Fulham and West Ham must do it all again

Fulham 0 West Ham 0

This ding-dong capital cup clash ended goalless as both Fulham and West Ham deservedly retained a place in the FA Cup quarter-final draw.

The Cottagers and the Hammers had plenty of chances to seize an outright place in the last eight but were denied by a combination of brilliant goalkeeping and occasionally wayward finishing at Loftus Road.

The London rivals will meet again at Upton Park a week on Tuesday February 24.

First Division West Ham could have scored after just 10 seconds – but Edwin van der Sar pulled off a great parry from Marlon Harewood’s thumping volley.

It was to be a warning of what was to come throughout the 90 minutes, with the big Dutch goalkeeper rescuing his side via a succession of fine saves.

Fulham manager Chris Coleman had switched to a 4-4-2 formation for this cup tie. But his team’s attacking threat – which peaked when Carlos Bocanegra hit the post with a freakish 28th-minute attempt – lessened as the game wore on.

West Ham’s attempts to cause a fifth-round shock were hampered by the absence of six cup-tied players.

The Cottagers were without Lee Clark, absent with an Achilles problem, but defender Alain Goma was back from his hamstring injury and started.

The Hammers were roared on by 3,000 travelling supporters.

But after Harewood’s early near miss, the hosts hit back as Steed Malbranque twice tested goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.

Moritz Volz and Goma both had pots at goal too, before Michael Carrick sent a fierce drive rising just over the angle of post and bar.

Fulham almost took the lead in bizarre fashion with 27 minutes gone.

Left-back Bocanegra, sent off for a wild two-footed lunge on Mark Delaney in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa, advanced into the box from where his mis-hit cross-shot looped against the far post.

The Nationwide League visitors came back strongly as the interval neared.

First, David Connolly forced van der Sar to block his effort from an acute angle.

Then the goalkeeper flung his giant frame to his right to make a brilliant save from a thumping Brian Deane header.

Alan Pardew’s men were on top, and van der Sar leapt on another Connolly shot on the stroke of half-time.

The Hammers started strongly after the break.

Matthew Etherington’s awkward cross was clawed away by van der Sar, and Deane blazed the loose ball over the top.

But the visitors had a lucky escape when Tomas Repka and Christian Dailly sandwiched Barry Hayles right on the edge of the box.

Referee Graham Poll waved away Fulham’s penalty appeals.

West Ham were enjoying the better of the second half, although Coleman’s side looked threatening on the break.

From one such counter-attack, Hammers goalkeeper Bywater seized a looping Sean Davis header under his crossbar.

West Ham centre-back Dailly, up for a corner, powered a header into the side-netting.

Van der Sar saved his best till last, brilliantly pushing away a cross destined for Connolly’s forehead and bravely throwing himself in front of Carrick’s follow-up attempt.

At the other end, Volz flashed an 18-yard strike just over the top – and Bywater saved from Sylvain Legwinski as full-time neared.