Last season the sun shone brightly on Fulham
and Ipswich. Now both appear to have lost the art of dazzling. Yesterday,
on Craven Cottage's soggy stage, the driving rain and leaden skies seemed
to offer a perfect backdrop for a meeting between two teams in a state of
depression.
Their recent record is identical: no win in their last seven league games.
Both remain perilously close to the Premiership relegation zone. Fulham's
woes were compounded by the fact that last season's runaway First Division
champions should have finished the first half 2-0 up. Instead they ended
it a player down after Luis Boa Morte, who had already missed a penalty,
was shown a second yellow card just before the break for diving.
Some will see it as justice done because Boa Morte was lucky to be on the
pitch to see red. Television evidence suggested he should have been sent
off just past the half-hour when he appeared to head-butt or punch Ipswich's
Fabian Wilnis. The referee Mike Riley showed him only a yellow card but
the FA, who punished the Portuguese striker for spitting in a game against
Bolton last season, will no doubt be viewing a video of the incident today
and considering whether it merits further punishment than a one-match ban.
Wilnis would certainly make an interesting witness. "We both went for
the ball and he just hit me on the jaw," said the full-back. "I
don't know whether it was on purpose or not. I was knocked out for a few
minutes. I feel like a boxer after 12 rounds."
The incident was in keeping with the flavour of the match. When managers
try to arrest a worrying slump, the first resort is usually to increase
the workrate and commitment. The resulting collision saw brain come a poor
second to brawn, a fact highlighted by Ipswich's dull-witted attempt to
make their one-man advantage tell in the second half.
They pulled the goal back but were too short of invention, the killer final
pass and the ability to hold on to the ball to go on and claim the win.
It has been a common problem this season as Ipswich struggle to rediscover
the form they showed last term. George Burley's problems were not helped
by the loss of Finidi George with a broken cheekbone after 15 minutes. He
could be out for two months.
When the home side took the lead on 23 minutes it represented the first
real chance of the afternoon. Wilnis was the double villain. First he gave
away a silly free-kick on the left, then he misjudged John Collins' cross
and presented the ball to Barry Hayles who scored from close range.
Seven minutes later Fulham should have gone two up. John McGreal was adjudged
to have handled Steve Marlet's ball into the area but the hapless Boa Morte
stroked the penalty wide. Louis Saha missed one for Fulham at Villa Park
last weekend. Then came the Boa Morte-Wilnis incident before the striker
was finally sent off in first-half injury-time. After nutmegging Herman
Hreidarsson in the area, he then fell over as the Icelander stood his ground.
Riley deemed Boa Morte to have dived, so off he went.
Burley brought on Martijn Reuser and it paid quick dividends. On 55 minutes
the Dutchman turned Marlet on the left and crossed for Jermaine Wright eventually
to poke the ball home.
Alun Armstrong and Wright went close to giving Ipswich the lead but Fulham
continued to work hard and could have snatched a win themselves. Collins
shot just over and Saha, on as a substitute, forced a spectacular save from
the dependable Matteo Sereni.
.
Fulham:
Van der Sar, Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Goma, Clark (Davis 62), Marlet (Malbranque
63), Collins, Legwinski, Boa Morte, Hayles (Saha 68).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Knight. Sent Off: Boa Morte (45).
Booked: Boa Morte, Legwinski. Goals: Hayles 23.
Ipswich:
Sereni, Wilnis (Reuser 45), Clapham, McGreal, Hreidarsson, Holland, Wright,
Makin, Peralta (Magilton 72), Armstrong, George (Stewart 13).
Subs Not Used: Branagan, Naylor.
Booked: Peralta, Armstrong, Wilnis. Goals: Wright 55.
Att: 17,221 Ref: M Riley (Leeds). |