Fulham come from behind to beat Aston Villa. Bullard sets up the equaliser and scores the winning goal.
Starting Line Ups
First Half Action
1 min
Fulham won a free kick in a dangerous position when Clint Dempsey was brought to ground by Stiliyan Petrov. Jimmy Bullard stepped up and his whipped free kick deflected off the wall and spun just over the bar.
9 mins
A loose pass from Danny Murphy in the Fulham half was intercepted by Shaun Maloney who proceeded to run at pace at Fulham’s defence before releasing the ball to Agbonlahor. The Villa forward looked to have taken himself too far and Niemi was able to collect the subsequent cross with ease.
12 mins
Clint Dempsey managed to find space in the Villa penalty area to get his head to a well-delivered Simon Davies corner. The US international directed his header well but Wilfred Bouma was on hand to clear the danger from a yard out.
15 mins
With neither side fully able to establish a hold in the game it was Villa who were having the greater success going forward – albeit without troubling Antti Niemi. The Whites, lining up with a compact five-man midfield, were looking hard to penetrate.
18 mins
The accusation of not attacking with significant conviction is one that can often be levelled at teams lining up with a five-man midfield. However, Fulham’s early attacking moments were certainly disproving it, with plenty of players joining in upfield.
28 mins
As the first half progressed the Whites started attacking with greater fluency. Fulham were looking more comfortable in turning defence into attack as a result of a greatly improved team shape.
32 mins
Erik Nevland linked up well with Simon Davies in the Villa penalty area, feeding a nice back heel into the path of the Welsh international. Unfortunately for Davies, the ball sat up and he was unable to connect with a left-footed effort.
36 mins
John Carew certainly had his hands full in trying to win balls in the air against fellow Norwegian, Brede Hangeland. However the Whites were not picking up the tall striker when he dropped off the front line to receive the ball.
Second Half Action
50 mins
The second half started in much the same vein as the first ended, with the Whites maintaining their shape well. Clint Dempsey came close to giving Fulham the lead when he rose highest in the penalty area and headed Paul Konchesky’s cross wide.
60 mins
With the game such an evenly balanced affair, possession switched to Villa as they mounted a concerted effort to score the first goal of the encounter. Martin O’Neill’s side did well to keep the ball in Fulham’s final third but eventually the visitors ran out of options.
68 mins – GOAL VILLA – Own Goal Hughes
Fulham went behind in the most unfortunate of circumstances when a Villa corner worked its way through to Aaron Hughes who saw the ball deflect off his knee and into the back of the net. With Carew lurking nehind him, Hughes needed to get a touch on the ball.
69 mins – Fulham Substitution – Nevland OFF McBride ON
Brian McBride made his return to competitive action for the Whites, replacing the hard-working Erik Nevland.
72 mins – GOAL FULHAM – Davies
Fulham got back on level terms courtesy of a wonderful finish from Simon Davies who managed to cut in front of his marker to apply a cute final touch to a wonderfully weighted Jimmy Bullard cross. The midfielder shaped as if to deliver a ball to the back post but instead cut a low delivery into the path of Davies.
77 mins
Villa’s defence was at sixes and sevens following another teasing Jimmy Bullard delivery. The ball eventually fell to Hangeland who could only prod an effort weakly at Carson after Andreasen’s miss-hit volley.
79 mins – Fulham substitution – Dempsey OFF Kamara ON
With Fulham needing the win, Roy Hodgson threw Diomansy Kamara into the action in an attempt to give the Whites more threat going forward. It proved to be a match-winning change as the Senegal international looked a real danger and full of energy.
85 mins – GOAL FULHAM – Bullard
Fulham took the lead for the first time in the match when Kamara was brought down in a dangerous position. Jimmy Bullard stepped up and placed the free kick beyond the despairing dive of Carson.
fulhamfc.com Man of the Match
Jimmy Bullard
The midfielder covered every blade of grass and displayed class on the ball. Created Fulham’s first and scored the winning goal.