Fulham took a confident step closer to the Premiership with a polished display
of counter-attacking football in a 4-1 win at bottom-club Tranmere.
For all but the opening 20 minutes of the second half Jean Tigana's side were
in command against Kevin Sheedy's hard-working but limited Tranmere side that
showed too many of the characteristics of a side destined for the drop.
Sure, they were up against the First Division's champions-elect, but with former
boss John Aldridge identifying the same problems in the side as before his departure
a couple of weeks ago, Fulham were just the side to punish Rovers.
Fulham were a class above the opposition, carrying an arrogance and swagger
that many of Tranmere's Premiership victims on recent seasons have not shown
at Prenton Park. This time the big boys in town were not fearful of an onslaught.
Louis Saha replaced the suspended Luis Boa Morte, and took only three minutes
to open the scoring. It showed how dangerous Fulham can be on the break, as
goalkeeper Maik Taylor started it with a long throw to Andrejs Stolcers, who
somehow kept the ball in and crossed in one action.
Saha controlled, took on Jeff Kenna, turned the on-loan Blackburn defender
inside and out before firing under recalkled goalkeeper Joe Murphy.
From that moment there was only one winner, and the pace of Stolcers, Saha
and Barry Hayles had Richard Jobson and Graham Allen floundering on more than
one occasion.
But it did need a bad Tranmere error to put the Cottagers in Easy Street, and
recent signing Simon Osborn provided that. On a short-term deal from Wolves,
Osborn is playing for a contract next season. Any prospective future employer
would not have been impressed with his dallying inside his own half that enabled
Lee Clark to rob the midfielder before feeding Hayles, who thrashed home his
19th of the season from the edge of the box.
Perhaps a crucial moment in the game came with the last kick of the first-half.
Wayne Allison's flick ricocheted off Andy Melville to Mickey Mellon, but the
midfielder did not keep his nerve and fired across the face of goal from seven
yards.
If that had gone in maybe Tranmere would have been able to show real confidence
after the break. As it was they did build up a momentum in the second half with
strikers Seyni N'Diaye and Stuart Barlow introduced as substitutes to offer
a quicker and more skilful option to the first-half pairing of Paul Rideout
and Allison.
Again impressive, reported Fulham target Jason Koumas could not keep his cool
when N'Diaye's chip found him insdie the area after 56 minutes at a time when
the home side were at their best. So there would be relief on the visitors'
bench when Clark coolly beat Kenna and Jobson on another break to slot past
Murphy for the third.
From this point on there was more possession football from Fulham, with Steve
Finnan seen much more in advanced positions. It was from his cross that Kit
Symons, somehow in the right-wing position, was fed by Irish full-back Finnan
before finding a pinpoint cross that Saha apologetically and dutifully nodded
past an overexposed Murphy.
The young goalkeeper, recalled after John Achterberg failed to recover from
a back injury for his first game since Boxing Day, failed to counter an awkward
bounce and his sad night was complete.
There was time for Osborn to score his second goal of the season, his first
for Rovers but second against Fulham this season, in stoppage-time to cheer
any of those interested watchers. But that was a mere redefining of the word
'consolation'.
Tranmere (0) 1 Fulham (2) 4
Tranmere: Murphy, Kenna, Allen, Jobson, Roberts, Koumas, Flynn,
Mellon, Osborn, Allison (N'Diaye 45), Rideout (Barlow 45).
Subs Not Used: Yates, Hume, Achterberg.
Goals: Osborn 90.
Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Symons, Brevett, Clark,
John Collins, Davis, Stolcers, Hayles, Saha.
Subs Not Used: Thompson, Moller, Riedle, Neilson, Betsy.
Goals: Saha 3, Hayles 28, Clark 65, Saha 84.
Att: 12,362
Ref: R Furnandiz (Doncaster)
Source Sky by Dean Gripton