Sunday Fulham Stuff (22/12/13)...

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Premier League: Manchester City moved into second spot in with a 4-2 win over Fulham

Manchester City moved into second spot in the table with a thrilling 4-2 win over battling Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Manuel Pellegrini's men appeared to be coasting to victory after racing into a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany.

But Fulham battled back bravely in the second half to level matters through Kieran Richardson's goal and Kompany's comedy own goal.

However, City responded in style as substitutes Jesus Navas and James Milner struck late on to save their captain's blushes and maintain their good run of form.

Fulham started brightly and they went close to breaking the deadlock on 12 minutes when Adel Taarabt capitalised on a slip from Gael Clichy and drilled in a low left-footed shot which the returning Joe Hart did well to keep out.

A minute later City were inches away from scoring when Edin Dzeko teed up David Silva inside the box and he saw his shot come back off the crossbar.

Taarabt, who was playing as Fulham's lone front man, was looking lively, and he had another sight of goal on 19 minutes, but his effort from the edge of the box was straight down the throat of Hart.

City broke the deadlock on 23 minutes with a sublime free-kick from set-piece specialist Toure. The big Ivorian brilliantly curled his free-kick from the edge of the box in off the underside of the crossbar past a stranded Maarten Stekelenburg after Steve Sidwell was adjudged to have fouled Silva.

Dzeko wasted a great opening to double City's lead just past the half-hour mark when he saw his shot blocked inside the box when the unmarked Fernandinho was probably the better option for a pass.

Taarabt continued to offer Fulham their best hope of getting back into the contest and he fired in a shot which forced Hart to turn his effort round the post.

Dzeko had a chance to score on 35 minutes when Aleksandar Kolarov found him inside the box, but the striker's low shot was well saved by Stekelenburg.

City doubled their advantage two minutes before the break when Vincent Kompany reacted quickest to prod home from close range after Martin Demichelis saw his header kept out by Stekelenburg.

City looked to put the game beyond Fulham at the start of the second half when Silva played in Kolarov down the left and then got on the end of his cross in the box, but on the stretch he could not generate the power on his shot to beat Stekelenburg.

Fulham reduced the arrears on 50 minutes when Taarabt beat Clichy down the left with a powerful run and crossed for the unmarked Richardson to sweep the ball home from close range.

The home side had their tails up and they fashioned a great chance to draw level on 57 minutes when Ashkan Dejagah sent over a deep cross from the right which Sidwell flung himself at to head wide when he would have been better off leaving it for the unmarked Taarabt.

The game was becoming stretched and substitute Navas wasted a great chance to score just past the hour mark when the ball broke to him inside the box, but the winger dragged his shot well wide of the target.

Fulham drew level on 68 minutes in the most bizarre of circumstances with a comical own goal from Kompany.

Sascha Riether got down the right from Scott Parker's pass and fired over a cross which Kompany somehow sliced up into the air and over Hart before nestling into the corner of the net.

City regained the lead 12 minutes from time when Silva sent Navas racing clear and the winger drilled his shot through the legs of Stekelenburg much to the relief of Kompany after his own goal.

The visitors made the game safe seven minutes from time when Alvaro Negredo picked out substitute Milner with a brilliant pass with the outside of his foot and the midfielder swept the ball past Stekelenburg to give City all three points.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/287448/report?

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Brave Fulham fightback not enough against clinical City

Cottagers slip to another defeat despite battling display against Manuel Pellegrini's men


On target: Kieran Richardson's goal couldn't prevent another Fulham loss
Fulham 2-4 Manchester City

Fulham's second-half fightback was in vain as they slipped to defeat against Manchester City at Craven Cottage.

Trailing 2-0 at the break to a Yaya Toure free-kick and a Vincent Kompany tap-in, the Whites hauled themselves level through Kieran Richardson and a Kompany own goal.

However, late strikes by City subs Jesus Navas and James Milner earned the visitors the points and inflicted a defeat that Fulham's battling display didn't deserve.

Fulham were dealt a blow in the build-up to the game when Dimitar Berbatov was ruled out after picking up a knock in training, so Adel Taarabt was handed a rare chance as a lone frontman.

The Cottagers started on the front foot and almost took the lead on 12 minutes, but the returning Joe Hart got down low to his left to turn away Taarabt's effort.

The hosts were given a scare at the other end when David Silva crashed a shot against the bar after the ball broke to him in the box.

City took the lad midway through the half. Steve Sidwell brought down Silva at the edge of the box, and Toure stepped up to curl an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner.

Fulham hit back and were unlucky not to level just after the half-hour mark when the lively Taarabt was thwarted again by Hart's outstretched arm.

Rene Meulensteen's men had Maarten Stekelenburg to thank for keeping them within touching distance when he denied Edin Dzeko, while at the other end Taarabt had another effort blocked by Kompany.

