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Gary Jacob at The Times |
West Ham 2 Fulham 2
West Ham United rarely seem to be far away from controversy, but most of the drama was on the pitch this time.
Some mediocre football was eclipsed by a riotous finale in which a deflected shot from Junior Stanislas rescued a point for the home side in the second minute of stoppage time against Fulham's ten men.
It was a scrappy but eventful encounter that finished amid boos from the West Ham supporters and left doubts over the team's strength, capacity and desire to pull clear of a relegation scrap and of the performance of two England players. Robert Green and Matthew Upson were guilty of naivety and foolishness as Fulham came from behind after the dismissal of Kagisho Dikgacoi.
Even the normally restrained Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, was seething as he confronted Scott Parker for his part in that incident shortly before the break. Initially both players were shown a yellow card after clashing, but Parker angrily gesticulated that he was elbowed by his opponent. Phil Dowd, the referee, was called over by Darren Cann, his assistant, who said that Dikgacoi had thrust his hand and head into the face of Parker. The South Africa midfield player was shown the red card on his first league start after a two-minute delay, but the argument was still raging long after the game.
Parker will miss the match away to Stoke City a week on Saturday after picking up his fifth yellow card. "I was told that it was violent conduct," Hodgson said. "Dikgacoi is the least violent boy you will come across. It was naivety on his part.
"I come from a generation where violent conduct is violent. I can't get my head around two players going nose to nose and one is sent off."
Replays suggested that the referee was right and, with Fulham disrupted and disjointed, Mark Noble and Zavon Hines wasted several opportunities to extend the lead, given to them when Carlton Cole headed in Alessandro Diamanti's free kick.
But, if anything, Dowd's next significant decision - to award Fulham a penalty - was the turning point of the game. Upson needlessly wrestled with Diomansy Kamara after a ball was played over the top of the defence. The West Ham defender's rustiness may have been down to his return from a calf injury, but it also reflects his indecisive form since he failed to obtain the move he wanted in the summer.
Danny Murphy converted the penalty and Fulham then took a stranglehold when Green missed his punch from a corner and Zoltan Gera flicked in.
Fulham controlled possession, slowed the pace and expertly played on the break. West Ham are not the first team to make an extra man seem a disadvantage in breaking down their opponents, but they have far greater concerns than being unsettled by Kamara's pace and aggression. There was little energy and penetration and too many eye-of-the-needle passes were smothered.
Mark Schwarzer, the Fulham goalkeeper, had few meaningful shots to save, until Stanislas's drive caught the knee of Aaron Hughes and deflected in. There was still time for Green almost to handed Fulham victory when he raced out and struck Eddie Johnson with an attempted clearance. The Fulham forward picked up the loose ball, cut inside, but squeezed his shot wide with only one defender guarding the goal.
A flat atmosphere may have contributed to West Ham being unable to match the fighting spirit demanded by Gianfranco Zola. They have made their worst start since they went down in 2003 and the manager was left to question their attitude.
"The team looked like it lost faith and belief after we conceded," Zola said. "The players need to improve their focus. I smelt something wrong when we were passing the ball well, creating chances and not scoring."
West Ham (4-3-2-1): R Green 5 J Faubert 5 J Tomkins 6 M Upson 5 H Ilunga 5 M Noble 6 S Parker 6 L Jiménez 5 A Diamanti 6 Z Hines 7 C Cole 6 Substitutes: J Stanislas (for Hines, 71min), V Behrami (for Parker, 71). Not used: P Kurucz, J Spector, M Da Costa, F Nouble, J Payne. Next: Stoke City (a).
Fulham (4-4-2): M Schwarzer 6 J Paintsil 6 A Hughes 7 B Hangeland 6 P Konchesky 6 Z Gera 7 K Dikgacoi 5 D Murphy 8 C Dempsey 6 D Kamara 7 A Johnson 5 Substitutes: C Baird 5 (for A Johnson, 46min), E Johnson (for Kamara, 82), B H Riise (for Dempsey, 84). Not used: P Zuberbühler, S Kelly, E Nevland, J Greening. Next: Hull City (h).
Referee: P Dowd Attendance: 32,612
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