Fulham showed their steelier side as they battled back from a goal down to beat Burnley at Craven Cottage and make it six wins from six in Division One this season.
Jean Tigana’s side have set an unrelenting pace at the top of the table this term but they were rocked on their heels when Paul Cook’s deflected free-kick gave the Clarets a shock lead in the tenth minute. The hefty deflection off the Fulham wall left Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Maik Taylor with no chance and Fulham had to wait until well into the second half to cancel out the Clarets’ only shot on target.
Fulham’s equaliser also came from a free-kick, although Danish winger Bjarne Goldbaek did it without the assistance of a deflection eight minutes after half time. The former Chelsea wide man curled a majestic effort high into the net from 25 yards out to the relief of a home crowd who were becoming infuriated by their side’s failure to break down committed but rather limited opponents. Burnley attempted to attack after losing their lead, but that merely played into Fulham’s hands.
Louis Saha, one of the deadliest strikers in the English game at the moment after his ineffectual loan spell at Newcastle earlier in his career, put the Whites on the way to another victory. His first goal was a wonderful effort. Latching onto a lovely pass from compatriot Fabrice Fernandes, Saha beat two men before squeezing home a finish from what appeared to be an impossible angle. He gave Fulham some much-needed breathing space with ten minutes to go when he headed a fine Fernandes cross home to the delight of the Hammersmith End.
Burnley’s cause was undermined by the late dismissal of Lee Briscoe for a pair of wild tackles but Stan Ternant’s side certainly posed the league leaders rather more problems than Barnsley, who were hit for five here on Sunday. The Clarets’ whole-hearted effort floundered in the face of the quality produced by Fernandes and Saha’s exquisite finishing – although they will be far from the only outfit to suffer at the hands of that stylish French combination over the course of this campaign one suspects.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Coleman; Davis (W. Collins 74), Clark, Goldbaek, Fernandes; Saha (Lewis 86), Hayles (Boa Morte 74). Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Knight.
GOALS: Goldbaek (53), Saha (64, 81).
BURNLEY (4-5-1): Crichton; Cox, Briscoe, Thomas, Armstrong (Payton 67); Ball, Cook (Branch 61), Mullin (Mellon 74), Little, Weller; Cooke. Subs (not used): Maylett, Jepson.
BOOKED: Briscoe, Branch.
SENT OFF: Briscoe.
GOAL: Cook (10).
REFEREE: Trevor Parkes (West Midlands).
ATTENDANCE: 11,863