Fulham were left with a mountain to climb when Kompany doubled City's lead. Stekelenburg parried Martin Demichelis' header, and Kompany was on hand to stab home the rebound.

However, the hosts pulled one back at the beginning of the second half with a fine team goal. Sidwell and Scott Parker wrestled back possession in midfield before sending Taarabt in the clear, who crossed for Richardson to slot the ball in from six yards.

Navas missed a great chance to restore City's two-goal advantage when he fired wide after Sidwell lost the ball cheaply.

And the visitors were made to pay for that missed opportunity on 69 minutes. Riether fired in a low cross from the right, which Kompany sliced over Hart into his own net.

City got their noses in front again 15 minutes from time when Silva sent Navas in the clear, and his low shot went through Stekelenburg's legs from a tight angle.

The visitors wrapped up the points late on when Aaron Hughes failed to cut out Alvaro Negrado's cross and Milner was on hand to slam the ball past Stekelenburg.

Fulham: Stekelenburg, Riether, Hughes, Senderos (Amorebieta 37), Riise, Parker, Karagounis (Bent 82), Sidwell, Richardson, Dejagah (Kasami 65), Taarabt.

Subs (not used): Stockdale, Duff, Kacaniklic, Ruiz.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/brave-fulham-fightback-not-enough-6438717?

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Fulham 2 Manchester City 4: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Fulham and Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Saturday Dec 21, 2013.

Like half-and-half scarves or the strangely resilient appeal of Sven-Goran Eriksson, Manchester City's patchy away form is one of the enduring mysteries of modern football.

For most of this Premier League season, the words "Manchester City (H)" on a fixture list have evoked a curious amalgam of trepidation and optimism. This win, a good deal more convincing than it looked, will inspire a good deal of the former. And yet their inexplicable second-half slump, during which they threw away two goals and very nearly two points, will do little to extinguish the latter.

On the face of things, Manuel Pellegrini deserves a good deal of credit. Managers get the book thrown at them when substitutions go wrong, so the fact that the two winning goals came from the bench should count in his favour.

The flying Spaniard Jesus Navas and the hovering Yorkshireman James Milner eventually made the game safe, but it was a lack of concentration that made the game unsafe in the first place. If City can manage to stay switched on for all 90 minutes, the title is theirs to lose.

There were plenty of positives. Joe Hart made his return in goal and did very little wrong. A four-goal haul was encouraging in the absence of Sergio Aguëro. But Gaël Clichy's catastrophic afternoon as City's makeshift right-back underlined the value of Pablo Zabaleta – or, indeed, anyone who is not Gaël Clichy – in that position. And Edin Dzeko, for whom this was a big opportunity to seize the moment, was poor and was hauled off before the hour.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/10527760/Fulham-2-Manchester-City-4-match-report.html

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Plucky Fulham undone by Man City subs

Premier League: Fulham 2 Manchester City 4

Fulham staged a fightback only to see their hard work extinguished by Manchester City substitutes Jesus Navas and James Milner who spared Vincent Kompany's blushes at Craven Cottage.

After Kompany had spectacularly put into his own net to level the scores with 20 minutes remaining, Navas and Milner struck as City lifted their game to claim just a third Premier League away win this season.

A week ago, after beating Arsenal 6-3 at home, City were being lauded as title favourites, but their Jekyll and Hyde nature at home and away continued.

Both the good and bad of City were in evidence against a Cottagers side fighting for their top-flight status.

Restored England goalkeeper Joe Hart - making his first Premier League appearance since the October 27 loss at Chelsea - dealt comfortably with everything Fulham, and Adel Taarabt, in particular, threw at him in the first half and City were clinical at the other end.

After David Silva hit the bar, Yaya Toure netted his ninth goal of the season with a stunning free-kick and Kompany added a second two minutes before the interval.

City were cruising, until Fulham pulled a goal back with a devastating counter-attack converted by Kieran Richardson and then the scores were levelled when Kompany spectacularly sliced a Sascha Riether cross into his own net.

Navas and Milner ensured their captain's embarrassment would not linger and that City would enter the Boxing Day clash with form side Liverpool with momentum.

Hart displaced Costel Pantilimon in the Premier League line-up to keep his place following the midweek Capital One Cup win at Leicester, with Gael Clichy starting at right-back.

Dimitar Berbatov was absent for Fulham and Alex Kacaniklic on the bench in a side showing two changes following the loss at Everton, with Taarabt and Richardson brought in.

Fulham, with Clint Dempsey watching on amid talk of a return next month, made a lively start but needed a City error to first test Hart.

A Clichy slip on a surface made greasy by incessant rain allowed Richardson to go by him down the Fulham left and he fed the ball inside for Taarabt, whose shot through Clichy's legs was saved.

