• Date: Sat 23 February 2008
  • Venue: Craven Cottage
  • Ref: Webb, H
  • Attendance: 25,280

Fulham vs West Ham United

Team Lineups

Fulham

Antti Niemi
Brede Hangeland
Aaron Hughes
Paul Konchesky
Leon Andreasen
Paul Stalteri
Jimmy Bullard
Danny Murphy
Clint Dempsey (Eddie Johnson, 76)
Diomansy Kamara
Brian McBride

West Ham United

Robert Green
Anton Ferdinand
Lucas Neill
George McCartney
Matthew Upson
Mark Noble
Julien Faubert (Nolberto Solano, 63)
Hayden Mullins
Freddie Ljungberg (Jonathan Spector, 90)
Luis Boa Morte
Carlton Cole (Dean Ashton, 80)


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

FT:Fulham 0-1 West Ham: West Ham steal the three points thanks to Nolberto Solano but Fulham will feel hard done by having dominated the game for long periods.

90

Fulham are trying to press but West Ham are defending well and still look dangerous on the counter attack.

90

Five minutes of added time have been indicated.

90
Substitution
 

Freddie Ljungberg is replaced by Jonathan Spector as West Ham try to hold onto the result.

89

Replays suggest that Solano was very fortunate to score as the ball seems to strike his hand before crossing the line and had the referee seen that then he may well have disallowed it.

88
Red Card
 

Leon Andreasen picks up his second yellow card for his complaints about the goal as he felt Solano fouled Niemi.

88
Goal
 

GOAL:Fulham 0-1 West Ham: (88mins) Solano scrambles the ball over the line to give the Hammers the lead after Niemi fumbles it.

85

West Ham are struggling to get out of their half at the moment and Kamara finds Bullard and Green has made a superb save to keep the scoreline goalless - he has saved his time there, that's for sure.

83

Eddie Johnson has half a chance now as the ball from Konchesky drops onto his right foot but he can only help it over the bar - it was not an easy one though.

82

Fulham have a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the box and Bullard and Murphy look particularly interested - but Bullard can only find the wall.

80
Substitution
 

Dean Ashton is on now for West Ham in place of the rather wasteful Carlton Cole who has had a number of chances to score this afternoon.

79

Hangeland plays it back to Hughes who then blindly tries to play it back to Niemi who was not where Hughes thought and the keeper did well to get back and recover the situation.

77

Pressure again from the Cottagers as McBride, Stalteri and finally Andreasen have efforts on goal and evetually the ball spins out for a corner - that once more Green claims.

77
Substitution
 

Fulham are making a change as one American Clint Dempsey is replaced by another Eddie Johnson - who is making his Fulham debut.

76

Again Fulham get themselves into the final third but yet again the final ball is not good enough and Rob Green is able to claim a simple catch.

74

Ljungberg pressures Hangeland in the corner and eventually wins the ball and stands up a cross for Cole but its not a good header and Niemi makes a simple save.

72

Fulham look the most likely to break the deadlock at the moment and they are really pushing for it.

70

Robert Green loses a corner and Fulham are swarming around it but Upson is back on the line to block the shot and West Ham clear.

69

McCartney has not been his usual marauding self today but he does get into the attacking third now and forces a corner of Hangeland.

66

Clint Dempsey ghosts in behind the West Ham defence and only has to loop the header over Green but he fails to do so and he is not happy with himself there.

65

Mark Noble is starting to pull the strings in the midfield for the Hammers and he releases Cole again who works room for his shot but again Fulham defenders are back bravely to block.

63
Substitution
 

Solano is finally going to come on and it is in place of the rather quiet Julien Faubert, in what is a straight swap.

62

However they now have a great chance as Noble works room for himself and then lays it off for Boa Morte who is only denied by a superb save from Niemi.

60

West Ham are really off the pace of play since the break and it looks like Alan Curbishley is readying Nolberto Solano for action to try and change things.

56

Fulham are enjoying the better of this second period and look the side most likely to score but they are not creating as many chances as they would like.

53

Replays have shown that Kamara's shot was clearly blocked by the hand of Anton Ferdinand and Fulham can feel a little unfortunate not to have been awarded a penalty kick.

