Fulham Earn Testy Draw at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta had a forgettable game for the Gunners (Getty Images)

Arsenal vs Fulham is kind of the London derby that isn't, as the Cottagers have never won away to Arsenal and have secured very few draws.  This year's Fulham side is a bit different though, led by Dimitar Berbatov, and looked to alter that horrible away record.  Arsenal had the better of the start, but in the end it was Fulham who were happier on the day.

Fulham came out looking quite positive, moving the ball around rather nicely, and it was a bit odd honestly.  You don't usually see teams come out and have possession against Arsenal, particularly at the Emirates.  However they could only turn this into one early chance, as Bryan Ruiz had a shot deflected just wide of the Arsenal goal in the 4th minute.

The good news for Arsenal was that Olivier Giroud was very active in this one.  The Frenchman has been viewed as a little bit of a bust since coming over to the Gunners, failing to tally in the Premier League.  He opened his account in a big way in this one though.  In the 11th minute Theo Walcott sent a corner kick into the Fulham area and Giroud planted a bullet header just between Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer and his near post to make it 1-0. 

It wasn't just Giroud who got in on the act for the Gunners though.  Lukas Podolski was also among the goals.  In  the 23rd minute the Fulham defense fell asleep at the switch in their own penalty area, allowing Mikel Arteta to easily drop a centering pass off to Podolski at the top of the six.  The German promptly slotted an easy finish past a helpless Schwarzer to make it 2-0.

It was at that point that Dimitar Berbatov decided he had had enough, and took over the game for Fulham, working well on the ball when he had it, and demanding better from his teammates when he didn't.  Berbatov tallied Fulham's first, doinking in a close range header from a corner kick to make it 2-1 on 29 minutes as set piece defense continued to haunt the Gunners.

The former United man was far from finished though and helped pull the Cottagers level before the half.  In the 40th minute he sent a spot on cross over to Alexander Kacaniklic who was coming in from the Fulham left.  Kacaniklic then headed the the ball just inside the near most to make it 2-2 going into the halftime interval.

The second half would be as much of a battle as the first, though a good portion of the story of the stanza would be told from the penalty spot.  In the 65th minute Arsenal conceded a PK as Bryan Ruiz was brought down in the box.  Berbatov pretty much froze Arsenal 'keeper Vito Mannone on the spot kick, icing it into the bottom corner to make it 2-3 to Fulham.  Arsenal looked to be reeling.

It didn't last long though as Giroud and Walcott came to the Gunners rescue again.  In the 69th minute Walcott found the Frenchman lurking in the six with a cross, and Giroud dropped in yet another headed goal to equalize the match with 20 minutes left, 3-3.

Things stayed knotted well into the stoppage time, when controversy reared it's head.  In the 4th minute, referee Phil Dowd awarded Arsenal a PK when an Andrei Arshavin cross bounced off the lowered hand of Sascha Riether from point blank range, it really was a tough call.  The Gunners crowd scratched their heads though when Arteta stepped up to take the penalty as opposed to Giroud, the striker.  Arteta then proceeded to send a tame penalty in toward the corner which Schwarzer easily saved to preserve the draw 3-3 at full time.  It really was a horrible missed opportunity for the Gunners at home.

EPL: Fulham Hand West Brom First Loss

This shot netted Berbatov's first Fulham goal. (Action Images)

West Brom brought their unbeaten start to the Barclay's Premier League season into Craven Cottage on Saturday, putting it on the line against a retooled Fulham squad that now features a former Premier League Golden Boot winner.  Fulham were a very confident side on their home ground though, after all, they did drop five on Norwich there on opening day.

The first five minutes of the match were all Fulham.  They passed the ball around quite confidently as their opponents were hardly able to get a touch.  Despite the probing and possession, they only got off one shot though, as Damien Duff saw his effort blocked in the third minute.  

West Brom finally managed to interrupt Fulham's planned afternoon after finally getting some possession of their own.  In minute six Peter Odemwingie cranked a shot from outside of the box, but he hit it straight at Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer, who easily held on.  James Morrison was next to test the Australian international with a driven shot on 10 minutes, and Jonas Olsson tried to flick a corner kick into the bottom corner on the 11th, but Schwarzer easily handled both chances.

