Duff´s late strike earns Fulham share of the spoils
LONDON (AFP) - Fulham salvaged a share of the spoils against Bolton as Damien Duff's late equaliser earned a 1-1 draw against Bolton on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson's team fell behind to Ivan Klasnic's first half strike at Craven Cottage, but Duff struck with 15 minutes to play to extend the west Londonders' unbeaten run at home to six matches.
Bolton remain in the relegation zone after a fourth successive league game without a win.
Fulham almost went in front in the 16th minute but a superb goal-line clearance from Gretar Steinsson prevented Erik Nevland scoring from six yards.
Nevland almost supplied the perfect pass for Zoltan Gera moments later but again Steinsson read the danger before the former Manchester United striker could finish.
Fulham midfielder Jonathan Greening briefly caused alarm in the Bolton defence with a surging run and shot.
Greening was in the thick of it again when he was booked for a foul on Tamir Cohen, even though replays showed that the Bolton man had dived.
After being pushed back for long periods, Gary Megson's struggling side took the lead against the run of play in the 35th minute.
Croatia striker Klasnic collected a header from Gary Cahill, turned Brede Hangeland six yards fron goal and fired past Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
It was only Bolton's second goal in four games and they were soon under the cosh again at the start of the second half.
Steinsson was in the right place to deny Fulham with another goal-line clearance as the right-back blocked a header from Clint Dempsey.
Gera flashed a volley wide of a post as Fulham pressed for the equaliser before Duff was thwarted by a diving save from Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Jaaskelainen made a superb stop to keep out Nevland's shot but the pressure finally told as Duff levelled in the 75th minute.
Duff collected a pass from Nevland and the Republic of Ireland winger drilled his shot into the bottom corner of the net.
There was still time for Duff to go close to a winner in the 84th minute when his 20-yard drive flashed past a post.
Duff´s late strike earns Fulham share of the spoils
LONDON (AFP) - Fulham salvaged a share of the spoils against Bolton as Damien Duff's late equaliser earned a 1-1 draw against Bolton on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson's team fell behind to Ivan Klasnic's first half strike at Craven Cottage, but Duff struck with 15 minutes to play to extend the west Londonders' unbeaten run at home to six matches.
Bolton remain in the relegation zone after a fourth successive league game without a win.
Fulham almost went in front in the 16th minute but a superb goal-line clearance from Gretar Steinsson prevented Erik Nevland scoring from six yards.
Nevland almost supplied the perfect pass for Zoltan Gera moments later but again Steinsson read the danger before the former Manchester United striker could finish.
Fulham midfielder Jonathan Greening briefly caused alarm in the Bolton defence with a surging run and shot.
Greening was in the thick of it again when he was booked for a foul on Tamir Cohen, even though replays showed that the Bolton man had dived.
After being pushed back for long periods, Gary Megson's struggling side took the lead against the run of play in the 35th minute.
Croatia striker Klasnic collected a header from Gary Cahill, turned Brede Hangeland six yards fron goal and fired past Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
It was only Bolton's second goal in four games and they were soon under the cosh again at the start of the second half.
Steinsson was in the right place to deny Fulham with another goal-line clearance as the right-back blocked a header from Clint Dempsey.
Gera flashed a volley wide of a post as Fulham pressed for the equaliser before Duff was thwarted by a diving save from Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Jaaskelainen made a superb stop to keep out Nevland's shot but the pressure finally told as Duff levelled in the 75th minute.
Duff collected a pass from Nevland and the Republic of Ireland winger drilled his shot into the bottom corner of the net.
There was still time for Duff to go close to a winner in the 84th minute when his 20-yard drive flashed past a post.
Blackburn home run grinds to a halt
BLACKBURN, England (AFP) - A typically gritty display from Stoke denied Blackburn a fifth straight home win as an uninspiring encounter ended goalless.
With Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce absent following minor heart surgery, his players failed to deliver the kind of tonic he would have desired. Stoke enjoyed the better of the chances although it was the home side who went closest to scoring with Steven Nzonzi striking the woodwork.
Australian midfielder Brett Emerton and French duo Gael Givet and Nzonzi returned to the Blackburn line-up after missing the midweek defeat at Fulham.
Stoke made two changes to the side that beat Portsmouth on their last outing, with Liam Lawrence and Mamady Sidibe replacing Rory Delap and James Beattie.
Blackburn started confidently, with on-loan Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo testing Thomas Sorensen early on with a shot the Danish goalkeeper did well to save.
But Stoke should have claimed the lead midway through the opening period after Ricardo Fuller sent Dean Whitehead clear.
The striker's shot was under-powered and Paul Robinson was able to turn it away relatively comfortably.
