Barclays Premier League

Date: 1st February 2012

Venue: Craven Cottage

1-1 

Somen Tchoyi was the Baggies super-sub as the Cameroon international came off the bench to score the equaliser after Clint Dempsey had given Fulham the lead but the draw was the least that Albion deserved in a tight game.

It was an emotional first return to Craven Cottage for Albion boss Roy Hodgson after he left the London club to take over at Liverpool in the summer of 2010 and the home supporters gave him a very warm reception.

Albion made one enforced change with Peter Odemwingie replacing the injured Jerome Thomas whith Scott Allan making the bench for the first time since his January move from Dundee United.

Martin Jol was forced to make one change to the Fulham side that last played in the league with Bobby Zamora making a deadline day move to Queens Park Rangers giving Simon Davies the chance to take his place.

First-Half

Both sides tried their luck from distance early on but it was in the 8th minute when a goalkeeper was first tested as David Stockdale had to get down and save a James Morrison effort. 

In the 10th-minute Albion Clint Dempsey had the ball in the back of the net but the effort was correctly ruled out for offside. 

Good work from Graham Dorrans and Simon Cox saw the former Swindon Town player work a perfect through ball to Peter Odemwingie in the box but his shot on an angle was hit well wide.

Both clubs were canceling each other out but Graham Dorrans was unfortunate to see a shot deflected wide off Fulham defender Brede Hangeland after a good pass from Simon Cox.

Marc-Antoine Fortuné almost put Albion ahead after 25-minutes as Dorrans played a wonderful through ball to Odemwingie before the Nigerian international pulled the ball back to Fortuné and his tame side footed effort was pushed wide by Stockdale.

Ben Foster then got lucky as he rushed off his line to try and claim a speculative long punt forward but Bryan Ruiz got their first but saw the ball bounce away for a goal kick off his head.

Simon Cox then played a great ball high down the line to Odemwingie in behind the Fulham back line before cutting inside but he slipped over in the box but somehow still managed to poke the ball back to Fortuné who blazed his shot over the bar.

Just before half-time Clint Dempsey got the ball with his back to goal and was given time to turn and get a shot away but it deflected slightly off Jonas Olsson but Foster got down well and dealt with it easily.

Second-Half

Not long into the second half Simon Cox played another good ball in behind John Arne Riise for Odemwingie to race onto and he got past the defender pulling the ball back to Fortuné who made room for the shot but Stockdale was level to it.

Bryan Ruiz was then given the freedom of the park to run at the Albion back line bursting into the box before shimmying past Olsson like he wasn't even there before poking a shot at goal that Foster held onto easily.

Danny Murphy then played a ball out wide to Damien Duff where Gabriel Tamas slipped to let him into the box before the Republic of Ireland international flashed the ball across the face of goal and out harmlessly for a goal kick.

Fulham took the leas in the 69th-minute as a terrible attempt at a clearance dropped to Steve Sidwell who nodded it into the path of Ruiz who played a cute ball into the path of Dempsey who finished superbly into the bottom corner expertly.

Albion made a change bringing Somen Tchoyi on for Simon Cox and it was an inspired move as he soon leveled the game.

A lofted ball forward was flicked on by James Morrison into the path of Tchoyi through the middle who took one touch before blasting the ball into the bottom corner of the net leaving Stockdale no chance and it was just what the Baggies deserved.

Albion pushed on and tried to make something happen but the game ended 1-1.

Full-Time 

It was always going to be a tough place to go for Albion having never won at Craven Cottage in the Premier League but there was just a single point separating the two teams in the league.

Albion have been impressive on their travels so far this season picking up more points on the road than on home soil and in the grand scheme of things it could turn out to be a vital point earned.

Now the Baggies need to try and build on this point by securing all three in the next game against Swansea City at The Hawthorns on Saturday. 

Fulham: Stockdale; Kelly, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise; Davies, Murphy, Sidwell, Duff; Ruiz, Dempsey. Unused Substitutes: Etheridge (gk), Hughes, Baird, Kasami, Gecov, Frei, Trotta.

WBA: Foster; Tamas, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey; Cox (Tchoyi 77), Morrison (Reid 88), Mulumbu, Dorrans; Odemwingie, Fortune. Unused Substitutes: Fulop (gk), Mantom, Dawson, Thorne, Allan.

Goals: Fulham - Dempsey (70). WBA - Tchoyi (82).

Yellow Cards: Fulham - Murphy.

Referee: Mark Halsey.