Things finally came good for Fulham and their steady attack in the 32nd minute.  Alexander Kacaniklic picked out new arrival Dimitar Berbatov in the center of the area, and the former Manchester United man curled a gorgeous shot into the side netting to make it 1-0.  It was Berbatov's first Fulham goal on his home debut.  Not bad.

West Brom would find themselves in further trouble six minutes later.  After losing out on a ball from from a clearance, Odemwingie inexplicably lashed out and kicked Fulham's Sascha Riether in full view of both benches and the referee.  He was given the obvious red card and sent off to take an early shower.

After the ejection West Brom tried to focus and maintain the scoreline through halftime.  It almost worked.  In the first minute of stoppage time defender Billy Jones chopped down Kacaniklic in the area to concede a penalty kick.  Berbatov easily scored the spot kick to bag his brace and hand his club a 2-0 lead at the break.

 

Fulham pretty much controlled the second half up a man, but West Brom defended reasonably well and 'keeper Ben Foster made several classy saves.  They nearly got a goal of their own in the 67th minute as well.  Chelsea loan product Romelu Lukaku got on the end of a nice counter attack and sent a low shot at the far post, but once again Shwarzer managed to save it.  It might have managed to change the complexion of the match some, but in the end it was West Brom's last gasp.

 

Fulham finally secured all three points in the 89th minute.  Hugo Rodallega headed a ball off the crossbar that rebounded heavily out to Steve Sidwell.  The midfielder smacked a perfect volley into the back of the net to make it 3-0 to Fulham on full time.

EPL Dealings: Down to the Wire!

Forget throwball and politics, it's officially transfer deadline day!  Different leagues across Europe wrap up proceedings at different times, but if the business is to be done, it has to be done today!  For the Barclay's Premier League, the window officially closes a little more than 15 hours from the writing of this entry.  Some big moves have already gone down in the last couple of days with promise of more in the next few hours!

                                                       

In one of the big high profile moves of the day, Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has joined West Ham on a season long loan deal.  Reports are also saying that the Irons will have an option to buy at the end of the loan.

Carroll cited the fact that he had worked with West Ham boss Sam Allardyce at Newcastle as a big reason why he wanted to make the switch.  Last year Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for the big striker's services, but it appears the Hammers finally met the loan conditions.  Carroll told West Ham's website that he's just looking forward to playing games and hopefully scoring some big goals for the side.

Elsewhere in London, QPR have confirmed the signing of Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar.  The deal is still pending international clearance and the visa process, but the Brazilian looks set to begin a four year stint at Loftus Road.  In 7 years between the pipes for Inter, Cesar won the Serie A title five times as well as the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.  This is a big addition for Mark Hughes' side.

Elsewhere in England, Swansea City have finally agreed to a fee to sell Scott Sinclair to Manchester City.  The Swans rejected a 6.2 million pound offer on Tuesday, but the new City offer supposedly has possible bonuses taking the price up to around 8 million for the former Chelsea man.  Sinclair is holding talks with City on personal terms.  If this goes through, the Swans are likely to continue in their pursuit to sign Spanish veteran Pablo Hernandez from Valencia

Finally, back in London. Fulham look set to sign up Manchester United man Dimitar Berbatov.  At last reports Berbatov was at Fulham taking a medical.  Fulham had previously sold Moussa Dembele to Spurs earlier this week, and they're still fielding options for Clint Dempsey.

That brings us back to Liverpool, who are trying to land two rather large fish.  As mentioned earlier, rumors have persisted that Anfield is keen to move for US International Dempsey, who has sat out Fulham's opening matches.  However there has been little concrete evidence of the process going forward, so it remains to be seen.  The other rumor for the Reds has to do with Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente.  However, this deal was seen as contingent upon being able to SELL Andy Carroll, so it remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, by the time my American readers get this in the morning, the landscape will have shifted even more.  Look for a full round-up tonight on the Puddle.

EPL: Manchester City vs. Fulham

Coming off of their previous loss on the road to Everton, Manchester City needed a pick-me-up. Turns out a visit from Fulham to Etihad stadium was just what the doctor ordered. City was wounded and bleeding, Fulham had just cut Bobby Zamora loose. It was a recipe for disaster.

