Fulham skipper Brede Hangeland sang Dimitar Berbatov and Mark Schwarzer’s praises after they helped Fulham to a 3-2 win in Monday’s west London derby against struggling QPR.
The in-form Berbatov converted an early penalty and capitalised on an error from Christopher Samba not long afterwards to take his goal tally to 13 for the season.
“He is an incredible player for us,” reflected Fulham skipper Hangeland. “A lot has been said about him but he has scored 13 goals now and we are just delighted to have him.
“He holds the ball up so well and does special stuff every game. He has scored a lot of goals and we are very lucky to have him in the team.”
The Bulgarian inspired Fulham’s blistering start at Craven Cottage but it was the man at the other end who made the difference later on.
Veteran Australian goalkeeper Schwarzer was powerless to stop Adel Taarabt’s goal but he saved a Loic Remy penalty early in the second half before pulling off a number of impressive saves in the closing stages as the 10-man Cottagers held on.
Schwarzer saved spot kicks against Arsenal and Stoke earlier this season and Hangeland was thankful to see him come to Fulham’s rescue again.
“He has saved three penalties this season,” said Hangeland. “I think he has probably saved more penalties than he has let in.
“He made some incredible saves on top of that. He’s definitely a really big player for us and has been since he came here.”
