Portsmouth 0 Fulham 1
Posted on May 20, 2008
Filed Under Premiership 07/08
Fulham pulled off the result of the day & made a great escape to keep them in the premier league when they defeated fa cup final winners Portsmouth.It was there 4 win in 5 games & it made Reading & Birmingham who must have bin gutted relegated.Fulham had never won 3 away games in a row but somehow they have pulled this off.Do you think Fulham deserved to stay up?
Fulhamstarted the football match with not much purpose with what was on the line you would have though they would have come out all guns blazing but they looked nervous & to busy trying to hear what else was happening.For Portsmouth it was play for your place at wembley & stopping the 3 defeats in a row they have had.Both teams didn’t really push to score as it looked just like a end of season match & not a relegation fight for Fulham.
Portsmouth who had recalled Pedro Mendes back into midfield were trying to control it but they were finding it hard to gain it.While Jimmy Bullard of Fulham was passing the football & playing it all around the park but his team mates wasn’t on the same page & his passes was going nowhere.They knew the other results were now not going there way but it didn’t seem to ignite them as the only chance they had all of the first half was a Simon Davis shot which didn’t have much power but it should have bin worse.
Portsmouth had 2 chances to sink Fulham or at least cause them some trouble as it was John Utaka who collected the ball & made a first time cross into the box but Kanuhadn’t caught up with the play & the chance was wasted.Then it was Johnson who played the ball into the box & Jermain Defoe stabbed at the ball only to see his shot go over the bar & just a inch lower it would have gone in.Both football clubs then played out the half & not much else happened but Fulham was aware of the other live scores. Roy Hodgson
Fulham came out in the second half knowing they had to win the game with the other results going against them.They had the first chance at goal when it was Danny Murphy who had a header straight at goal but it was easily saved by the keeper it was obvious they were suffering by not creating anything but there defending was keeping them in the game & Portsmouth wasn’t making much anyway but Fulham still looked nervous & clueless.
But Fulham still kept plugging away & Bullard had a long range shot with was very ambitious but at least he tried.Then at a Fulham corner the players seemed to want to play a game of head tennis but the Portsmouthth defence got it away.But back Fulham came & a secessionof corners saw Portsmouthth struggling to get the football away but they successful did & Fulham couldn’t break through.
But in the 76th minuted the time had come for Fulham & the goal they needed to stay up it was Bullardagain with his great delivery of a free kick which was awarded & he floated it into the box which was meet by one of the smallest men on the pitch Danny Murphy who headed it into the goal to put Fulham on there way.You have to ask were where the Portsmouth defence as he was unmarked.It was now up to fulham to hold on to the lead.
But they didn’t really have to try as Portsmouth didn’t really put them under any pressure so when the ref blew the final whistle the Fulham fans & players knew they had done the unthinkable & stayed in the premiership for another year. Harry Redknapp
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