Monday saw action between two struggling teams who were desperate for points. Fulham was winless in its last three Premier League outings, while Hull City found themselves currently in the relegation zone after a poor start. The teams were actually tied with 7 points points heading into Monday’s key match, so these three points could have a very large impact on the final standings. With so much at stake, it must feel pretty nice for Fulham supporters to see their team win in such a tidy fashion.
Fulham was playing in the friendly confines of Craven Cottage, and clearly were the better side from the outset. Don’t get me wrong, this match will never be re-aired on ESPN Classics, but Fulham did what they had to do in order to secure the big three points. The Cottagers were led by Damien Duff, Bobby Zamora, and Diomansy Kamara. Duff was the table setter throughout the match, and Zamora and Kamara provided quality finishes in the 43rd and 64th minute respectively. Fulham did not do anything flashy during the match, but they did play very solid at the back, and took care of some opportunities when they arose. Hey, a win is a win!
Hull City still searching for answers…
The Tigers went into the international break on a high note winning their previous match, but today’s loss means Hull has now lost four of their last five outings. After last season’s troubling finish, everyone knew it was going to be a tough for Hull City to remain in the top league, but this was just another very flat performance. The Tigers were the shock of the season last year as they fought hard to remain in the Premier League, but that fight has been much less ferocious in 2009.
City did not even manage one shot on target for the entire 90 minutes in today’s contest. Hull should be playing like a desperate team in need of crucial points, but instead they put in a life-less effort against Fulham. Winning at Craven Cottage was always going to be a tough task for the Tigers, but the effort has to be better. Hull generated zero offense on the day, and their defense was unravelling as the game wore on. City has a home game against last place Portsmouth on Saturday, and if this team has any plans on staying in the Premier League then three points is an absolute must.
I’m honestly shocked Phil Brown and his leathery skin still has a job to be completely honest. After such a great start to last year’s season he seems to have completely lost his grip on the game, and Hull by the looks of things will be heading back down next year.