Match Report
Fulham (0) 1-2 (0) Oldham Athletic
The Emirates FA Cup Third Round at Craven Cottage
Sunday 6th January 2019 KO: 14:00
Referee:
Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
|
Pete Wild, appointed as the caretaker manager of Oldham Athletic just 10 days ago, masterminded a stunning FA Cup upset over Claudio Ranieri’s Fulham.
The League Two team fell behind to a goal by Denis Odoi but struck back through Sam Surridge and Callum Lang, the latter sealing victory in the 88th minute after Daniel Iversen had saved a penalty by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
From the start the thousands of Oldham fans whose giddy chanting provided an incessant soundtrack to the action had good reason to believe an upset was possible.
There was little sign of a gulf between the clubs despite one having spent over £100m on players following their promotion to the Premier League last summer and the other dropping to the fourth tier for the first time since 1971.
Oldham are also trying to overcome financial problems that raised the prospect of a winding-up order being served and, in October, players threatening to strike over unpaid wages.
The fact that the teams looked well-matched was damning on Fulham and to the immense credit of Oldham and their 33-year-old manager.
Evidently Wild has instilled method and confidence since his appointment in the wake of a 6-0 humiliation by Carlisle United.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Oldham |
| Goals |
(0) 0 |
0 (0) |
|
| Scorers |
Odoi 52 |
Surridge pen 76 |
|
|
Lang 88 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
20 |
7 |
| On target |
2 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
10% |
71%% |
| Possession |
59% |
41% |
| Crosses |
10 |
9 |
| Crosses Success |
100% |
100% |
| Corners |
10 |
6 |
| Saves |
3 |
1 |
| Fouls |
12 |
7 |
| Offsides |
1 |
7 |
| Yellows |
3 |
2 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Fulham’s frustration was encapsulated by the moment in the 37th minute when Neeskens Kebano was booked for diving in the box as the 19-year-old right-back Tom Hamer approached him.
Oldham’s defence, marshalled by the 37-year-old Peter Clarke, had kept their illustrious opponents at bay with such poise that the only hints of a goal by that point were a couple of headers by Floyd Ayité after crosses from the left by Maxime Le Marchand.
Neither shot required a save from Oldham’s goalkeeper Daniel Iversen.
In central midfield Ismael Cissé and Fulham’s £25m record signing, Jean-Michaël Seri, found worthy adversaries in Christopher Missilou and Johan Branger, a pair of summer arrivals from French non-league clubs.
Missilou set in motion the best chance of the first half, a break by the visitors that culminated in Jordan Lyden firing just over from 10 yards.
Fulham may have thought they had restored order when Odoi drove the ball into the net in the 52nd minute after an inadvertent back-header by Ayite.
But Oldham have grown accustomed to adversity and were not about to give up the fight.
Claudio Ranieri showed his respect for them by introducing Ryan Sessegnon as a substitute in the 73rd minute, but the prodigy’s first involvement resulted in him conceding a penalty after a tangle with the veteran Clarke.
Surridge converted the penalty with what could be his last major contribution to Oldham, as he returns to his parent club Bournemouth later today.
Ranieri then cast another high-calibre substitute into the fray in the shape of Mitrovic, but that too backfired as the Serbian’s penalty was saved brilliantly by Daniel Iversen.
The debate over the award of the spot kick – there seemed to have been little contact on Tom Cairney before he fell – was redundant.
However Oldham exacted retribution anyway, and in the most glorious style. After a short throw-in on the left wing, Gevaro Nepmuceno sent a superb cross to the back post and Lang scored with an equally fine header.
Fulham: Bettinelli, Odoi, Ream, Chambers, Le Marchand, Seri, Cisse, Cairney (Mitrovic 84), Ayité, Kebano (R Sessegnon 73), Vietto
Unused substitutes: Fabri, Christie, S Sessegnon, Schurrle, Kamara
Goals:
Odoi 52 (right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Floyd Ayite.)
Booked: Kebano (38,f), Odoi (62,d), R Sessegnon (76,f)
Oldham Athletic : Iversen, Hamer, Clarke, G Edmundson, Branger, Missilou, Maouche, Lyden, Lang, O'Grady (Surridge 60), Nepomuceno
Unused substitutes: de la Paz, Taylor, Graham, Rob Hunt, Baxter, Sylla
Goals:
Surridge 73 (converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.)
Lang 88 (header from a difficult angle on the right to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Gevaro Nepomuceno.)
Booked: Missilou (82,f), Lyden (83,d)
Referee:
Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Attendance: 16,134