THERE are matches you win well and those you, well, win. If Jean Tigana, the Fulham manager, ran his famous toothpick over this display he would discover a lot wrong, apart from, that is, the result. His perfect smile survives though. There seems no stalling his side's title drive.
Fulham were depleted yesterday and couldn't disguise the extent of their injuries. They limped to this victory through Louis Saha's 22nd goal of the season and a late second from his strike partner Luis Boa Morte. If only Fulham had had another nine players like those two. But for those individual efforts, this would have been a collective failure out of keeping with an otherwise dominant season.
Nigel Worthington, the Norwich manager, talked up his own side's role in Fulham's lethargic showing. "I don't think any football person would deny us a draw, but football is a cruel game," he said. What was clear is that if Norwich had it in them, Fulham's fragile hold on proceedings might have broken.
If entertaining the likes of Manchester United, as they did last Sunday, is what Fulham will soon be doing on a weekly basis, they must guard against getting ahead of themselves. A New Year's day defeat to Stockport preceding last weekend's FA Cup loss meant this was Fulham's first win of 2001. "We knew it was up to us to bounce back," said Andy Melville, the Fulham defender, spokesman for the day in Tigana's prolonged media silence.
"Everyone knows it wasn't a good performance," admitted Melville, "but with a front two like that, you've always a chance." Had Fulham played like this against United, they would have been destroyed, but maybe their passing game is better suited to such challenges. They must be careful though or promotion could somehow pass them by.
It is difficult to imagine a more uneventful start to a game. Saha and Boa Morte had obvious pace to burn up front, but no supply line to ignite them as the Fulham midfield seemed devoid of its trademark creative spark. John Collins, the former Everton midfielder, aims to return before the end of the month. This was possibly the first occasion since his hamstring problem emerged that the Scotsman's guile has been so obviously missed.
On 37 minutes, Boa Morte took matters into his own hands by collecting possession deeper than his usual territory and evading two challenges before firing just over the bar. Moments later, Saha seized responsibility and gave his side the lead. After collecting a short pass from Sean Davis, the Frenchman turned smartly, advanced a couple of steps, then, from 20 yards, hit a powerful low drive beyond the reach of Andy Marshall in the Norwich goal.
After the interval, there was no disputing Fulham's cutting edge, as Boa Morte demonstrated again with a fierce, angled drive across the face of goal from a Rufus Brevett pass, but they were not being incisive often enough.
If Norwich possessed a player such as Saha they might have worried Fulham, as he was proving to be the difference between the two sides. His 77th-minute shot almost produced a second for Fulham which, to ease their nerves, they could have done with much earlier than when Boa Morte obliged.
Davis came closer still to producing it with five minutes remaining forcing an agile save from Marshall. The resulting corner saw a Kit Symons header from distance clear the bar. This, however, was the kind of late pressure Norwich should have been inflicting not sustaining.
In the final minute, Fulham at last outlined their quality to make it 2-0. Boa Morte found time and space to lift the ball over Marshall to secure an edgy success, celebrating with the kind of
relaxed shrug which
suggested, in his mind, three points were never in doubt.
Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Symons, Goldbaek, Stolcers (Phelan 57min), Davis, Boa Morte, Betsy (Sahnoun 71min), Saha
Norwich: A Marshall, Sutch, L Marshall, Fleming, Jackson (McGovern 47min), Kenton, Russell, Mulryne (De Blasiis 73min), Roberts, Notman (Abbey 61min), Llewellyn
Scorers: Fulham: Saha 39, Boa Morte 90
Referee: W Jordan (Tring)
Attendance: 16,052