offsides

11

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