Fulham 0-1 Newcastle United
For a few days it was fun to hail Fulham as modern-day Robin Hoods, taking points from the top clubs and bestowing them on the needy.
But last Saturday, the Whites could not quite reproduce the exhilarating performance that had seen off Tottenham Hotspur three weeks before. Newcastle United waited for the opportunity to dive in and fly away with three points.
As I left the stadium a passing Newcastle fan asked me the way to The Crabtree pub. He admitted that he had only enjoyed the last twenty minutes of the afternoon. Before that his team had, as Alyson Rudd described it in the Times, "weathered a storm of aesthetics".
We Fulham supporters did relish the first 45 minutes at least, when the Whites outclassed their illustrious opponents.
Willian and Alex Iwobi were in an inventive mood, and Joao Palhinha, Antonee Robinson, Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira each had a chance to score.
It was a relief when Anthony Gordon's shot hit Bernd Leno's water bottle rather than the back of the net. Apart from that, the visitors gave a drab display. Referee Sam Allison handled the match well but could do little to prevent the petty fouls and periodic time wasting.
The flaw in the Robin Hood comparison is that the outlaw (as portrayed by Errol Flynn anyway) had the gift of prodigious accuracy, and that trait was missing from the Fulham attack.
As the match progressed they seemed to develop a reluctance to shoot (something that Robin would not have appreciated). Half time arrived with the match goalless.
Second half woes
Marco Silva saw no reason to make changes and play continued in the same vein with Pereira drawing a good save from Martin Dubravka, and Gordon doing the same from Leno.
Rodrigo Muniz had another frustrating game, firing tamely when he did get an opening. It was not until the 65th minute that home substitutions were made with Wilian, Pereira and Cairney yielding to Sasa Lukic, Harry Wilson and Adama Traore. It was the latter who seemed most likely to break the deadlock.
As every seasoned supporter feared, Newcastle grabbed the lead against the run of play. Following a corner kick Fabian Schar turned the ball past Leno. The goal was subsequently disallowed after VAR prompted Mr Allison to consider Dan Burn's barge into Calvin Bassey.
This escape should have acted as a warning but it just invigorated Newcastle. After Harvey Barnes's effort was blocked the ball ran free and Bruno Guimaraes slammed it home.
Fulham still had nine minutes plus a further nine of added time to gain at least a point. Schar intercepted Antonee Robinson's cross and Harry Wilson's free kick found no-one to meet it.
An injury to Lewis Hall caused a further delay. Late entrants Raul Jimenez and Armando Broja saw their efforts come to nothing and Wilson wasted a final opportunity. It would have been even worse if Elliot Anderson had not muffed his shot.
It used to be suggested that if a cup match ended in a draw the victory should be awarded to the team that had secured the greater number of corners. Last Saturday Fulham had fourteen. Newcastle five. Send for Robin Hood.
Big victory for Fulham Women
In other news, congratulations to Rodrigo Muniz for gaining 91.7 per cent of the votes for the Fulham supporters' Goal of the Month for his acrobatic strike against Sheffield United, and for featuring in the BBC's selection for the nationwide title.
Congratulations too to the Fulham Women's team, who played at the Cottage last Sunday and beat league leaders Dartford by four clear goals. This enjoyable match was shown live on the FFC website.
The players certainly know how to score and how to defend. They have a positive goal difference of 49 from 18 matches. Info on the women's side's upcoming fixtures can be found here.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
