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This picture just about sums up the day.
Losing Zamora to QPR that is managed by Fulham’s ex-manager is disappointing, but what a match it was. Let’s get right into it.
The good:
The instincts – It seemed everyone knew where everyone else was at all times. It seemed like every time someone wanted to put the ball into an attacking position, there was always someone there to receive it. What a wonderful display of attacking. I can’t really praise the ball movement enough. While the accuracy wasn’t always the best, the setup and player movement was outstanding.
Pavel Pogrebnyak – Hat trick. Five goals in three matches with Fulham. Need I say more?
Clint Dempsey’s 2nd half – While it took him a while to get warmed up, and he was somewhat invisible in the 1st half, he hit some kind of switch at halftime in the locker room because when he came back out, he was on fire. He made run after run down the middle, and someone was at the end of his passes every time.
The middle men – Damien Duff, Moussa Dembele, Danny Murphy, John Arne Riise, and even debut man Mahamadou Diarra were fantastic yesterday. When someone was in a good attacking position, you were always there to put a good ball to them and find your way through the Wolverhampton midfield and first line of defense. Whether it was on the wings or in the middle of the field, the work to get the ball up front was brilliant.
The bad:
Aaron Hughes – The poor guy looked lost on the right hand side. As much as the whole team played well, and even Hughesy looked much better in the 2nd half than in the 1st, I still feel like he had moments where he was clueless. He’s much better in the middle, and it’s unfortunate that Phillippe Senderos is playing so well in the middle. There’s a logjam in the middle and not enough guys who can play the edges. That makes Riise so valuable.
Wolverhampton – Boy were they awful. As much as Fulham played so well, they handed the Whites so many chances with sloppy ball handling, terrible passing, and a lack of physicality they’re generally known for. Maybe that’s a product of Karl Henry getting injured early, but they were downright terrible. After watching that, I would not be the least bit surprised if they ended up relegated. What a poor showing. I actually feel sorry for Wolves fans.
Man of the Match: Pavel Pogrebnyak of course. Who else? Well Clint Dempsey, Moussa Dembele, and even Damien Duff probably could be considered. But Dempsey only really played one good half, Dembele faded at the end and didn’t have the sharpest passing, and Pog had a hat trick. He now has five goals in three matches with Fulham.