Blackburn suffered a blow in the 32nd minute when David Dunn, who has scored six goals for Blackburn this season, had to go off, prompting a tactical reshuffle which saw Jason Roberts come on as a second striker alongside Di Santo.
Stoke were happy to play on the counter-attack and that approach generated a great chance to take the lead six minutes before the break, when Robinson pulled off a fine save to deny Lawrence at close range as the midfielder attempted to finish off Sidibe's inviting cross from the right.
Eight minutes into the second half, Andy Wilkinson struck the side netting after getting past Givet.
That seemed to provoke a reaction from the home side and Sorensen had to be alert to keep out an overhead kick from Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen before Nzonzi beat the goalkeeper with a drive that came back off the post.
Chris Samba had the chance to snatch all three points in injury time but the Blackburn centreback headed substitute Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross wide.
Hammers smash five past travel sick Burnley
LONDON (AFP) - West Ham hit top form and continued their climb away from the Premier League relegation zone with a commanding 5-3 victory over Burnley in an entertaining game at Upton Park here on Saturday.
Welsh international midfielder Jack Collison gave the hosts an 18th-minute lead after latching onto Scott Parker's quick free-kick, with Junior Stanislas and top scorer Carlton Cole also on target before the break.
Cole hobbled off early in the second half but Guillermo Franco soon had the home side 4-0 ahead before substitute Luis Jimenez scored from the spot.
Burnley rallied in the second half, with Steven Fletcher scoring twice and Chris Eagles also got on the scoresheet, but it was nonetheless another forgettable away day for Owen Coyle's men, who had Steven Caldwell sent off late on.
The victory, West Ham's third of the season, keeps them in 17th place but they are now just a point behind Everton and Birmingham City, both of whom play on Sunday.
Burnley centre-back Clarke Carlisle had seen a header cleared off the line and Franco had struck the crossbar before Collison put the hosts ahead.
The 21-year-old netted early on to give the Hammers a 2-0 lead in the 3-3 draw at Hull on Wednesday and he was quickly into his goal-scoring stride again, slotting home after Parker had caught the Burnley defence napping.
Stanislas was the next man to break the visitors' offside trap when he broke clear to latch onto Franco's intelligent reverse pass and he finished at the second attempt after Brian Jensen parried his initial effort.
Burnley's form away from Turf Moor has been dire this season, with just a single point picked up on their travels, and they fell three goals down two minutes before the break.
Robbie Blake was adjudged to have fouled full-back Jonathan Spector in the away side's penalty area and England international Cole converted the ensuing spotkick for his seventh league goal of the campaign.
Franco got the goal his performance deserved when he headed home Stanislas's centre on 51 minutes and his replacement Jimenez made it 5-0 with a penalty he had earned after being felled by the unfortunate Jensen.
Both of Fletcher's late goals were set up by Eagles, who then helped himself to his second goal of the season, shortly after Caldwell had been dismissed for dragging back the livewire Zavon Hines.
Hammers smash five past travel sick Burnley
LONDON (AFP) - West Ham hit top form and continued their climb away from the Premier League relegation zone with a commanding 5-3 victory over Burnley in an entertaining game at Upton Park here on Saturday.
Welsh international midfielder Jack Collison gave the hosts an 18th-minute lead after latching onto Scott Parker's quick free-kick, with Junior Stanislas and top scorer Carlton Cole also on target before the break.
Cole hobbled off early in the second half but Guillermo Franco soon had the home side 4-0 ahead before substitute Luis Jimenez scored from the spot.
Burnley rallied in the second half, with Steven Fletcher scoring twice and Chris Eagles also got on the scoresheet, but it was nonetheless another forgettable away day for Owen Coyle's men, who had Steven Caldwell sent off late on.
The victory, West Ham's third of the season, keeps them in 17th place but they are now just a point behind Everton and Birmingham City, both of whom play on Sunday.
Burnley centre-back Clarke Carlisle had seen a header cleared off the line and Franco had struck the crossbar before Collison put the hosts ahead.
The 21-year-old netted early on to give the Hammers a 2-0 lead in the 3-3 draw at Hull on Wednesday and he was quickly into his goal-scoring stride again, slotting home after Parker had caught the Burnley defence napping.
Stanislas was the next man to break the visitors' offside trap when he broke clear to latch onto Franco's intelligent reverse pass and he finished at the second attempt after Brian Jensen parried his initial effort.
Burnley's form away from Turf Moor has been dire this season, with just a single point picked up on their travels, and they fell three goals down two minutes before the break.
