Luis Boa Morte was at the double as Fulham won a second London derby in the space of seven days at Crystal Palace this afternoon.
Jean Tigana’s side moved even closer to clinching promotion to the Premiership with a clinical away display that leaves the Eagles only two points above the relegation zone at the other end of the table. The Cottagers have struck rigidly to a one game at a time mantra ever since they strung together eleven straight league wins at the start of the season but that must be wearing a little thin now that the Whites have built a fourteen point cushion at the top of the division.
Palace, managed by former Fulham academy supremo Alan Smith, began the stronger of the two sides as if they were desperate to show that they too can play progressive football. Mikael Forssell should have fired them in front after ten minutes having capitalised on some poor defending to find space in the penalty area but the Finnish international fired wildly over the bar. He wasn’t alone as Dougie Freedman also spurned a presentable chance before the visitors began to establish themselves.
Lee Clark was furious with himself after dragging a shot wide of goal and John Collins should have done better than shoot tamely at Alex Kolinko from ten yards out. Boa Morte showed the Scottish veteran how to finish when he fired into the bottom corner from fifteen yards after Hayden Mullins had only managed to send a cross from Bjarne Goldbaek straight into the Portuguese forward’s path.
Simon Rodger went close to hauling Palace level late in the first half – he shot fractionally wide from 20 yards and then saw an inswinging corner cleared off the line by man of the moment Boa Morte. The on-loan Southampton forward wasn’t flashing his trademark smile five minutes before the break, however, when he blew a big chance to make it two. Boa Morte shot straight at Kolinko after being teed up by Rufus Brevett after the left back’s rampaging run forward.
The home side emerged for the second half enlivened and Fulham were indebted to Welsh defender Andy Melville for clearing a Forssell effort off his the line. The visitors were still playing the sharper football with Clark and Collins again running the show from the centre of the park. It seemed just a matter of time before Fulham scored a second and Boa Morte duly delivered with twenty minutes left when he sprinted onto a superb through ball from Steve Finnan to steer his twentieth goal of the season past Kolinko.
A shell-shocked Palace couldn’t recover from this setback although Rodger did come close to grabbing a consolation late on when he struck the base of the post shortly after Mullins had fired wide of goal.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Kolinko, Austin, Rubins, Upson, Frampton; Mullins, Rodger, Hopkin, Black; Freedman (Morrison 76), Forssell (Fuller 76). Subs (not used): Thomson, Berhalter, Carlisle.
BOOKED: Mullins.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor, Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Symons; Davis, J. Collins (Neilson 87), Goldbaek, Clark; Hayles (Saha 62), Boa Morte. Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Stolcers, Riedle.
BOOKED: Melville.
GOALS: Boa Morte (15, 69).
REFEREE: Dermot Gallagher (Banbury).
ATTENDANCE: 21,133.
