With fifteen minutes to go, it was all going wrong on the sunkissed south coast. Fulham, who needed a win over FA Cup finalists Portsmouth at Fratton Park, to complete an extraordinary escape from the relegation zone were looked in a gloomy goalless draw – and didn’t look like troubling Jamie Ashdown in the home goal. An impassive Roy Hodgson, his immediate emotions hidden by sunglasses, gave instructions for his substitutes to return to the dugout. He was preparing to make drastic changes and withdraw the workmanlike Danny Murphy.
The former England international had been a doubt to even feature in this crucial fixture after his youngest son fell ill early in the morning. Fortunately, Murphy’s son recovered quickly enough for the former Liverpool midfielder to take his place alongside Jimmy Bullard in the middle of Fulham’s engine room. When Diomansy Kamara won a free-kick wide on the right flank, Murphy ignored his usual set-piece instructions to venture into the penalty area. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Bullard, finisher of fabulous free-kicks since his West Ham days, floated a beautiful ball more than forty yards for Murphy, who had muscled his way between former Fulham midfielder Sean Davis and Lassana Davis, to nod a deft downward header to the delight of thousands of away fans massed behind the goal. Fulham had a little more than fifteen minutes to survive, but suddenly it looked as if they could score more.
Erik Nevland, scorer of crucial goals in the run-in at Reading and last weekend against Birmingham City, almost stole a second on the break but Hodgson’s side had to nervily survive four minutes of time added on by Mark Clattenburg. Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes repelled a succession of high balls hung up by Harry Redknapp’s side before the final whistle sounded when Paul Konchesky cleared down the left flank to complete one of the most remarkable acts of escapology in English football’s rich history.
With both Birmingham City and Reading ultimately recording wins, Fulham ended an afternoon of unparalled tension on the right side of the relegation zone. But, with Pompey’s eyes understandably on their Wembley date next weekend, the first half was devoid of too many clear-cut chances. John Utaka looked dangerous every time he escaped the attentions of Paul Stalteri, with Fulham thankful that his first cross didn’t find a team-mate before Jermain Defoe whacked an effort wildly over the bar from a beautiful ball by Glen Johnson.
Fulham’s only effort of note in the entire first 45 minutes was a tame try from Simon Davies, but there was understandably more urgency after the interval. Ashdown held a header from Murphy and Bullard saw a free-kick deflected over, but with Hodgson’s side going for broke – especially after Nevland had replaced Clint Dempsey – there was a danger gaps might open up at the other end. Kasey Keller reprised his goalkeeping heroics from Manchester City, keeping the crucial clean sheet intact superbly saving Niko Kranjcar’s long-ranger as well as denying Defoe.
Then came Murphy’s magnificent header, which proved enough to clinch Fulham’s first run of three successive away wins in the Premier League. London’s oldest professional football club were fantastically, and finally, safe from the dreaded drop. They laughed when Hodgson, derided by English journalists as a dinosaur after his departure from Blackburn Rovers in 1998, said he keep the Cottagers up after replacing Lawrie Sanchez in December. He might won Allsvenskans, SuperLigas and taken Switzerland to the last sixteen of the World Cup, but this could be the quiet man from Croydon’s finest achievement.
PORTSMOUTH (4-4-2): Ashdown, Johnson, Distin, Pamarot, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Diarra (Muntari 83), Pedro Mendes (Davis 73), Kranjcar, Defoe, Kanu (Baros 73). Subs (not used): Begovic, Wilson.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Keller; Stalteri, Konchesky, Hughes, Hangeland; Bullard, Murphy, Davies, Dempsey (Nevland 72); McBride, Kamara (Andreasen 85). Subs (not used): Warner, Bocanegra, Healy.
GOAL: Murphy (76).
REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (County Durham).
ATTENDANCE: 20,532.
