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Danny Murphy wins the
points with a pen |
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Fulham 2 Newcastle 1
Danny Murphy struck from the spot as Fulham edged a lively contest 2-1 to halt Newcastle's
surge up the Barclays Premier League table.
Murphy converted a 66th-minute penalty after Fabricio Coloccini had clipped Andy
Johnson while the England marksman was sprinting into the area.
Johnson had given Fulham a deserved interval lead when he capitalised on a defensive
blunder by Claudio Cacapa to claim his third goal since his arrival in the summer.
The Cottagers attacked at will in the first half and their dominance deserved a
greater return with Jimmy Bullard and Zoltan Gera failing to bury good chances.
But Newcastle emerged fired up after the break and their 57th-minute equaliser by
Shola Ameobi, which had a hint of offside about it, was fitting reward for their
revival.
Murphy's goal set up a thrilling finale but Fulham hung on to protect their impressive
home form, which now reads 13 points out of a possible 18.
Newcastle arrived at Craven Cottage looking for their third successive victory but
Joe Kinnear's Midas Touch, which has served the club so well since he took over,
had deserted him.
Kinnear included Michael Owen among the substitutes and the England striker missed a fine late chance to equalise, with Fabio Capello watching from the stand.
Owen could watch from the bench as Newcastle were torn apart from the start by
Fulham's ambition, which saw Shay Given expertly palm a Bullard shot to safety.
Maintaining the pressure, Murphy almost saw a shot deflected into the net by Jose
Enrique with Given stranded.
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Andy Johnson scores
first makes second |
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Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins tried his luck from long range but it was a rare
moment of respite as Gera nodded a Simon Davies cross narrowly wide.
Enrique came to the Magpies' rescue in the 18th minute when, stood virtually on
the line as the last defender, he nodded clear another powerful Gera effort.
Plodding Jonas Gutierrez was punished for his lack of urgency when Davies stole
the ball from his feet and found Johnson, but the England striker's final pass was
poor and Newcastle breathed again.
But there was no escape in the 23rd minute when rampant Fulham scored the goal their
ascendancy deserved.
A floated cross by Bullard was met by Cacapa but his headed clearance struck team-mate
Coloccini and fell into the path of Johnson, who buried the chance.
Fulham continued to spray the ball around with ease but the frequency of their attacks
began to dry up.
Great footwork by Martins enabled the Nigerian striker to turn and shoot in the
38th minute but his effort bobbled narrowly wide.
Newcastle were seeing more possession but they were almost caught on the counter-attack
in the 40th minute when Johnson, Bobby Zamora and Bullard combined only for Joey
Barton to arrive in the nick of time.
Match Stats |
Fulham |
Newcastle |
Goals |
2 |
1 |
Possession |
45% |
55% |
Goal attempts |
12 |
16 |
On Target |
4 |
4 |
Corners |
6 |
1 |
Off-sides |
3 |
3 |
Saves |
3 |
2 |
Fouls |
16 |
13 |
Yellows |
2 |
2 |
Reds |
0 |
0 |
source: Soccernet |
Heavy rain was failing to dampen either side's attacking ambition with Damien Duff
outstripping Paul Konchesky and pounding the right post with a piledriver.
Nicky Butt saw a well-struck free kick saved by Mark Schwarzer and moments later
the former Manchester United star should have converted from close range as Newcastle
continued their impressive start to the second half.
It was all one-way traffic after the restart as the Magpies probed away for the
equaliser and it duly arrived in the 57th minute.
Duff's cross was deflected by Johnson into the centre of the area but an unfortunate
bounce saw the ball elude right-back John Pantsil.
Instead, it slipped behind him and Shola Ameobi was the first to react by drilling
home from three metres out.
Schwarzer palmed a cracking shot from Barton around the post as Newcastle continue to pummel away against a Fulham side that had disintegrated since their fine first
half.
But against the run of play Roy Hodgson's team restored their lead when Murphy struck
from the spot in the 66th minute.
Coloccini just clipped Johnson as he sprinted into the area and referee Mark Atkinson
had no hesitation signalling a penalty for the decisive score.
Fulham Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky,Davies,
Bullard, Murphy (Baird 88), Gera (Dempsey 64), Johnson,Zamora (Nevland 74).
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Gray, Stoor, Andreasen.
Booked: Hangeland (43,f), Murphy (79,hb).
Goals:
Johnson 23 (left-footed shot into low centre of goal from centre of penalty area from 12 yards out)
Murphy 66 pen (Fabricio Coloccini fouls Andrew Johnson on a run into the Newcastle penalty area)
Newcastle Given, Beye, Coloccini, Cacapa, Jose Enrique,Gutierrez
(Owen 70), Butt, Barton, Duff, Martins, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Bassong, N'Zogbia, Geremi, Carroll.
Booked: Coloccini, Beye.
Goals: Ameobi 57.
Att: 24,740
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).