Super-sub Luis Boa Morte maintained Fulham’s flawless start to the Division One season by scoring in the last two minutes of a tight clash at Norwich City. The former Arsenal forward sent the travelling fans wild by prodding home a finish to a flowing move that eventually unlocked a stubborn Canaries defence right at the death – and kept the Cottagers’ 100 per cent intact.
The visitors had the better of a very watchable contest in the East Anglian Bank Holiday Monday sunshine but lacked a finishing touch from the very start as evidenced by Louis Saha failing to beat Andy Marshall in the second minute. Whereas Fulham relied on finesse to engineer their openings, Norwich were feisty and the clash of styles saw the Londoners wilt a little. Lee Marshall made good headway along the right flank for the hosts foot as Lee Marshall, stationed on the right to deal with the threat posed by John Collins, instead supplied two superb crosses that Iwan Roberts and Chris Llewellyn really should have converted.
Welsh striker Roberts volleyed agonisingly wide of the far post before Llewellyn narrowly failed to hit the target and the Canaries would ultimately pay for those misses. The visitors were frustrated at not having things their own way and when Barry Hayles sparked a brawl midway through the first half both the burly striker and Norwich’s Fernando Derveld and Darrel Russell were booked for their part in an unruly skirmish.
Football did break out again before the interval with a Saha snapshot testing Marshall’s reflexes and, straight after half time, the French forward was unlucky not to break the deadlock when he rattled the base of the post after racing onto a lovely through ball from Sean Davis. Tigana rung the changes in search of a winner but Norwich’s disciplined defending kept the early pacesetters at bay until a patient move worked an opening just as time appeared to be running out.
Davis and substitute Eddie Lewis switched play from left to right at pace before Davis drove a perfectly weighted ball into the feet of Boa Morte, who stabbed his second goal in as substitutes’ appearances beyond a disconsolate Marshall to steal all three points for Tigana’s team. The on-loan Southampton forward could even had added a second but he shot wide of an open goal when it appeared simpler to score after Marshall had used his legs to keep out a Saha shot.
NORWICH CITY (4-3-3): A. Marshall; Sutch, Derveld, L. Marshall, Fleming; Kenton, Whitley, Russell; Roberts, Giallanza (McVeigh 85), Llewellyn (Forbes 42; De Waard 85). Subs (not used): Green, McGovern.
BOOKED: Derveld, Fleming, L. Marshall, Forbes.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Coleman; Davis, J. Collins, Goldbaek (Lewis 81), Clark (Fernandes 75); Saha, Hayles (Boa Morte 62). Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Symons.
BOOKED: Hayles, Davis, Finnan, Coleman.
GOAL: Boa Morte (88).
REFEREE: Mick Fletcher (Worcestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 16,678.