The effort sparked City into life and a cross from Negredo found Edin Dzeko at the back post.

The striker turned and laid the ball off for Silva to hit a crisp strike which beat Maarten Stekelenburg, but rebounded off the bar.

Silva was then fouled by Steve Sidwell on the edge of the Fulham area, giving City a free-kick in a dangerous position.

There was little doubt Toure would take it and the midfielder curled a delightful effort which kissed the underside of the crossbar before nestling in the net.

With Taarabt prominent, Fulham had half chances, but City were dangerous on the break and should have gone two up when Aleksandar Kolorov crossed for Dzeko, whose casual side-footed effort was saved by Stekelenburg.

Dzeko had a header saved as he stretched to reach a lofted ball before Fulham defender Philippe Senderos departed injured, with Fernando Amorebieta.

Taarabt then could not capitalise on a slip by Martin Demichelis, who had a significant role in City's second.

The Argentina defender saw his header from a Silva free-kick saved, but only as far as Kompany, who prodded in.

City resumed on the attack and 90 seconds after the restart Kolorov crossed for Silva to slide in, but Stekelenburg made a sharp save.

Silva lost possession as City tried to find an opening on the edge of the Fulham box and the hosts countered with the ruthlessness of their visitors.

Taarabt broke down the left, out-pacing Clichy and Demichelis, and charged into the area, drew Hart to his near post and crossed for Richardson to tuck in.

Sidwell had a half chance and City reacted to the Fulham pressure by replacing Dzeko with Navas, who fired narrowly wide after the ball broke for him following Silva's beautifully-weighted pass to Alvaro Negredo.

Fulham deservedly equalised in fortuitous circumstances following a Riether cross from the right.

Kompany attempted to clear, but merely succeeded in comically slicing a left-footed clearance over Hart and into his own net.

As Fulham attempted to build further pressure, City struck with a goal made by two Spaniards and scored by another.

Negredo fed Silva, who played in Navas with a perfect through ball.

Navas still had plenty to do as he out-paced Amorebieta and shot through the legs of Stekelenburg.

Stekelenburg was soon beaten again, killing off any hope of a second Fulham fightback.

Negredo found himself wide on the right, but played an outrageous pass with the outside of his left foot into the box where Milner ghosted in and netted to complete victory.


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/plucky_fulham_undone_by_man_city_subs_1_3139744

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Fulham's Adel Taarabt: performance against Manchester City

Well, Adel Taarabt is in fact alive, well, and in decent touch – who knew? Fulham may have lost today, but the Moroccan had arguably his best game since arriving on-loan at Craven Cottage and gave the fans some reason to believe that his stay at the club won't be a complete waste of time.

Here are his stats:

– Had 67 touches of the ball – heat-map via Squawka:



– Led the game in shots (5) and shots on-target (4).

– Completed 81% of his passes – graphic via Squawka:



– Created 1 goal-scoring opportunity.

– Was fouled 4 times.

– Completed 4 successful dribbles.

– Was dispossessed twice.

– Attempted 1 cross, which was unsuccessful.

– Completed 2 of his 3 attempted long-passes.

– Made 2 defensive clearances.



http://thepremierleagueowl.com/fulhams-adel-taarabt-performance-against-manchester-city/

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René's Reaction

René Meulensteen felt Fulham's display against Manchester City warranted a more favourable result.

The Whites found themselves 2-0 down at the break but fought back to level only for substitutes Jesus Navas and James Milner to ensure a 4-2 win for City.

The result leaves Fulham in the relegation places but Meulensteen said: "It's the same story after the Tottenham Hotspur and Everton games. But I've been very positive of the developments on the Training Ground and unfortunately it hasn't transpired to what we've deserved, which is points on the board.

"The goals that we conceded - the second just before half-time wasn't good enough defending - and the third, when you're up against a quality side like City they punish you.

"We felt at 2-2 that we'd done well to get back in it. I thought we were in good nick at that time and there was more to come."

Fulham were without the injured Dimitar Berbatov for the game but Adel Taarabt came in to turn in a superb display, setting up Kieran Richardson for the Whites' first and causing the City defence no end of problems.

"Dimitar kicked a ball wrongly in training which aggravated something in his groin," said Meulensteen. "We assessed him this morning but it was too big a risk with so many games coming up.

"But I was very pleased with Adel. We all know what sort of talent he has and what a creative player he is and that's why I put him in as I thought he could cause City problems, which he did.

"Where I played him today, it was right down his street. Turn, make it stick, go forward – he was excellent. I thought at times he could have chosen different options but he's got so much ability. I don't mind people taking shots and being positive and he has a decent shot on him so if one had gone in I would have been delighted."

Despite the third defeat in four games during his time in charge, Meulensteen is confident his side can still escape from the bottom three with the games coming thick and fast over the Christmas period.