Robbie Blake was adjudged to have fouled full-back Jonathan Spector in the away side's penalty area and England international Cole converted the ensuing spotkick for his seventh league goal of the campaign.
Franco got the goal his performance deserved when he headed home Stanislas's centre on 51 minutes and his replacement Jimenez made it 5-0 with a penalty he had earned after being felled by the unfortunate Jensen.
Both of Fletcher's late goals were set up by Eagles, who then helped himself to his second goal of the season, shortly after Caldwell had been dismissed for dragging back the livewire Zavon Hines.
Blackburn home run grinds to a halt
BLACKBURN, England (AFP) - A typically gritty display from Stoke denied Blackburn a fifth straight home win as an uninspiring encounter ended goalless.
With Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce absent following minor heart surgery, his players failed to deliver the kind of tonic he would have desired. Stoke enjoyed the better of the chances although it was the home side who went closest to scoring with Steven Nzonzi striking the woodwork.
Australian midfielder Brett Emerton and French duo Gael Givet and Nzonzi returned to the Blackburn line-up after missing the midweek defeat at Fulham.
Stoke made two changes to the side that beat Portsmouth on their last outing, with Liam Lawrence and Mamady Sidibe replacing Rory Delap and James Beattie.
Blackburn started confidently, with on-loan Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo testing Thomas Sorensen early on with a shot the Danish goalkeeper did well to save.
But Stoke should have claimed the lead midway through the opening period after Ricardo Fuller sent Dean Whitehead clear.
The striker's shot was under-powered and Paul Robinson was able to turn it away relatively comfortably.
Blackburn suffered a blow in the 32nd minute when David Dunn, who has scored six goals for Blackburn this season, had to go off, prompting a tactical reshuffle which saw Jason Roberts come on as a second striker alongside Di Santo.
Stoke were happy to play on the counter-attack and that approach generated a great chance to take the lead six minutes before the break, when Robinson pulled off a fine save to deny Lawrence at close range as the midfielder attempted to finish off Sidibe's inviting cross from the right.
Eight minutes into the second half, Andy Wilkinson struck the side netting after getting past Givet.
That seemed to provoke a reaction from the home side and Sorensen had to be alert to keep out an overhead kick from Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen before Nzonzi beat the goalkeeper with a drive that came back off the post.
Chris Samba had the chance to snatch all three points in injury time but the Blackburn centreback headed substitute Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross wide.
Wigan recover pride
WIGAN, England (AFP) - Wigan bounced back from their 9-1 hammering by Tottenham with a 1-0 win over former manager Steve Bruce's Sunderland.
A 75th-minute strike by Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega was enough to secure the points against opponents who had beaten Arsenal on their last outing but were distinctly lacklustre here.
Bruce's men rarely looked like scoring and it fell to Rodallega, a player signed by Bruce during his time in Lancashire, to settle the contest after Jason Scotland had seen a first-half effort strike the woodwork.
The winner owed much to some poor defending by Paulo da Silva, who slithered to the turf as Rodallega went past him before beating Marton Fulop with a left-footed shot from an acute angle.
The Colombian should have made the points safe eight minutes later but fired straight at Fulop when he had only the Sunderland goalkeeper to beat.
Wigan held out, however, to record their first clean sheet since September 12 and there was no disputing that Roberto Martinez's side deserved the points.
Rodallega, who diverted a Charles N'Zogbia's cross into the side-netting, and Paul Scharner, who tested Fulop with a low drive, both had early chances as Wigan started in spirited fashion.
And the home side were unlucky not to go ahead when N'Zogbia dispossessed da Silva on the right of the penalty area and crossed for Scotland to hit a first-time shot which beat Fulop but rebounded back off the post.
Fulop then produced a fine finger-tip save to keep the game goalless after defender Chris Turner had deflected Rodallega's inswinging free-kick towards his own goal.
Sunderland were brighter immediately after the interval with Andy Reid going close with a shot tht dipped just over and Bent heading wide from a good position at the back post.
But Wigan reasserted themselves and Titus Bramble should have put them ahead from a cross by substitute Jordi Gomez, the centreback heading straight at Fulop.
Rodallega forced Fulop into another save and fired wide from N'Zogbia's lay-off before the Colombian finally claimed the winner the Wigan fans craved.
Mertesacker late show sends Werder top
BERLIN (AFP) - A last-gasp equaliser from Germany international Per Mertesacker just preserved Werder Bremen's leadership of the Bundesliga in securing a 2-2 home draw Saturday against reigning champions Wolfsburg.
Bosnian sharpshooter Edin Dzeko had opened the scoring three minutes before the break to end a five-game personal barren run in front of goal for Wolsfburg, who began the game five points adrift of their rivals just outside the top five.
