With injuries and suspensions hurting Arsenal, the team that they took to Craven Cottage looked a bit suspect. Still, there was enough quality in their starting XI that most would have expected them to get a decent result. They got off to a decent start and looked as if they were in a position to secure a positive result at halftime, but the Gunners came out flat in the second half. Johan Djourou's sending off was the catalyst for a Fulham victory, but things went poorly even before that incident, as Fulham fought to a deserved 2-1 victory.
Fulham Vs. Arsenal, 2012 Premier League: Bobby Zamora Snatches Three Points For Cottagers
Laurent Koscielny scored the opener for Arsenal in the 21st minute, as he stayed forward following a set piece opportunity. Aaron Ramsey provided the assist, lifting a ball into the box with a lofted cross that met the head of the Frenchman, who finished with a quality header.
Arsenal should have added another just a couple of minutes later, but David Stockdale made two incredible saves in the 23rd minute. The Gunners put nine shots on target in the first half, but only one of them resulted in a goal. Stockdale was good, but after the 23rd minute, Arsenal's moves were entirely predictable.
Right from the whistle that started the second half, it was obvious that there was something just a bit different about Fulham. They controlled the play, hardly given Arsenal a sniff. The Gunners couldn't even get the ball forward in the first five minutes. For the rest of the half, they would create no shots on goal. Fulham were, incredibly, on top for the entire second half. Arsenal played with ten men behind the ball for much of the half, as Robin van Persie was left isolated.
Still, despite all of their possession and Arsenal's lack of initiative, it took a sending off for Fulham to find a goal. In the 78th minute, Johan Djourou was shown a second yellow card for a foul on the edge of the area against Bobby Zamora. The sending off was questionable, but Djourou had been poor for the entire game and had no business getting torched by Zamora, then touching him from behind. Zamora went down easy, but Djourou gave him plenty of reason to do so.
The equalizer came in the 85th minute, with Steve Sidwell putting in a header on a corner kick. Phillipe Senderos rose up to meet the corner and nodded to the back post, where an unmarked Sidwell was waiting to push the ball into the net.
A draw would have been a good result for Fulham, but they were able to find a winner in the final minute of stoppage time. While trying to clear a cross, Sebastian Squillaci hit a poor header that fell right to Bobby Zamora on the edge of the penalty area. Zamora hit a composed half volley into the back of the net with a thundering strike, sending the Fulham faithful into raptures and giving his team a massive three points.
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