Cole saves point for Portsmouth

Portsmouth 1 Fulham 1.

Substitute Andy Cole's scrambled late goal earned Portsmouth a point and upset Fulham after another dogged rearguard action had defied their hosts.

Zat Knight's header put Fulham in front on 56 minutes after keeper Antti Niemi saved brilliantly from a Lomana LuaLua free-kick and a header from Kanu, who had missed a gilt-edged early chance before a Sean Davis header hit a post.

Cole came off the bench on 66 minutes and headed against the bar from a Gary O'Neil free-kick before toe-ending the ball over the line following a corner when Fulham thought referee Steve Bennett should have whistled for a foul against Niemi.

Central defenders Sol Campbell and Linvoy Primus returned for Portsmouth after illness and injury, respectively, in a team showing multiple changes from last week's 3-0 defeat at Manchester United - including the return of top-scorer Kanu in attack.

The seven-goal Nigerian's partner up front was Lomana LuaLua, with Benjani Mwaruwari - who had been doubtful all week due to a knee injury - relegated to the bench.

There was no room even there for new signings Manuel Fernandes and Niko Kranjcar, while Fulham made just one change, recalling German defender Moritz Volz for former Pompey winger Wayne Routledge.

Giant midfielder Papa Bouba Diop was also among their replacements after three games out with a thigh injury.

With right-back Glen Johnson still ruled out, Pompey were relieved to see midfielder Gary O'Neil and defender Noe Pamarot pass late tests on hamstring injuries to face a Fulham team unbeaten away from home since the opening day of the season.

Pompey should have been ahead in less than three minutes but for Kanu's slack finishing. LuaLua held off Liam Rosenior to pull the ball back from the left but with all the goal to aim at, Kanu scuffed his 10-yard shot wide.

Within a minute, David James had to react smartly at the other end to turn away Rosenior's dipping cross for a corner which Kanu cleared at the near post.

Pedro Mendes shot from 30 yards but his powerfully-struck effort cleared the crossbar by two feet.

Fulham keeper Antti Niemi nearly handed Pompey another clear chance when slipping as he took a goal-kick which travelled just about 25 yards along the ground, but defender Zat Knight showed good speed to rob Kanu.

But in the 12th minute, former Southampton keeper Niemi needed the help of a post to keep out ex-Fulham midfielder Sean Davis' header.

Davis looked like scoring his first goal of the season as he moved in unmarked on Dejan Stefanovic's cross but his downward header bounced away off the upright.

Niemi who saved Fulham when Franck Queudrue's trip on Mendes brought a free-kick in the 17th minute which LuaLua arrowed towards the top corner. Niemi acrobatically turned it over at full stretch.

The Pompey crowd wanted a penalty when Kanu tumbled over Luis Boa Morte's challenge near the dead-ball line but referee Steve Bennett was ideally placed to rule it accidental.

Carlos Bocanegra gave Pompey a scare on 25 minutes when Fulham finally fashioned a cohesive attack to earn a corner. The American got his head to Claus Jensen's flag-kick and nodded downwards but the alert James did really well to get down and smother the ball on the line.

LuaLua's clever footwork presented Fulham with plenty of problems and his partnership with fellow-African Kanu was working much better than when last employed against Tottenham six weeks ago, but neither could provide the final, decisive touch in the first half-hour.

Fulham had little to offer in attack but were gradually exerting a grip on Pompey's forwards and midfielders, with Bocanegra sitting in front of the London side's back-four.

But they were lucky to survive another solo burst by LuaLua in the 37th minute when he raced to the byline, holding off two challenges before and drilled the ball across the goalmouth.

LuaLua looked to have missed an easy chance a minute later when he stole in front of Knight and poked Primus' cross wide but the flag was up for offside.

Pompey were going to need a stroke of inspiration to crack Fulham's brand of stubborn resistance which earned them a battling win against Everton last week but Matt Taylor could not deliver the cross accurately enough when O'Neil's smart pass put him away on the right.

Knight was booked for Fulham after shoving James when the keeper was trying to throw the ball out in first-half stoppage time.

And there was still enough time for Niemi to defy Kanu's goalbound header from an O'Neil corner.

Pompey deserved a goal with a superb move six minutes into the second half.

But after LuaLua's through pass picked out Kanu, the former Arsenal ace sent his diagonal cross just too far in front of O'Neil as he slid in at the far post.

And totally against the run of play it was Fulham who grabbed the lead five minutes later. Defender Knight took time off from marking Kanu to go up for Jensen's corner and got his head to the Dane's accurate delivery.

The ball seemed to take a touch off Stefanovic before beating James for Knight's first goal of the season.

Pompey's luck was out again on 62 minutes when Primus went forward on the far post for a Mendes flag-kick that everybody else missed and saw his reflex-stab at the ball rebound off the foot of the upright.

Andy Cole replaced Taylor after 66 minutes as Pompey went with three strikers.

Cole had no better fortune straight away, heading against the bar from O'Neil's free kick as Pompey piled on the pressure.

But he smuggled home an equaliser on 74 minutes after a frenzied scramble in the six-yard box after Campbell got his head to O'Neil's corner.

Kanu challenged Niemi who seemed to have the ball in his grasp but it came loose to Cole who took two attempts to toe it across the line, Rosenior stopping the first.

Fulham's furious protests cut no ice with referee Bennett.