"If you look at the performances we've put in, in terms of energy and the positiveness we've had, we shouldn't be in the position we are," said the Head Coach. "That gives a lot of encouragement for the up-and-coming games."

Meulensteen also feels City will be firmly in the mix for the Barclays Premier League title when May comes around.

"They're strong contenders because of the squad they have and the variety and creativity they have," said Meulensteen. "They've got strength up front and a world-class striker in Sergio Aguero who wasn't even playing today. It's a team that will always create chances and they'll push for that title, I'm sure."

Don't forget, you could win a money-can't-buy prize just by giving us your take on this match.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/december/21/rene-reaction?

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Fulham boss hails 'excellent' Taarabt

Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen was delighted with Adel Taarabt's performance in an unfamiliar lone striker role in the 4-2 defeat against Manchester City.

The Moroccan, on loan from QPR, made his first league start since the loss to Arsenal in August as a replacement for Dimitar Berbatov, who was ruled out with a groin injury.

He peppered the City goal with shots in the first half, twice forcing Joe Hart into smart saves, and then set up a goal for Kieran Richardson shortly after the break with a dynamic run and inch-perfect cross.

Meulensteen said the role suited Taarabt, who has been criticised in the past for his poor work-rate.

The Dutchman, who recently suggested he might look to cut Taarabt's season-long loan short, said: "Where I played him was right up his street. He was excellent.

"We all know what sort of talent he has and what a creative player he is.

"That was the reason I put him in that position, because I thought he would cause City players problems and he did.

"He could have chosen different options at times [other than shooting] but I don't mind people taking shots and being positive.

"If one of them had been in the bottom or top corner I'd have been delighted."

Berbatov missed the match after mis-kicking a ball in training and aggravating a groin problem, but Meulensteen hinted the Bulgarian would return for the busy Christmas schedule.

He said: "We had a good look at him and assessed him in the morning but for me it was too big a risk.

"With all the games coming up I didn't want to start him and maybe have him come off and lose him for the other games."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/taarabt-praised-as-berbatovs-stand-in?

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Fulham boss explains Berbatov absence

Bulgarian striker missed the defeat to Manchester City after picking up an injury in training

Dimitar Berbatov missed Fulham's 4-2 defeat to Manchester City due to a groin problem, manager Rene Meulensteen has revealed.

The former Manchester United frontman has scored twice in as many games for the Cottagers, but Meulensteen was forced to shuffle his pack after the talisman pulled up in training on Friday.

However, the Dutchman is hopeful Berbatov, who has been linked with a January move away from Craven cottage, will be available for the trip to Norwich City on Boxing Day.

"Dimitar kicked a ball wrongly in training which aggravated something in his groin," said Meulensteen.

"We assessed him this morning but it was too big a risk with so many games coming up."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-explains-berbatov-absence-6438921?

[WhiteJC]

 
Defeat against Manchester City hasn't tainted Fulham's rapid improvement

Yet again, another solid Fulham performance has resulted in defeat and, yet again, there is a feeling of both disappointment and satisfaction around Craven Cottage.

Disappointment at the result, satisfaction at the palpable progress this side is making. On this occasion we fought from 2-0 down to 2-2 against a recently rampant Manchester City side but, as has often happened of late, defensive lapses at the tail end of the match cost us.

With a 4-2 defeat, our goal difference is looking more and more distressing. But those all-important statistics only taint the real improvement that we've all witnessed since Rene Meulensteen took over as head coach and, today, Adel Taarabt was the latest beneficiary of his marvellous work.

As a makeshift forward, using his technique and class on the ball to hold up play and feed others, he was superb.

The darting run for Kieron Richardson's goal was a shimmering move of audacity and craft, while his shoot-on-sight policy proved effective, if a little hopeful.

It was the kind of individual performance we'd been hoping for since he joined on loan over the summer but Martin Jol struggled to eek the best out the Moroccan.

He was too much of a maverick who burdened the team but none of that was on show on Saturday. Instead, his work rate was exceptional and his teamwork was imperative to what was yet another top performance under this new regime.

And that's just what Meulensteen has been doing in his three weeks in charge – taking a decrepit squad, low on morale but at least well stocked with talent, and make them play in a manner much more fitting of their worth.

That may sound like a simple job to an outsider yet, given the state we were in barely a month ago, in reality it's nothing short of miraculous.

The only thing that's missing, of course, is the results.

Three defeats and one victory hardly reads well for anybody who hasn't had the luxury of seeing us actually play decent, attractive football, and it's those wins that will do the deed of keeping us up.

Continue playing as we are, though, and those results will come. It's just a matter of time.



http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/21/defeat-against-manchester-city-hasnt-tainted-fulhams-rapid-improvement-4239886/?