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Match Report

Fulham 2 : Arsenal 1

Fulham 2 : Arsenal 1

01/02/2012 08:01:09 PM

Fulham scored twice in the last seven minutes to claim an amazing win over Arsenal at Craven Cottage on Monday.

Gunners defender Laurent Koscielny validated their dominance after he powered home a header in the 21st minute when totally unmarked.

Fulham reversed the pattern in the second half, desperately searching for an equaliser.

Bobby Zamora, Philippe Senderos and Bryan Ruiz, amongst others, failed to put the ball in the back of the net, before Steve Sidwell finally nodded home five minutes from time.

Zamora netted the winner in the last minute of stoppage time to earn his team all three points.Arsenal enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, with Aaron Ramsey testing David Stockdale from the edge of the box, before Gervinho wildly volleyed over after a corner found him alone at the far post.

The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute when Ramsey's deflected cross from the left-side of the box found Koscielny totally unmarked and the centre-half nodded home.

Moments later the lead should have been doubled, as the ball bounced around the penalty area, with Gervinho and Ramsey both failing to score.As the home side pushed for an equaliser, Ruiz went close after a dribble before tumbling to no avail in the box under a challenge from Alex Song.

Ruiz rifled into the arms of Wojciech Szczesny as the teams re-emerged as Fulham started in a mood that suggested they would take the game to their visitors.

Sidwell fizzed an effort just over the bar from 30 yards out on the hour mark before Clint Dempsey skewed one wide when he would have hoped to test Szczesny.

Danny Murphy's free kick saw the Arsenal keeper come rashly off his line and if Philippe Senderos could have directed on target, the ex-Gunner would have drawn the Cottagers level.

It was all Fulham by this point and Dempsey powered over Per Mertesacker to send Ruiz’s delightfully dug-out cross fractionally wide of the upright.

Ruiz looked certain to slam home the equalizer when the ball dropped to him 10 yards out, though the Costa Rican could only fire his effort into the legs of Szczesny.

Johan Djourou then received his marching orders for a second yellow after hauling down Zamora when he was through on goal.

From the free-kick, on the edge of the box, Stephen Kelly could only hit the wall.

With five minutes to go, Fulham finally got the goal they deserved.

Szczesny could only able palm a corner onto the head of Senderos, who looped the ball back in for Sidwell to power home from close range.

Remarkably, with one minute of stoppage time remaining, substitute Sebastian Squillaci's skewed clearance dropped to Zamora six yards out and his scuffed, left-footed volley wrong-footed Szczesny at the near post.

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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