Burnley battered feeble Fulham at Turf Moor knocking the frail Premiership side out of the FA Cup on a memorable night for Stan Ternant’s side.
Goals from Gareth Taylor, Ian Moore and Drissa Diallo’s first for the club secured a comfortable win for the Clarets, who made a mockery of the gap between the sides with a performance of passion, intensity and high quality. A miserable night for the frustrated Fulham head coach Jean Tigana was made worse after Luis Boa Morte limped off injured and Sean Davis was sent off early in the second half.
Tigana raged before this replay at the FA’s insistence that Fulham should play for a second time in the space of 48 hours despite television scheduling moving their London derby at Tottenham Hotspur to Monday night. But, whilst the Whites looked leggy at times, there was no disguising their lack of quality. In contrast, the hosts were most definitely up for the Cup – and completely merited their comprehensive victory.
Only a brave sliding tackle from Jon Harley prevented Ian Moore from opening the scoring early on here did as his namesake Alan had managed in the original tie at Loftus Road. The visitors seemed subdued with a tame effort from Louis Saha representing their first effort on goal in the eighteenth minute and it was no surprise when the Clarets took the lead. Dean West was given too much time to deliver a cross from the flank and Moore nodded a simple header into the net at the far post.
Fulham did search for an immediate equaliser with Steed Malbranque forcing a fine save from Marlon Beresford and Davis hammering an effort wide from the ensuing corner, but their task got that much harder when Burnley added a second with the Whites down to ten men as Boa Morte was off the field receiving treatment. West was once again the provider, sending a superb ball through to Ian Moore, who chipped the advancing Maik Taylor beautifully.
Any hope Fulham had of mounting a fightback in the second half disappeared within three minutes when Davis was shown a straight red card for a horrid lunge at Tony Grant. Grant recovered sufficiently six minutes later to whip in a corner that was emphatically headed home by a delighted Diallo to make certain of Burnley’s place in the quarter finals. Tigana made a double change but the ten men barely made an impression for the remainder of a contest that had already passed them.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Beresford, West, Diallo, Cox, Branch, Briscoe, Cook (Weller 76), Grant (McGregor 90), Alan Moore (Little 82), Ian Moore, Taylor. Subs (not used): Michopoulos, Blake.
BOOKED: Ian Moore.
GOALS: Taylor (27), Ian Moore (35), Diallo (52).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Melville, Djetou, Harley; Inamoto, Malbranque (Wome 57), Legwinski, Davis; Boa Morte (Sava 36), Saha (Ouaddou 57). Subs (not used): Herrera, Stolcers.
BOOKED: Legwinski.
SENT OFF: Davis.
REFEREE: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
ATTENDANCE: 11,635.
