Match Summary

Antti Niemi helped Fulham to a share of the points as the Whites played out the second half of an unspectacular encounter with ten men. Paul Konchesky was given his marching orders in first half injury time after swinging an arm at Craig Fagan.

First Half Action

9 mins
Having started the brighter side, the Whites were looking to test Derby goalkeeper, Stephen Bywater, with a number of early crosses.

12 mins
In their first serious venture upfield, the visitors managed to work themselves into a shooting opportunity which fell to Kenny Miller. The Derby player tried to beat Antti Niemi at the near post but the Fulham keeper was equal to the effort.

16 mins
Derby were certainly not playing like a side low on confidence as they pressured Fulham with a couple of well taken corner routines. However, the Whites managed to defend successfully and launched a quick counter attack which saw Diomansy Kamara feed to ball to the rapidly advancing Steven Davis. The Northern Ireland international played the ball across the face of the area and it eventually fell to Seol Ki-Hyeon whose shot flew just wide.

25 mins
Fulham continued to search for an opening and it very nearly came in the 25th minute when Paul Konchesky managed to get to the by-line and whip in a teasing cross which unfortunately evaded both Clint Dempsey and Diomansy Kamara. It was a fine piece of play from Konchesky who was putting in a assured display.

30 mins
The visitors’ back line was caught at sixes and sevens on the half hour mark with the ball bouncing awkwardly in the Derby penalty area. With plenty of Fulham players lying in wait for the ball to come down, it eventually fell to Danny Murphy whose hurried shot was easily dealt with by Bywater.

32 mins
Antti Niemi had to be on top form when Stephen Pearson’s cross was deflected goalwards by an unwitting Aaron Hughes. The ball flew straight at Niemi who did well to dive to his right and smother the ball on the line.

45 mins - RED CARD - Paul Konchesky
An untidy tangle between Paul Konchesky and Craig Fagan by the touchline saw the Derby player escape with a yellow card whilst the Fulham defender picked up a straight red.

The initial offence was committed by Fagan, whose persistent attempts to wrestle Konchesky off the ball were clearly unsuccessful in obtaining possession or attracting the immediate attention of the referee. However, in Konchesky’s efforts to break free an arm swung back and the offence was deemed worthy of a straight red. The half time whistle blew shortly after.

Second Half Action

46 mins - Fulham Substitution – Bocanegra ON Seol OFF
Carlos Bocanegra replaced Seol Ki-Hyeon at the restart as Lawrie Sanchez reshuffled his side to compensate for the loss of Konchesky. Bocanegra lined up at left back as Fulham started the second period in a 4-3-2 formation.

54 mins
Antti Niemi was again on hand to parry away a fierce shot from Derby captain Matt Oakley after the ball was laid back into space outside the edge of the Fulham area. Then the Finnish international pulled off a world class save just minutes later when Giles Barnes rose highest in the area and headed firmly at goal. Niemi flung a right boot out to prevent a certain opening goal.

61 mins
Diomansy Kamara and Clint Dempsey linked up well as Fulham, despite being at a numerical disadvantage, were more than holding their own in attack. Dempsey received possession of the ball and led a two-on-two counter attack with Kamara. The American international laid the ball off to Kamara but the Senegal striker drifted too wide before taking a shot which flew just over.

66 mins
Fulham continued to press and on the 66th minute Dempsey did well to turn on the edge of the six yard box and snap a shot away which went out for a corner off Bywater’s chest. Danny Murphy swung his kick in, Dempsey rose highest at the far post and Bywater tipped over for another corner. Murphy whipped in another kick which this time Bouazza volleyed at Bywater for an easy save.

76 mins
Niemi came to Fulham’s rescue once more when Aaron Hughes lost his footing and allowed a through ball to run into the path of Miller who closed in on goal with only the Fulham keeper to beat. The Derby front man tried to find the inside of the far post but Niemi judged his angles to perfection and got down quickly to his left to palm the ball wide.

86 mins - Fulham Substitution – Healy ON Kamara OFF
With the seconds ticking away, Lawrie Sanchez introduced David Healy for Diomansy Kamara in an attempt to get maximum points from the match.

90+2 mins
The visitors almost snatched the spoils when Kenny Miller ran on to a successful knock down and fired a shot past Niemi and narrowly past the keeper’s left hand post. Once again, Niemi’s positioning was exemplary.