Fulham recorded a first home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1966 to reach the fourth round of the League Cup tonight in a five-goal thriller that was settled by a brilliant brace from Luis Boa Morte.
Wolves boss Colin Lee hailed Jean Tigana’s side as a Premiership outfit in waiting as they turned on the style to secure safe passage into the next round of this competition in a thrilling encounter by the banks of the Thames. The hosts were dominant from the outset, even if Scottish veteran midfielder John Collins watched from the Cottage balcony as Tigana continued to rotate his side with promotion his main focus.
Lively striker Louis Saha enlivened the early stages by going close to opening the scoring with a sensational drive from fully 25 yards that whistled past the far post after he had left his marker for dead. The hosts had made most of the openings in the first period but were nearly stunned at the start of the second half when Carl Robinson found a bit of space on the edge of the box and forced a fine save from Maik Taylor.
Wolves did go ahead against the run of play on the hour mark when Temuri Ketsbaia rifled an unstoppable low strike into the bottom corner from just outside the Fulham penalty area. But Luis Boa Morte brought the home side level seven minutes later when he darted past Darren Peacock and lashed a rising drive past a startled Michael Oakes in the visiting goal. With extra time looming, the on-loan Southampton forward steered Fulham into the lead by rampaging onto a brilliant through ball from Lee Clark and tucking a tidy finish past Oakes.
Saha then grabbed the goal his virtuoso display deserved two minutes later as he finished off a flowing move by cutting inside to fire past an overworked Wolves to give Tigana’s side the luxury of a two-goal cushion. Simon Osborn ensured there would be a few anxious moments when he thumped into a powerful finish off the underside of the bar at the start of stoppage time – but Fulham held on to move into the next round.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; W. Collins, Trollope (Finnan 55), Melville, Symons; Davis, Clark, Goldbaek, Lewis (Fernandes 45); Saha, Boa Morte. Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Hudson, Hayles.
BOOKED: Clark, Boa Morte.
GOALS: Boa Morte (67, 83), Saha (85).
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (4-4-2): Oakes; Naylor, Bazeley, Emblen, Peacock; Lescott, Ketsbaia, Robinson, Osborn; Proudlock (Camara 90), Branch. Subs (not used): Stowell, Epesse-Titi, Andrews, Tudor.
BOOKED: Osborn, Naylor.
GOALS: Ketsbaia (60), Osborn (90).
REFEREE: Eddie Wolstenholme (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 6,763
