The Centre Circle

Well done Fulham!! Isn’t football a wonderful game? This is why we love it. After David Trezeguet struck after 86 seconds of the tie, Fulham were all but dead and buried down 4-1 and having conceded a vital away goal. Not a bit of it. Fair play to the resolve of Roy Hodgson and his team. Bobby Zamora struck back seven minutes later to make it 1-1 and then the crucial moment of the game. Fabio Cannavaro was controversially sent-off for pulling back Zoltan Gera as he looked to be clean through on goal. Gera then scored twice either side of half time, the first after a pull back from Simon Davis, the second a penalty after Diego handled in the area. The best goal of the night, maybe one of the goals of the season, and one that will go down in Fulham folklore came from American Clint Dempsey. He chipped Antonio Chimenti with absolute precision into the top left hand corner of the goal – a peach of a finish that no keeper on the planet would have got near, truly worth of winning any game. Craven Cottage went into pandemonium, and the 5-4 aggregate win and progression into the last 8 of the Europa Leaue was sealed when Jonathan Zebina got his marching orders late on.