Fulham denied by last-gasp equaliser

Norwich 1 Fulham 1

Substitute Simeon Jackson’s last-gasp header denied Fulham only their second away win of the season.

Orlando Sa’s first goal for the club – a 20-yard curler following great work by Moussa Dembele – put the Whites ahead after only six minutes and looked like giving them a morale-boosting victory to round off 2011.

But Norwich’s second-half pressure finally paid off when Jackson nodded in Elliott Bennett’s cross.

Once again there was no Andrew Johnson or Bobby Zamora in the Fulham squad ahead of their expected departures during the January transfer window.

Boss Martin Jol has been eyeing a number of possible replacements but already has plenty of attacking menace at his disposal in Sa, Dembele, Clint Dempsey and exciting youngster Kerim Frei.

All four troubled Norwich during a lively first half and after opening the scoring, Sa almost netted again when he latched onto Frei’s pass and steered the ball past keeper John Ruddy only to be denied by Kyle Naughton’s clearance.

Fulham keeper David Stockdale pushed Zak Whitbread’s header onto the bar as City piled forward in search of an equaliser, before Whites full-back John Arne Riise cleared Steve Morison’s effort off the line.

But the visitors always looked dangerous on the counter-attack and were again unlucky not to double their lead when Stephen Kelly’s excellent cross was headed against the bar by Dempsey.

Norwich boss Paul Lambert brought striker Grant Holt on for the second half and the change had an effect.

Naughton hit the bar with a rasping shot and Stockdale produced an impressive save to deny Andrew Surman as Fulham were bombarded.

Lambert then made another change, replacing Morison with Jackson, who forced another good stop from Stockdale before eventually finding the net in the closing seconds.