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This was definitely a game of two very different halves of football. Fulham really played well in the first half and deserved the lead at the break . At the half, the score was in favor of Fulham 1 - 0. The second half was dominated by Tottenham from the very beginning. Three second half substitutions by Tottenham were a huge factor. They scored 3 goals in a 20 minute span in the second half. Tottenham win the match 3 - 1.
Fulham started off the match well with some good pressure on Tottenham. In the 5th minute a long shot by Danny Murphy is right on net. This is followed up in the 11th minute by a nice shot by Simon Davies. Fulham seemed to dominate the first 20 minutes.
There pressure was rewarded in the 17th minute. Damien Duff made a fantastic pass to Bobby Zamora and his shot got by Gomes. For the next few minutes Fulham were continuing the pressure on Tottenham. Spurs though were just about ready to put some pressure right back on Fulham.
In the 27th minute a shot by Crouch 6 yeards out is saved By Schwarzer. Modric a few minutes later has a shot that just goes wide. In the 32nd minute Peter Crouch again has a shot that is saved by Schwarzer. The second 20 minutes of the half Tottenham definitely saw much more of the ball.
The last 5 minutes though saw Fulham again put pressure on Tottenham. Off of a corner Hangeland's header just goes high. This is followed up by a header by Zamora, and his shot goes high as well. The half ends 1 - 0 to Fulham.
The second half began with Tottenham making two substitutions. David Bentley and Tom Huddlestone began the second half. Roman Pavlyuchenko came on early in the second half. These 3 substitutions proved to be great moves. In the 47th minute, David Bentley's free kick 30 yards out goes right into the net. This was poor defending by Fulham. The game was now tied 1 - 1 very early in the second half.
The momentum was all with Tottenham. They were putting constant pressure on Fulham. In the 60th minute a great cross by Bentley goes right to Pavlyuchenko. He strikes the ball past Mark Schwarzer and scores. This was a great goal. The score was now Tottenham ahead 2 - 1.
Shortly afterwards the pressure continued by Tottenham. In the 66th minute a great pass from Luka Modric leads to a goal by Gudjohnsen. The score was now 3 - 1 with Tottenham in full control of the match.
I thought the best chance for Fulham was late in the match. A good shot by Damien Duff is saved by Gomes. Fulham did put on pressure near the end of the match. At this point it was just too late. Stefano Okaka actually had some nice possession. He came on for Bobby Zamora. None of the pressure however led to another goal. The game ended 3 - 1 in favor of Tottenham.
I have to give Tottenham and Harry Redknapp all the credit for their win. The substitutions Redknapp made in the second half had a huge impact on the match. Fulham played one very good half of football. Unfortunately, it was a 20 minute span in the second half that was the difference in the match. Good luck to Tottenham in the Semi-finals. Fulham are now on to Hull City on Saturday. Let's hope Fulham can rebound, and get their second road win of the season.