A clever chip from Ruben Navarro gave Deportivo Alaves a narrow win over Fulham at Craven Cottage this afternoon as Jean Tigana’s final preparations for the Whites’ big kick-off at Manchester United next weekend went awry.
The French legend fielded his likely starting eleven to take on the English champions at Old Trafford but his newly-promoted outfit were beaten by a well-taken goal on the counter attack six minutes before half time. Navarro worked an excellent one-two with his strike partner Jurica Vu?ko and lifted a deft finish over the onrushing Fulham goalkeeper.
Alaves were robust in the tackle from the outset in what became a tetchy contest but the visitors were fortunate to escape going down to ten men after just five minutes when van der Sar came off his line to claim a cross from Bogdan Mara and launched a kick 70 yards downfield for Louis Saha. The Frenchman looked favourite to score as he surged away from the Alaves defence and touched the ball past Oscar Tellez – only for the experienced Spanish international to stop the ball with his hand. Experienced referee Neale Barry somehow elected not to give ‘the Rottweiler’ his marching orders.
The Cottage faithful had forgotten that this was a warm-up for next weekend when Malbranque and Barry Hayles were bought down in the box by Astudillo Martin. It took about twenty minutes for the home side’s patient passing to fashion an opening when Saha was cynically tripped by Tellez. The French forward flashed a fine free-kick fractionally wide of goal.
Hayles had to have extensive treatment after he was chopped down by Fabrizio Coloccini and, once the game resumed, Alaves’ strikers finished off a devastating break to give the Spaniards a scarcely merited half-time lead. Things threatened to boil over after the interval when Tellez kicked out at Hayles, having fouled him with an uncomprising challenge from behind. Barry declined to even book the centre half and, from a resultant corner, Saha steered a header agonisingly wide of Kike Burgos’ far post.
Steve Finnan forced a sprawling save from Burgos with a first-time shot after Collins and Malbranque had worked the opening before Hayles was replaced as he threatened to blow his top after more agricultural tackling from the visiting defence. Abdes Ouaddoh should have done better than head Bjarne Goldbaek’s corner straight at Burgos and Saha spurned a late chance to level matters when he latched onto Luis Boa Morte’s through ball only to screw his shot into the side netting.
FULHAM (4-4-2): van der Sar; Finnan, Harley, Goma, Melville; Davis (Ouaddoh 75), Clark, Malbranque (Goldbaek 69), J. Collins; Hayles (Boa Morte 69), Saha. Subs (not used): Taylor, Knight, Brevett, Abdel-Satar.
C.D. ALAVES (4-4-2): Burgos; Geli, Llorens, Téllez, Coloccini; Mara, Jordi, Desio (Gomez 9), Astudillo; Navarro, Vu?ko. Subs (not used): Herrera, Begoña, Karmona, Turiel, Magno, Alonso.
GOAL: Navarro (39).
REFEREE: Neale Barry.
ATTENDANCE: 5,113.
