Have to love this scoreline.
Brede Hangeland got his first goal for the Whites midway through the first half. Admittedly, I was worried that Fulham would, well, pull a Fulham and blow it in the final 15 minutes, but that didn't happen and Fulham get their first win of the season in thier home opener. I have to say, I need to get myself to Craven Cottage and soon as I thought the atmosphere was outstanding.
Hangeland's goal, off a Jimmy Bullard corner kick, was wonderful to watch. But the general possession game that Fulham looked to be playing was also appealing. Hodgson is known for having this kind of possession oriented game style and the Whites look to be adapting to it well. Arsenel, known for playing a more beautiful style of game that most of the EPL, actually looked puzzled a bit by Fulham's play. But possessing the ball means you opponents don't have the ball and if they don't have the ball, they can't score.
The final ten minutes or so were a flurry of Arsenel attacks, leading to my fear of a Fulham ending, giving up two points at home. But with Hangeland and Schwarzer working hard, along with John Pantsil (who is making a case for his right back slot), Aaron Hughes and Tony Kallio (in his Fulham debut for the injured Paul Konchesky) kept the Fulham defense in shape and kept Arsenel out of the net.
Last week, I though Fulham would win at Hull City, but lost in the last minutes. This week, I thought Arsenel would win and was pleasantly suprised otherwise. Fulham are off to a good start.
Wednesday the Whites will host Leicester City in a Carling Cup match. Then comes a two week international break FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
No comments:
Post a Comment