MANCHESTER UNITED SETTLES FOR DRAW AT FULHAM

On a weekend that saw Manchester United’s primary rivals for English Premier League supremacy win their games in blowout fashion, the ‘Red Devils’ had to settle for a hard fought draw at Fulham.  Man U played very well in the first half, but a sloppy effort in the second half allowed Fulham’s Brede Hangeland to head home the tying goal in the 89th minute.  It was a case of too many missed opportunities for Man U, who missed a penalty kick in the 87th minute which gave Hangeland the opportunity to score the equalizer.

Soccer betting enthusiasts that staked a wager on the game ending in a draw were rewarded with a +300 payback.
Manchester United had been installed as a -175 road favorite, with takeback on Fulham a generous +550.  It was the Craven Cottage debut for new manager Mark Hughes, who saw his team play to a scoreless draw at Bolton in their opening game.  The 4 combined goals scored went OVER the posted total of 2’.

Paul Scholes opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 11th minute with a hard, low shot from 25 yards out.  It was his 150th goal in Man U colors and the team stepped up the pressure for the rest of the half but was unable to add to their 1-0 lead.  Simon Davies evened the tally early in the second half, and that’s when the game started to get a bit crazy.  The visitors started to play sloppy, and Fulham came close to capitalizing on several occasions.  With the score tied late in the game, Hangeland appeared to hand a victory to Man U when his crossing pass wound up in the Fulham net for an ‘own goal’.  Fulham averted disaster just three minutes later when Nani missed a penalty try that would have given Man U a 3-1 advantage.  This set up Hangeland’s redemptive game tying goal in the 89th minute.

After the contest, Hangeland expressed his relief and being able to atone for his ‘own goal’:

"Straight after I scored that goal I looked at the clock and saw five minutes to do it. It was great to be able to score from that corner. It's a terrible feeling (to score an own goal). I don't think I could have done anything different. It looked like someone was going to head it. I had one chance to make up for it. We have had a great team spirit for the last two or three years. We never say die at this club and we showed it again.”

Fulham will host a Carling Cup game against League 2 side Port Vale midweek before resuming their Premier League schedule this weekend with a game at newly promoted Blackpool.  Manchester United will host West Ham United at Old Trafford this Saturday.