Fulham v Newcastle United match report
February 3rd, 2011 | 83 Comments |
If there’s one thing you don’t want to see happen after you’ve just sold your number one striker and not lined up a replacement, it’s to see your number two striker get injured. Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened to Newcastle as a 14th minute collision with Steve Sidwell saw Shola Ameobi leave the pitch with a fractured cheekbone.
There were few other notable events in the first half, although Williamson was lucky not to concede a penalty after some of his wrestling matches with Fulham players in the area.
Clint Dempsey smashed a shot over the bar and Nile Ranger, coming on for the injured Ameobi, made himself busy enough in the penalty area on the end of a Barton free kick to force a corner, but that was the sum total of first half excitement. It’s halves like that where they should really release a leopard onto the pitch from time to time to liven things up.
Fortunately things improved in the second half when Steve Harper was called into action early on to make a great save against Dempsey and Leon Best had an early chance at the other end, heading over the bar from a few yards out. (more…)