City didn't wait long to fire their opening salvos at the Fulham net. Edin Dzeko tried his luck in the second minute, and Gareth Barry took his turn in the fourth. Both shots came up lacking however. Dzeko tried again in the fifth minute, but his header floated over the bar. He really should have done better.

City got on the board through dubious circumstances in the 10th minute. Adam Johnson flopped over in the box, and the referee gave a penalty. Turns out both Manchester clubs benefited from dubious penalties last weekend. At any rate, Sergio Aguero calmly hit the PK to make it 1-0 to City after 11 minutes.

Fulham tried to respond, but nothing was going their way in the Manchester snow. Clint Dempsey hit a shot wide in the 14th, and Simon Davies had a shot saved in the 24th. That was about it for Fulham in the first half.

However City would again benefit from tough circumstances before the half. In the 30th minute Johnson again went at Chris Baird, who had "conceded" the PK. Johnson put in a shot from a tough angle and it deflected in off of Baird for an own goal. A nightmare for Baird and Fulham, and City led 2-0 going into the half.

The weather turned even more sour in the 2nd half, and further hindered Fulham from getting back into the match. It even led to the ref calling for the lines to be shoveled off on a couple of different occasions. This was actually quite entertaining.

In the 72nd minute, City finished the task. Aguero dished to Edin Dzeko, who finally found his way into the back of the net again to make it 3-0 to City. Fulham would get a chance at a consolation goal in the 89th minute but John Arne Riise had his shot saved by Joe Hart, and City held on for the 3-0 win on a cold Saturday.

JOE HART GETS HELP FROM THE SHOVEL BRIGADE (EPL Official)

FA Cup 4th Round: Everton vs. Fulham

If there was ever an FA Cup match that was going to garner interest in the USA, it was this one. Of course I mean interest by people who aren't like me and don't obsess over world football. This match featured what are probably the three biggest names in US Soccer right now. For Everton Tim Howard was in goal as per usual, and Landon Donovan started in the midfield. Fulham featured Clint Dempsey, scorer of two hat tricks in the last month, in the midfield.

Of course beyond the interest in the Americans abroad, those of us who do follow English football knew that this was the FA Cup, and really the only chance either of these clubs had at winning a trophy this year. The loser would be done.

Everton has had the Cottagers' number at home over the years, but Fulham had been the dominant side in the FA Cup. Everton came out of the gates looking to put an end to the latter trend. Outside of a wild shot by Dempsey in the 2nd minute, the Toffees controlled possession in the early going. Fulham seemed largely lethargic, not chasing the ball much and turning it over when they did get it.

All that changed in the 12th minute as Fulham had the chance to take the lead. Damien Duff drove into the box, and John Heitinga got in front of his shot, handling the ball as he went. Referee Howard Webb quickly and correctly pointed to the spot. Heitinga was given a yellow for the handball. Fulham captain Danny Murphy converted the PK and Fulham took the 0-1 lead, totally against the run of play.

Everton didn't waste any time in responding though and to their credit went right back into their game plan. It's hard to panic a David Moyes side, even with an early goal. Around the 20th minute the Toffees brought a ton of pressure to bare on the Fulham goal that culminated in a great shot from Magaye Gueye being blocked to end the threat.

However Everton got their much deserved equalizer in the 28th minute, and one of the Americans on the pitch featured prominently. Landon Donovan sent a beautiful and spot on cross into Denis Stracqualursi, who got up and headed it past the helpless Fulham 'keeper and into the net to tie the match at 1-1. Great goal.

After halftime, Clint Dempsey really tried to make a difference for Fulham. Unfortunately for the Cottagers, only Dempsey, Duff, and Ruiz really showed, and they couldn't not get the ball to Deuce to get him involved. Still, in the 52nd minute he put a header over the bar and had a decent effort blocked in the 58th, but that would be about the extent of his involvement.

