All the talk before this game was about how Robbie Fowler could fire Leeds closer to Liverpool at the top of the Premiership. But, not for the first time this season, newly-promoted Fulham appeared not to have read the script. Jean Tigana’s side came the £11m man quiet and claimed a creditable draw at Craven Cottage which denied Leeds the chance to move back into second place.
Fowler loves playing against Fulham. He scored against the Whites on his Liverpool debut and once plundered five goals in a League Cup tie. But the England striker was restricted to a single that was easily held by Edwin van der Sar during an underwhelming first appearance for his new employers. It was actually Fulham who had the better of an intriguing tactical battle, but they were denied another impressive home win by a pair of superb saves from Nigel Martyn and Gary Kelly’s goalline clearance.
The hosts made the stronger start with Steed Malbranque’s shot lacking the power to beat Martyn after the French midfielder had worked a one-two with Luis Boa Morte. The Portuguese winger then produced a brilliant individual run that took him past several Leeds defenders before he beat Martyn with a low shot only for Kelly to slide in and clear from underneath his own crossbar. The bustling Boa Morte proved Fulham’s most regular threat, nicking possession from Ian Harte and teeing up Barry Hayles only for Rio Ferdinand to intervene.
Martyn juggled a 20-yarder from Louis Saha, before Malbranque fired wastefully over from the edge of the box four minutes before the break. Leeds was lacklustre and Fowler’s fitful first half was summed up when he failed to get a telling connection on a fine, right-wing cross from Harry Kewell in stoppage time. The same pattern continued after the interval with Alain Goma glancing a header wide from Malbranque’s corner before Martyn took centre stage.
The England goalkeeper turned aside a curling John Collins free-kick after David Batty had brought down Boa Morte and he then denied Goma from Malbranque’s free-kick when the French defender’s header appeared destined for the far corner. van der Sar fielded late efforts from Fowler and Alan Smith as Leeds belatedly searched for a winner – but, after being dominated for much of the proceeding 85 minutes, that would have been harsh on Fulham.
FULHAM (4-4-2): van der Sar; Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Goma; Legwinski (Davis 75), Collins, Malbranque, Boa Morte; Saha, Hayles. Subs (not used): Taylor, Ouaddoh, Clark, Stolcers.
BOOKED: Legwinski.
LEEDS UNITED (4-4-2): Martyn; Kelly, Harte, Ferdinand, Mills; Batty, Johnson, Smith, Kewell (Dacourt 70); Viduka, Fowler. Subs (not used): Robinson, Duberry, Wilcox, Keane.
BOOKED: Johnson, Kewell.
REFEREE: Graham Poll (Hertfordshire).
ATTENDANCE: 20,918.