Portuguese star Hugo Almeida levelled on the hour but Dzeko's second five minutes from time looked to have settled it for the visitors until Mertesacker struck in injury time with a header from a corner to presevre their 20-match unbeaten sequence.
Bayer Leverkusen will still go to the summit if they avoid defeat Sunday against Stuttgart as they and Werder both have 27 points.
But so tight is the situation at the top that Schalke, with 25 points, could muscle in if they beat Borussia Moenchengladbach later Saturday.
On Sunday, struggling Bayern Munich, currently just eighth in the table after only five wins in 13 league games, travel to midtable Hanover badly needing a win which would take them towards the top five - though they will have to achievce it without injured pair Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
Hamburg stayed fourth but only just a point ahead of Hoffenheim after a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Mainz.
Already missing star man Ze Roberto, Hamburg then also saw Dutchman Eljiro Elia pick up an injury.
Hoffenheim were unable to take advantage of Hamburg as they fell 2-1 at home to Dortmund.
At the other end of the table Hertha Berlin look a solid bet for the drop after a 3-1 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt brought their 11th defeat of the campaign to leave the capital club seven points from safety.
Mertesacker late show sends Werder top
BERLIN (AFP) - A last-gasp equaliser from Germany international Per Mertesacker just preserved Werder Bremen's leadership of the Bundesliga in securing a 2-2 home draw Saturday against reigning champions Wolfsburg.
Bosnian sharpshooter Edin Dzeko had opened the scoring three minutes before the break to end a five-game personal barren run in front of goal for Wolsfburg, who began the game five points adrift of their rivals just outside the top five.
Portuguese star Hugo Almeida levelled on the hour but Dzeko's second five minutes from time looked to have settled it for the visitors until Mertesacker struck in injury time with a header from a corner to presevre their 20-match unbeaten sequence.
Bayer Leverkusen will still go to the summit if they avoid defeat Sunday against Stuttgart as they and Werder both have 27 points.
But so tight is the situation at the top that Schalke, with 25 points, could muscle in if they beat Borussia Moenchengladbach later Saturday.
On Sunday, struggling Bayern Munich, currently just eighth in the table after only five wins in 13 league games, travel to midtable Hanover badly needing a win which would take them towards the top five - though they will have to achievce it without injured pair Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
Hamburg stayed fourth but only just a point ahead of Hoffenheim after a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Mainz.
Already missing star man Ze Roberto, Hamburg then also saw Dutchman Eljiro Elia pick up an injury.
Hoffenheim were unable to take advantage of Hamburg as they fell 2-1 at home to Dortmund.
At the other end of the table Hertha Berlin look a solid bet for the drop after a 3-1 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt brought their 11th defeat of the campaign to leave the capital club seven points from safety.
Wigan recover pride
WIGAN, England (AFP) - Wigan bounced back from their 9-1 hammering by Tottenham with a 1-0 win over former manager Steve Bruce's Sunderland.
A 75th-minute strike by Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega was enough to secure the points against opponents who had beaten Arsenal on their last outing but were distinctly lacklustre here.
Bruce's men rarely looked like scoring and it fell to Rodallega, a player signed by Bruce during his time in Lancashire, to settle the contest after Jason Scotland had seen a first-half effort strike the woodwork.
The winner owed much to some poor defending by Paulo da Silva, who slithered to the turf as Rodallega went past him before beating Marton Fulop with a left-footed shot from an acute angle.
The Colombian should have made the points safe eight minutes later but fired straight at Fulop when he had only the Sunderland goalkeeper to beat.
Wigan held out, however, to record their first clean sheet since September 12 and there was no disputing that Roberto Martinez's side deserved the points.
Rodallega, who diverted a Charles N'Zogbia's cross into the side-netting, and Paul Scharner, who tested Fulop with a low drive, both had early chances as Wigan started in spirited fashion.
And the home side were unlucky not to go ahead when N'Zogbia dispossessed da Silva on the right of the penalty area and crossed for Scotland to hit a first-time shot which beat Fulop but rebounded back off the post.
Fulop then produced a fine finger-tip save to keep the game goalless after defender Chris Turner had deflected Rodallega's inswinging free-kick towards his own goal.
Sunderland were brighter immediately after the interval with Andy Reid going close with a shot tht dipped just over and Bent heading wide from a good position at the back post.
But Wigan reasserted themselves and Titus Bramble should have put them ahead from a cross by substitute Jordi Gomez, the centreback heading straight at Fulop.
Rodallega forced Fulop into another save and fired wide from N'Zogbia's lay-off before the Colombian finally claimed the winner the Wigan fans craved.