Craven Cottage Remembered!

 

 

 

Chris Coleman's side took control after half-time as the visitors were undermined by mistakes from Nicky Butt and Titus Bramble.

Butt blundered with a dismal backpass in the 49th minute which let Helguson gallop through and thunder a shot beyond goalkeeper Steve Harper.

And Bramble should have been sent off for a deliberate tug on Helguson when the striker was clean through in the 60th minute.

Four minutes later, though, McBride's sweeping right-footed shot - following brilliant work by substitute Papa Bouba Diop - confirmed Newcastle's first league defeat of 2007.

Obafemi Martins stoppage-time goal was just a consolation for the visitors.

Fulham were good value for a fine win after seeing their unbeaten run come to an end at Sheffield United on Tuesday.

Manager Coleman rang the changes in defence and was rewarded by sound displays from Philippe Cristanval and Carlos Bocanegra.

With new-boy Oguchi Onyewu a powerful, bruising presence alongside Bramble at the heart of Newcastle's defence and Fulham's strikers continually running into offside positions there was not much doing in the first half.

Neither side managed to create a decent chance in the opening half-hour as defences ruled the roost.

Newcastle's aerial strength made meat and drink of anything high sent into their area by Fulham's wide men Wayne Routledge and Simon Davies while Bocanegra was booked for pulling back Martins as the Nigerian striker executed a neat turn on the halfway line.

When Fulham tried to go through the middle they were just as ineffective; Moritz Volz was stopped dead in his tracks at the edge of the area by the powerful Onyewu's crunching tackle.

The German needed attention before he could carry on, and the home fans screamed for action as the American knocked lumps off the battling Helguson.

Newcastle carried hardly a threat although Franck Queudrue did well to cut out James Milner's dangerous cross from the right after 35 minutes.

Fulham skipper Michael Brown went down clutching his face after a collision with Scott Parker but referee Phil Dowd was not fooled.

He gave a free-kick but ignored home fans' pleas to send off Parker for an elbow. Television replays suggested no contact at all.

There was, though, in the 41st minute when Stephen Carr tried foolishly to head the ball back to goalkeeper Steve Harper in a crowded United penalty area. Helguson so nearly nipped in first.

Just as the half was dying, Routledge was the nearest to a goal so far when he worked his way in from the left and skimmed the crossbar with his shot.

And almost immediately Newcastle went close when, following a corner, Jan Lastuvka - deputising in goal for Antti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up - parried Martins' shot and both Steve Taylor and Kieron Dyer had follow-up efforts blocked.

Although it was Newcastle who seemed faster out of the traps in the second half it was Fulham who scored following a gift from Butt.

The midfielder, taking possession of Carr's routine throw-in, left a risky back pass dreadfully short in the 49th minute and Helguson seized the ball, sprinted between two flat-footed defenders and lofted a superb shot beyond Harper.

Instead of being stung into retaliation, Newcastle crumbled and were hit by a home barrage in which Simon Davies' header from a Liam Rosenior cross had to be splendidly tipped over by Harper.

McBride stood unmarked waiting for a Brown pass that never came after another battling Helguson run.

And Bramble should have seen red instead of yellow for a deliberate tug on the Icelandic striker as he raced clean through on 69 minutes.

But McBride's clincher was only four minutes away, courtesy of a sweeping right-footed shot which brought his 11th goal of the season but owed everything to Diop's marvellous work, penetrating on the right to set him up perfectly.

Martins struck his 10th goal of the season from substitute Nolberto Solano's pass in the 92nd minute but that was far too late.