West Brom 0 (0) Fulham 1 (0)
Fulham will not care that the FA Cup quarter-finals did not save their best until last. The fourth of the weekend's ties was hardly top-of-the-bill stuff but that hardly matters for the Cottagers as Steve Marlet's second-half goal earned them a place in the last four.
One lapse of concentration in defence cost West Brom dearly but the First Division
club will have the ample consolation of entertaining Fulham again next season
if they capitalise on their League position and win promotion.
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Fulham striker Steve Marlet puts the Cottagers
into the last 4 of the F.A. Cup
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Fulham arrived in the wake of four consecutive defeats and while they have hardly
set the Premiership alight Jean Tigana's well-drilled side deserve praise for
the way they have consolidated their position in their first season among English
football's elite.
They now stand one victory from the FA Cup final after withstanding a late
onslaught from the `Baggies', whose confidence had been boosted by winning 10
of their previous 14 matches.
It was a typical Fulham display, giving little away and pouncing on one of
the few goal-scoring opportunities that came their way.
Purists may shake their heads at the sight of only one English player, Rufus
Brevett, in Fulham's starting line-up but Tigana's multi-national team may yet
give their colourful chairman Mohamed Fayed a day in football's limelight at
the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in May.
The emotions of the managers on the touchline could hardly have been more contrasting.
While Albion's animated Gary Megson lived every kick, header and tackle as
he prowled the technical area, Tigana barely moved, his emotions betraying nothing
as he sucked on his trademark toothpick.
In fairness to Tigana there was little to get excited about, especially during
a first half high on pace and power but low on precision and product.
Fulham, with no natural width, inevitably followed the ball into the centre
which meant much of the game was played in a crowded midfield.
There was much huff and puff though the football was hardly breathtaking. The
ball was given away with frustrating frequency so play became disjointed with
little pattern or rhythm and there were just two goalworthy attempts in the
first 45 minutes.
In the ninth minute John Collins cleared Daniele Dichio's header off the line
following a corner from the right. Then a minute before the interval Luis Boa
Morte squared the ball from the left and Louis Saha's well-struck low shot from
10 yards was superbly saved by Russell Hoult.
The only other incident of note came when Dichio put Scott Dobie clear but
the striker's left-foot effort was so weak it was more like a pass-back than
a shot.
But just 100 seconds into the second half Fulham scored with a goal that betrayed
Albion's outstanding defensive record of 22 clean sheets this season, which
equals the club record.
| Match
Stats |
WBA |
Fulham |
| Goal
attempts |
11 |
9 |
| On
Target |
8 |
5 |
| Hit
woodwork |
0 |
0 |
| Fouls |
16 |
10 |
| Offsides |
2 |
4 |
| Corners |
8 |
9 |
| Yellows |
0 |
0 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source:
www.sports.com |
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Marlet was unmarked as he met Collins' free-kick from the left and the Frenchman's
near-post header gave Hoult no chance of saving. A local radio reporter had earlier
described the noise at the Hawthorns as "literally deafening", but now
there was stunned silence.
Injuries have interrupted Marlet's career in English football since his £11.5-million
transfer from Lyons last summer but this was a seventh goal in 22 appearances
so the club record investment is slowly but surely beginning to pay dividends.
Megson brought on striker Bob Taylor for midfielder Adam Chambers and within
four minutes the substitute had almost embarrassed Edwin van der Sar with a
bouncing shot from 25 yards which the Dutchman saved at the second attempt.
Albion increased the tempo and piled on the pressure. Tigana sent on Abdes
Ouaddou for Boa Morte to numerically strengthen the Fulham defence.
The home team's finishing tended to be more frantic than finesse and Fulham
- with 12 clean sheets in the Premiership this season - were not really troubled
despite being on the back foot.
Teams:
West Brom: Hoult, Sigurdsson, Moore, Gilchrist, Balis, Adam Chambers (Taylor
54), McInnes, Johnson, Clement, Dobie (Fox 82), Dichio.
Subs Not Used: Adamson, Butler, Jordao.
Fulham: Van der Sar, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Brevett, Boa Morte (Ouaddou
72), Collins, Legwinski, Malbranque (Hayles 85), Marlet, Saha (Goldbaek 85).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Harley.
Goals: Marlet 47.
Att: 24,811 Ref: N Barry (Scunthorpe).
Source D. Telegraph by Christopher Davies