Fulham edge towards safety
Fulham 3 Portsmouth 1
Substitute Brian McBride scored the second goal and turned the match as Fulham fought back to claim a win over Portsmouth that could keep them in the Barclays Premiership.
Not only did the American striker, a second-half replacement for Claus Jensen, put his side ahead, his arrival allowed Luis Boa Morte to switch to the left and McBride’s aerial presence changed the game.
Portsmouth looked to be strolling after Lomana LuaLua gave them a 32nd-minute lead with a brilliant effort, and their spirits soared when Jamie Ashdown saved Steed Malbranque’s penalty in first-half stoppage time.
But Andy Cole equalised for Fulham in the 63rd minute following good work by Boa Morte and, after McBride put the Cottagers in front, the Portuguese winger wrapped up the points in injury time when he capitalised on a mistake by Linvoy Primus to stroke the ball home.
The result leaves Portsmouth just five points above the relegation zone, and the manner of this defeat will do nothing for their confidence.
The early stages were surprisingly open for such a crucial match, and Portsmouth were lucky not to have Dejan Stefanovic sent off in the fourth minute.
The Serbo-Montenegrin centre-back brought down Boa Morte as he prepared to charge through on goal, but referee Mark Clattenburg opted for leniency and showed only a yellow card.
Portsmouth attacked in the 19th minute with LuaLua feeding Patrik Berger. The Czech’s burst into the penalty area from the left had gone unnoticed, but his control was poor and Fulham goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was able to gather comfortably.
Portsmouth continued to create the better chances, and it required an alert interception from Zat Knight to prevent Aiyegbeni Yakubu shooting on goal from Steve Stone’s right-wing cross.
Yakubu did make contact with Stone’s curling ball a minute later, and it took a superb save from van der Sar to tip over the Nigerian’s goalbound header.
Sylvain Legwinski wasted two chances to put Fulham ahead just before the half-hour mark.
First he failed to make contact with a far-post volley after Knight had headed the ball back into the penalty area, before failing to direct a near-post header on target after meeting Jensen’s right-wing corner.
Just as Fulham appeared to be gaining the upper hand, LuaLua gave Portsmouth the lead with a special strike in the 32nd minute.
Knight and Moritz Volz should not have allowed the former Newcastle man to create space for himself inside the area, but the power and accuracy of his 15-yard shot from left to right gave van der Sar no chance.
The home side should have equalised in the 37th minute but the unmarked Jensen did not make proper contact with a far-post header from Boa Morte’s right-wing cross and the ball bounced over the top.
And their misery increased when Steed Malbranque missed a penalty in first-half stoppage time.
Cole’s left-wing cross was handled by Giannis Skopelitis, but Malbranque’s shot was weak and too close to Ashdown, who also stopped Boa Morte’s follow-up effort.
LuaLua continued to cause trouble for the Fulham defence with his pace and skill. Three minutes after the break, he ran at the back four, beat Alain Goma and set up Berger, whose 20-yard shot went narrowly wide of the right post.
In the 51st minute, Stefanovic brought down Clark and Jensen curled a 22-yard free-kick just over the Pompey crossbar.
Fulham equalised in the 63rd minute with their first effort on target in open play.
Boa Morte, who had switched to the left when McBride replaced Jensen, got the better of Stone and cut the ball back for Cole to send a rising shot past Ashdown from 10 yards for his 12th league goal of the season.
McBride’s introduction changed the match. The American gave Fulham presence in attack, and Portsmouth were pushed back.
In the 75th minute, Volz escaped down the right but his low cross was well cut out by the back-tracking Aliou Cisse.
A minute later, Cole somehow headed Malbranque’s left-wing corner against the far post from three yards, and nobody was on hand to turn in the loose ball as it rolled across the face of the goal.
But Pompey were still dangerous on the break. LuaLua set up Yakubu with an astute back-heel, and the 14-goal frontman’s 20-yard effort went inches wide of van der Sar’s right post.
Fulham got the goal their pressure deserved 10 minutes from time – but it took an awful error from Arjan de Zeeuw to let them in.
The Dutchman, composed until then, failed to get any power on an attempted header back to Ashdown, and McBride composed himself before volleying over the young goalkeeper from 15 yards.
Boa Morte sealed the win in stoppage time, robbing Linvoy Primus before deceiving Ashdown and calmly slotting home.
