Following on from last week’s 2-0 victory over Derby, the Whites took to the field on Tuesday evening with another strong starting eleven. Philippe Christanval made his return to action following a spell on the sidelines whilst Simon Elliott continued his return to full fitness.
Fulham lined up in a conventional 4-4-2 formation with Bouazza and Seol occupying the left and right wings respectively. Michael Timlin and Simon Elliott paired up in the centre of midfield.
In a game where neither side were put on the back foot for extensive periods of time Fulham did, nonetheless, impose their will on the game more effectively. They made a bright start to the match when the impressive Erik Nevland released Seol Ki-Hyeon with a neat give-and-go. The South Korean international made good ground down the right flank before cutting inside Birmingham’s left back, Shaun Timmins, and feeding the ball to the arriving Nevland, whose clipped shot spun just over the bar.
The visitors were working hard to close the Whites down but were making little headway when in possession of the ball. However, they took the lead somewhat against the run of play when Fulham goalkeeper Wesley Foderingham lingered in possession and his clearance was charged down by Cameron Jerome. The ball fell kindly to the Birmingham striker but with Fulham’s defenders coming back to help out, his rushed shot struck the left hand post only to bounce out to Garry O’Connor who placed the ball past Philippe Christanval.
Fulham had no reason to lose their composure and the play continued to flow in the Whites’ favour. David Healy was making a nuisance of himself and almost pulled Fulham level in the 9th minute when he latched on to a bouncing ball in the box and scuffed a shot just over. The Northern Ireland striker turned provider a minute later when he drifted out to the right flank and delivered a low, teasing cross to the back post where Toni Kallio saw his shot deflect off the chest of Birmingham goalkeeper Colin Doyle and off the post for a corner.
Simon Elliott was enjoying a good start to the match, patrolling the midfield to good effect and breaking up play well. Indeed, his intervention played a big part in Fulham's equaliser on 17 minutes. Elliott joined the attack just in time to nod a weak clearance into the path of Healy who shifted the ball away from his marker before finishing well with his left foot. Erik Nevland played his part in the goal with a nice dummy which allowed Healy the extra yard.
Nevland and Healy both came close to getting on the end of a good Kallio cross on the 25 minute mark. The pair linked up well again to give Fulham the lead just before the half hour mark.
The Whites managed to break beyond Birmingham’s midfield line and Healy wrong-footed the visiting defence with a fine reverse pass into the path of Nevland who took a touch before flicking the ball past Doyle with the outside of his right foot.
The lively Daniel De Ridder was far and away the most potent threat for Birmingham and he forced a fine save from Wesley Foderingham in the 40th minute when he sprinted through the Fulham midfield and unleashed a fierce shot which Foderingham did well to hold on to.
The first half finished with Kallio nearly extending Fulham’s lead when he was found by an astute first time pass from Elliott – however he was unable to get his shot away before Doyle came out to smother the ball at his feet.
The second half saw far less meaningful attacking activity from both sides as the temperature took a sharp drop. But again it was De Ridder who was giving Birmingham the most hope. Cutting in from the right flank on 48 minutes, his low skidding shot needed a smart save from Foderingham.
Fulham were still maintaining the upper hand in a scrappy affair however with Healy and Nevland looking to get in behind the Birmingham defence, the Whites were often unable release the last pass.
Mauro Zarate nearly netted an equaliser for the Blues on 65 minutes when he was found by a good cross-field pass from De Ridder but was unable to keep his shot down from 25 yards. Fulham managed to create an opening when Kallio and Seol combined to play Nevland through on 70 minutes. The Norwegian international’s touch took him away from the defence but his shot was blocked by a last-ditch tackle.
As the final whistle drew closer, Birmingham began resorting to more direct attacking methods which played nicely into the hands of Stefanovic and Christanval.
The equalising goal came in 87th minute and once more, the strike appeared out of keeping with the flow of the game. De Ridder found himself in plenty of space down the right wing after a diagonal pass seemed to catch the Fulham back line unawares. Play continued amid suspicions of offside as the young Dutchman advanced on goal from the inside right channel. Foderingham came out to meet him but the ball was squared to Cameron Jerome 12 yards out. His initial shot was blocked on the line by Kallio but he made no mistake with the rebound.
Fulham survived a late scare in the final seconds of injury time when De Ridder was brought down on the edge of the box for a free kick in a dangerous position, fortunately Foderingham produced a good save to ensure the draw.
Fulham: Foderingham; Omozusi, Kallio, Stefanovic, Christanval; Elliott, Seol, Timlin, Bouazza; Nevland (Briggs 76), Healy (Ehui 60)
