Sean Davis scored a stunning stoppage-time winner as Fulham survived the sending off of Rufus Brevett to come from behind and beat Blackburn to move within a win of securing their place in the top flight next season.
The Fulham academy graduate wrote his name into the club’s folklore by grabbing a late winner against one of the Whites’ rivals for automatic promotion two minutes into stoppage time. The defensive midfielder surged up field to join Lee Clark, who escaped the attentions of John Curtis to burst into the box, and when Clark’s shot deflected towards him eight yards out, Davis delirious tucked home before dancing in front of the travelling fans.
This hard-fought victory showed Fulham had the steel to go with the style that has underlined their remarkable progress under Jean Tigana. They produced the most telling of answers to Graeme Souness’ suggestion that they were not the best side in the division by battling through adversity after going a goal and a man down at the home of their promotion rivals. Tigana’s side can now clinch promotion by winning at Huddersfield Town on Saturday – which would secure their return to English football’s top tier after 33 years in the wilderness.
Blackburn made a swift start, knowing that they desperately needed to win if they were have any hope of reeling in the runaway leaders. Matt Jansen sent a free header wide from Alan Mahon’s cross but quickly made amends after Keith Gillespie got away from Rufus Brevett down the Blackburn right by climbing majestically to head home his twentieth goal of the season past Maik Taylor.
Fulham were very much second best at this point and it got much worse for the visitors when Brevett, who had already been cautioned for a fiery confrontation with David Dunn after he had elbowed Barry Hayles, kicked out at Garry Flitcroft and was given his marching orders. Tigana withdrew Hayles, still sporting a nasty wound under his eye, to bring on Alan Neilson but crucially kept Louis Saha up front.
The Cottagers continued to offer a threat dispute their numerical disadvantage and Saha seized on a dreadful mistake from Brad Friedel when he spilled a routine cross from Steve Finnan in colliding with centre back Henning Berg. The French forward needed no second invitation to stab home a precious equaliser – and suddenly the ten men went in at half time on level terms.
Fulham defended resiliently in the second period but there were several moments of panic. Jansen volleyed straight at Taylor after latching onto a clever pass from Marcus Bent and the former Crystal Palace forward was denied by the Northern Ireland international again after receiving a ball from the bright David Dunn. Souness gambled, sending on attacking midfielder Eyal Berkovic for defender Craig Short, and the away side began to put together some moments of promise.
Clark and Collins, who turned down the chance to play for Souness at Rangers more than a decade ago, combined cleverly to create an opening for Saha, who forced a fine save from Friedel. Jansen almost stole all three points with a wonderfully improvised volley that whistled wide and when many sides would gratefully accepted a hard-fought point, Davis drove towards the half way line having intercepted an inaccurate pass from Bent. He fed Goldbaek, who spotted Clark totally free on the left wing, and Davis timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap and steer a shot past Fulham to secure the most sensational of wins.
The emotion even got to the ice-cool Tigana who sprinted along the touchline to celebrate with his players as Davis displayed his questionable dance moves in front of the ecstatic travelling fans.
BLACKBURN ROVERS (3-5-2): Friedel; Curtis, Berg, Short (Berkovic 64); Mahon, Duff (Bjornebye 12), Gillespie (Hignett 73), Flitcroft, Dunn; Bent, Jansen. Subs (not used): Filan, Hughes.
BOOKED: Bjornebye.
GOAL: Jansen (6).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Symons; Davis, J. Collins, Goldbaek, Clark; Saha, Hayles (Neilson 42). Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Sahnoun, Stolcers, Riedle.
BOOKED: Brevett.
SENT OFF: Brevett.
GOALS: Saha (45), Davis (90+2).
REFEREE: Clive Wilkes (Gloucestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 21,578.
