West Ham boss Alan Pardew paid tribute to Fulham goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar after the Dutchman’s display helped his team into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Van der Sar made two stunning stops from Marlon Harewood to lay the foundation for Fulham’s replay win.
“I hear their goalkeeper is on a high salary and he earned it,” said Pardew.
“We’ve had missed opportunities and you need to take them when they come. Marlon had three or four and it was a shame for him.”
Defeat was harsh on West Ham, but Pardew refused to offer any excuses.
“The disappointment of not taking one chance was compounded when they scored and we never recovered.
“You could sense the disappointment in the ground. There was a big prize at stake but the game petered out.”