Everton were still firmly control and looking for the go ahead goal. Landon Donovan was constantly getting himself in position to be helpful for his club. In the 70th minute he rolled a shot just wide of the post, but made a significant contribution again just 3 minutes later as he sent another finally crafted cross into the area. This one found the head of Marouane Fellaini, who tucked it into the net to give Everton the 2-1 lead. Just aim for the hair, Landon.

Everton continued to dominate for the rest of the match, but Fulham did get one good look in stoppage time that almost forced a replay. In the 1st extra minute, Bryan Ruiz, who was the biggest bright spot on the day for Fulham, got a hold of a good strike but sent it just agonizingly wide of Tim Howard's goal. The Toffees held on for the 2-1 win.

They advance to the 5th round of the FA Cup. They will play at home against the winner of Blackpool/Sheffield Wednesday.

EPL: Arsenal vs. Fulham

All eyes were on Arsenal's Robin Van Persie coming into this match. It's perfectly understandable. Only Real Madrid's Ronaldo has scored more goals for club and country in the 2011 calendar year. However, it wasn't the prolific Arsenal captain that found the back of the net, but a center back, and he found the net for BOTH teams.

As is typical, Arsenal controlled much of the match. Fulham had never won at the Gunners, and it seemed like it would be a tough ask today as well. Andrey Arshavin got a look in the 11, after sitting out the Champion's League fixture midweek. He looked pretty good. Early on he took a pass from RVP and smacked it into the back of the net, but the flag was up and replay showed he was indeed offside.

Theo Walcott and Ramsey also had great chances for the Gunners. Ramsey in particular forced a great save out of Mark Schwarzer to keep the game level. Fulham had two solid chances in the first half, one from Bobby Zamora and the other from Mousa Dembele. However they couldn't beat Wojciech Szczesny and we went into the half time break at 0-0.

Business then picked up in the second half. Van Persie got his best look of the game early on, only to see his shot cleared off the Fulham goal by Chris Baird. Then in the 65th minute we had our first goal of the day. Thomas Vermaelen tried to play a bouncing ball in his own area, but ended up putting it past his own 'keeper to make it 0-1 to Fulham.

A few minutes later, Bobby Zamora knocked in another for Fulham. However, he was also flagged for offside, but just barely. It was a lot closer than Arshavin's called back effort.

Vermaelen redeemed himself and snatched a point for the Gunners in the 83rd minute. He got his head onto a Theo Walcott cross and directed it into the back of the net to make it 1-1. Arsenal put on a lot of pressure in the final 7 minutes, but Fulham held on to snatch a road point at the Emirates.

EPL: Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur

This is one of those matches that the score line just doesn't do justice. Initially, I had my doubts about getting up early to catch it, but I'm glad I did.

Fulham got off to a bright start, getting a lot of possession and controlling the flow of the match. However the best chances and the only two goals of the first half belonged to Spurs. In the 10th minute Mark Schwarzer pushed an Aaron Lennon pass away to the side, but Gareth Bale sliced it back toward the goal where it deflected into the net off of a Fulham defender. The goal was credited to Bale.

Spurs struck again in first half stoppage time, with Aaron Lennon again involved. This time he slashed his own way into the penalty area and slotted home the second goal to give Spurs the 0-2 lead at half time.

The second half was pretty much all Fulham, and was great fun to watch. They poured chance after chance and shot after shot in at the Spurs defense and Brad Friedel. Their first break of the match came in the 57th minute when during a scrum off of a corner kick Ledley King headed the ball off the back of Younes Kaboul and into the Spurs net, that made it 1-2.

The own goal just energized Fulham even more, as Friedel was forced to make save after save into the match's final minutes. At one point, Clint Dempsey worked his way around Friedel and put the ball in for what looked like a sure equalizer, only to have it cleared at the last second by King.

In second half stoppage time Fulham ended up feeling very hard done by. In yet another scrum in front of the Spurs goal, Kyle Walker clearly handled the ball and Fulham should have had a penalty kick to try and equalize, but it wasn't given. In the end, substitue Jermaine Defoe broke loose toward Schwarzer's goal and slotted home the Spurs' 3rd on virtually the last kick of the game. The full time result was 1-3 to Tottenham.

The result puts Spurs just out of the Champion's League spots on goal difference.

