Cottagers and Spurs to meet again

Replay required after a drab stalemate by The Thames

Last updated: 7th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Cottagers and Spurs to meet again

Crouch: Frustrating evening

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Fulham and Tottenham could not be separated in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and will require a replay after an uninspiring 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage.

The tie appeared the most appealing of the sixth round, but it failed to live up to expectations as the contest ended in a stalemate repeat of the Premier League meeting on the banks of The Thames on Boxing Day.

A non-event of a first half was followed by only a marginal improvement, with Zoltan Gera wasting the best chance shortly after the break when his weak header was saved by Heurelho Gomes.

Tottenham, who were frustrated by Fulham's rigid defence, had a decent claim for a penalty when Brede Hangeland's arm prevented Peter Crouch from meeting a cross, but referee Mark Clattenburg was not interested.

For Gomes it was a return to the ground where in November 2008 he made the worst in a string of blunders that almost saw him sold by manager Harry Redknapp.

At the other end, Mark Schwarzer kept out Niko Kranjcar and Crouch, but was hardly involved again.

For all their possession and a passing game that was easy on the eye, Spurs rarely troubled Fulham's goal and wilted as an attacking force.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson could be disappointed his side, who continue to punch above their weight in two cup competitions as their Europa League campaign keeps going, did not finish off their capital rivals.

Anticipation

Hodgson and Schwarzer were presented with their manager and Player of the Month awards for February shortly before kick-off.

Spurs pressed hard in midfield to give their opponents little time on the ball, but despite some slick passing, they failed to trouble Fulham's goal.

Anticipation gripped home fans as Zamora broke free down the left before expertly cutting back inside where he fired a shot straight into the arms of Gomes.

It was not until the 28th minute that either goalkeeper was extended, Schwarzer palming away a well-struck shot from Kranjcar.

The big Australian then had to dive sharply to his left to turn a fine goalbound header by Crouch away from the target.

Damien Duff pulled the trigger from long range at the other end as Fulham's chances continued to be severely limited.

Zamora bulldozed his way through at the end of one well-worked move, but Michael Dawson intervened to snuff out the danger.

The second half was not even a minute old when Gera drew a superb save from Gomes.

Frantic

Simon Davies initiated the move with a marauding run down the right followed by a pinpoint cross to the far post where Zamora directed the ball to Gera whose header was well stopped by Gomes.

The Brazilian then had to react sharply to keep out Hangeland's header from a Davies corner.

The match was coming alive after a dull first half, partly thanks to the noisy Spurs fans.

Duff found the side netting after being set up by Davies and was then denied by another fine save from Gomes following excellent work by Zamora.

Kranjcar fizzed a lethal cross through the penalty area as Spurs launched a counter-attack.

Space was opening up for both sides in an increasingly frantic last 10 minutes that saw Zamora fail to connect with a fine chance.

Vedran Corluka almost turned an attempted clearance into his own net. He did not know where the ball was going and Spurs breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle went.

FulhamTeam StatisticsTottenham Hotspur
0Goals0
01st Half Goals0
4Shots on Target2
4Shots off Target9
2Blocked Shots5
2Corners9
10Fouls10
1Offsides1
1Yellow Cards0
0Red Cards0
78.4Passing Success77.4
27Tackles19
74.1Tackles Success78.9
52.9Possession47.1
43.7Territorial Advantage56.3
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