52

Fulham now lump a long hopeful ball into the box and Rob Green flaps at it and Hangeland has a great chance but he has managed to head it over. What a chance!

50

Mark Noble is down receiving some treatment after McBride clattered into the England Under-21 captain.

48

But they have a chance now as Stalteri crosses for Kamara who dithers slightly on the ball and his shot is evenutally blocked by Ferdinand.

48

Fulham look a little short of ideas a lot of the time and that is perhaps because they are unable to get Jimmy Bullard on the ball enough.

Second half
 

The second half can only be an improvement on that poor first half from both sides and Fulham definitely need to try and take all the points after Birmingham's impressive draw earlier on.

Half time
 

HT:Fulham 0-0 West Ham: A very poor first half comes to a close with the game still goalless and there has been a shortage of real goulmouth action so far.

45

Andreasen advances towards the Hammers defence and tries his luck from long range but the shot is weak and Green collects easily.

45

One minute of stoppage time has been indicated.

43

Fulham are back on the front foot at the moment and Dempsey again goes close as his half volley flicks off Ferdinand and flashes just wide - that might well have been finding the top corner.

41

Stalteri picks up a loose clearance from Upson and bends a low ball towards the near post where Dempsey is arriving but he can only flick the ball wide.

38

Mark Noble bends a free-kick into the danger area from out wide on the right but Aaron Hughes does superbly to head the ball clear under pressure from Cole and Upson.

35

Brian McBride is on the comeback trail after a serious injury suffered at the start of the season and he does, understandably, look a little off the pace so far.

32

This game is really not the best so far, both sides are putting in plenty of effort but the quality has not been there on a consistent basis.

30

Fulham have been guilty of giving possession away quite cheaply in the last ten minutes or so but they have a chance to cause trouble with a set piece now - but it is lofted stright to Robert Green.

28
Yellow Card
 

Leon Andreasen is the third Cottagers player to go into the book after a foul on Carlton Cole.

27

West Ham are really taking control now and Boa Morte has a great chance to give them the lead but he flicks the ball over the bar from the edge of the six yard box.

24

Things are getting a little lively in the tackles at the moment with players from both sides flying into the tackles.

21

Another half chance for Carlton Cole as he escapes his marker to head the ball goalwards but Niemi is there to palm it onto the bar.

20
Yellow Card
 

Brede Hangeland has already had a warning and he now is cautioned after a late challenge on Boa Morte.

18

Great chance for Carlton Cole as he hustles Hughes off the ball and advances on goal but Konchesky is across in the nick of time to deflect his shot wide.

17

Things have quietened down a little and West Ham are starting to turn the screw a little bit now as they gain better control of the ball.

14
Yellow Card
 

Danny Murphy now picks up a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Mark Noble.

12

And Carlton Cole now forces the first save of the day from Antti Niemi as he turns and volleys on target from Ljungberg's cross.

10

West Ham are on the back foot a little as Fulham begin the brighter of the two sides, although Rob Green has had little do in fairness.

7

Clint Dempsey manufactures a shooting angle but his effort comes back off Anton Ferdinand but Konchesky is waiting and he fires it just a fraction wide of the far post.

5

There is a nice rhythm and pace to the game early on with both sides passing it pretty nicely in the midfield areas.

2

Fulham have made a bright start with Bullard and Dempsey playing some nice stuff between them and forcing an early corner off Lucas Neill.

Kickoff
 

Referee Howard Webb has got the game underway.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

West Ham: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Ljungberg, Mullins, Faubert, Noble, Boa Morte, Cole

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Fulham: Niemi, Stalteri, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Andreasen, Bullard, Murphy, Dempsey, McBride, Kamara

Awaiting Kickoff
 

West Ham give a start to Luis Boa Morte as he returns to the club he captained for a while last season, while Dean Ashton is left on the bench as Carlton Cole starts.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Fulham have been on a pretty poor run lately but the return of Jimmy Bullard has galvanised them and the win against Villa a few weeks ago was huge for them.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Welcome to Craven Cottage where relegation threatened Fulham entertain London rivals West Ham United.