Match Report: Fulham and Hull Changes Makes for Enthralling Draw at Craven Cottage
Fulham were out this weekend to avenge the humiliating 6-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of Hull at the KC Stadium earlier this season - the Cottagers' heaviest ever Premier League defeat - but they showed few signs of doing so in a cagey opening 45 minutes. The hosts fired away just 2 shots on goal in the first half compared to Hull's 3, as goalkeepers David Stockdale and Steve Harper were remained fairly untested by either side.
Felix Magath sent his Fulham side out in a 4-1-4-1, but a lack of penetration in attacking areas was telling early on as Hull ensured Hugo Rodallega was unable to gain a foothold in the game. The German reacted at the interval by introducing Kieran Richardson and Ashkan Dejagah at the expense of ineffective duo John Arne Riise and Lewis Holtby, while Darren Bent replaced captain Steve Sidwell 8 minutes into the second half, as the hosts moved to a more attacking 4-4-1-1.
Magath was duly rewarded for his tweaks when Dejagah curled into the top corner. The Iranian put the overlap of Sascha Riether to good use, cutting onto his left and curling past the helpless Harper. 3 minutes later Fulham doubled their advantage, Richardson whipping the ball in for Fernando Amorebieta to head into the corner, much to the delight of the home fans who burst into a resounding rendition of 'We are staying up'.
However, their joy was short-lived as Steve Bruce made changes of his own. The Hull boss introduced Sone Aluko for defender Alex Bruce, moving from a 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 and the change in formation reaped rewards as Nikica Jelavic halved the deficit from close range before Shane Long equalised for the visitors with just 3 minutes remaining.
Fulham will undeniably feel hard done by having thrown away a two-goal lead and with it three points that would have taken them out of the bottom three. The home side fired away more efforts on goal (10) than Hull (8) yet their finishing touch, or lack thereof, proved to be their undoing. While Fulham needed fewer shots on target (3) than the visiting side (4) to net their 2 goals, the west London outfit missed 2 clear-cut opportunities through Rodallega and Dejagah that would have secured maximum points, matching their statistically calculated weakness of 'finishing scoring chances'.
One could even make the point that the home side were lucky to have secured a positive result at all with Aluko seeing a deflected effort cannon back off the crossbar, while Ahmed Elmohamady's goalbound effort was turned onto the foot of the post by Stockdale prior to Long's equaliser. Nevertheless, after a nervous opening 45 minutes, both sets of fans were treated to an entertaining second period, with the changes made by both managers contributing to this.
This is best highlighted in the top 5 highest rated players from the stalemate. Substitute Dejagah was the highest-rated performer (7.8), while Aluko (7.5) saw his score marginally bettered only by Long (7.5) of every Hull player. Regardless though, Magath was visibly dejected with a result that leaves his side stuck in the relegation zone. "We have to win the last two games," the Fulham boss said afterwards, though that's easier said than done when considering they face Stoke and Crystal Palace before the season ends.
Bruce was more upbeat following the impressive comeback and admitted to hoping that the 37 points Hull have mustered should be enough to secure their top-flight safety, though that remains to be seen with just 5 points separating them and 18th-placed Norwich.
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