Fulham earn point in stalemate with Saints
Fulham were left frustrated and had to settle for point at Craven Cottage.
The Whites will welcome the outcome against Southampton to a certain extent – but their lack of goals remains a significant issue in an encounter that was mostly forgettable.
Fulham had to be prepared for a tough test against the Saints, who arrived in west London in eighth place. However, the hosts had suffered just one defeat in their last five league games, amid their attempts to escape the drop zone before the new year.
Scott Parker’s side started aggressively enough and were keen to press forward – but it was Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side who came closest to breaking the deadlock.
In the 26th minute, James Ward-Prowse shaped up to curl a lovely 25-yard free-kick that caught the crossbar and away from danger for the Whites.
Otherwise, it was a patchy 45 minutes from Fulham’s perspective.
The hosts were lacking a cutting edge for long spells and, in 55 minutes, Ivan Cavaleiro’s misdirected header when unmarked from seven yards out was a disappointing end to a fantastic cross from the left by Antonee Robinson.
Fulham keeper Alphonse Areloa needed to fingertip an impressive long range effort over from Shane Long in 68 minutes.
However, neither side were supplying much in terms of real opportunities, although Long did have a goal disallowed.
Fulham survived a late scare when Theo Walcott’s well-taken, close range goal on the counter-attack for Southampton was ruled out by VAR.
Fulham: Areola, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Aina, Robinson, Reed, Anguissa, Reid (Mitrovic 82), Lookman (Kebano 89), Loftus-Cheek, Cavaleiro