EPL: Fulham vs. Blackburn

Luckily my Sundays off have started again in time for the new EPL season. I hope they continue that way. I set my alarm this morning to be up in time to make some coffee and catch the Fulham versus Blackburn match live on Fox Soccer. I love watching and tweeting about matches on my DVR, but nothing compares to being able to watch and interact live.

Usually we get one of the big four on a Sunday match. Not this week though. On the surface, Fulham v Blackburn isn't that attractive a match up. Both teams came into the match winless in the new season in the EPL, Blackburn with no points at all after three losses. Fulham has the fire power, and you would have considered them favorites to pick up the three points at Craven Cottage. Blackburn had other ideas though.

Ideas weren't something that abounded in this match. Fulham got off to a pretty bright start. They held the ball for a good portion of the first 10 minutes or so, but were unable to fashion any real chances except for a shot in the 8th minute that Sidwell sent just wide.

After the initial period of Fulham possession, things really evened out. Blackburn finally got their feet under them and pushed the ball up the pitch. Goodwillie had nice acrobatic volley in the 15th minute that just barely went wide and should have served to wake Fulham up a bit.

Blackburn finally opened the scoring in the in the 32nd minute. Ruben Rochina took the ball on a slight angle near the top of the area and roped it in past Schwarzer. The ball hit the crossbar first, then bounced around and in, giving Blackburn the 0-1 lead.

The lead didn't last long however. About 6 minutes later Bobby Zamora put Craven Cottage on his back and absolutely blasted home an equalizer from an acute angle. Great shot. It too hit the post, but there was no doubt where it was going to end up and we went to the interval tied at 1-1.

Unfortunately the second half resembled most of the play in the first half, not the wide open 6 minutes that produced both gorgeous goals. All the drama in the second half took place in stoppage time. Clint Dempsey looked to have a sure winner in the 91st, only to be denied by a gorgeous save from Paul Robinson. Then a couple of minutes later Mark Schwarzer and Junior Holiett collided at the top of the Fulham 18. Both men went down in a heap. Schwarzer was given a yellow card, but play was stopped for about seven minutes while medical attended to Holiett. There was no malice involved, just two guys going hard for the ball. Rovers reported after the match that he likely has a concussion and took some stitches in the side of his head.

The Rovers looked for a winner on the ensuing free kick, but it was to no avail. It went into and through Fulham's wall and trickled right to Schwarzer. The full time score was 1-1. Luckily for Blackburn there wasn't too much time added after the injury. They had already used all three subs, and with Holiett off, they were down a man.

EPL: Fulham vs. Aston Villa

So why did I watch this match again? Oh yeah, the EPL is one of my favorite things in the world. Hey nobody is right all the time. This match was a stinker. Even the announcers were talking crap on it at the end.

What is there to say about this one? Well, Fulham probably had the better chances. They really should have taken the lead early on. In the 10th minute, Riise found himself with a golden shot at a vulnerable Villa goal, but hit the shot over. Lame. Given made sure Fulham didn't capitalize on any other chances.

New signing N'Zogbia was about the only outfield player who showed up for Villa. He wasn't near enough on his own though. Sure it's an away point for Villa, but both the fans and controversial new coach Alex McLeish will have a nasty taste in their mouths after a lack luster effort.

In the end, no goals, no anything. Very few chances. Both of these clubs will need to play better as the season goes on. Hopefully for fans of both sides, it can be attributed to opening weekend jitters.

Martin Jol Takes Over at Fulham

Fulham has been looking for a new boss since Mark Hughes stepped down. Preferably someone who happens to be ok with giant Jacko statues.

Well today Fulham hired Martin Jol. Jol was linked to the Fulham job last summer, but Ajax wouldn,t let him go. He ended up quitting Ajax in December.

Jol previously coached in the Premier League with Tottenham.

Mark Hughes steps down as Fulham Manager

Sky Sports news is reporting that Fulham manager Mark Hughes has stepped down after just one year at Craven Cottage. Speculation is that he will go after the Aston Villa job, now likely vacant after Gerard Houllier's health concerns.

Stay tuned to your favorite Football sites and the Puddle as summer transfers and the coaching carousel heat up!