Middlesbrough lost ground in the race for UEFA Cup qualification despite being
handed a late point by FA Cup final referee Rob Styles' last-ditch blunder.
The official awarded Boro an 89th-minute penalty for keeper Edwin van der
Sar's challenge on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink despite the fact that the incident
clearly took place outside the box, and Bolo Zenden gratefully accepted the
chance to level.
Fulham boss Chris Coleman was incandescent with rage on the final whistle,
although he was steered away from Mr Styles as he went on to the pitch to make
his feelings known.
The Londoners looked to have snatched all three points when American striker
Brian McBride fired home from a Tomasz Radzinski cross with eight minutes
remaining.
But the Teessiders, who would have climbed into seventh-place and the final
UEFA Cup berth with a win, denied them their first away victory since January 22
at the death to leave them more or less safe, but not quite just yet.
Middlesbrough's focus all season has been to finish in the top six, something
they have never before achieved in the Barclays Premiership, although the
weekend's FA Cup semi-final results mean that seventh will be good enough to
earn a UEFA Cup berth.
However, if Steve McClaren's injury-hit squad welcomed that extra leeway, they
did little to take advantage of it before the break with a dismal performance.
Bolo Zenden returned from an ankle problem to provide what spark there was,
but what little his side created was wasted by striker Szilard Nemeth.
The Slovakian has repeatedly voiced his disappointment about his lack of
chances, but with Mark Viduka and Joseph Job both out of action, he has been
given his opportunity.
Taking it is another thing, and Nemeth repeatedly wasted good positions by
failing to get in a cross or a shot when the occasion demanded.
Strike-partner Hasselbaink was a virtual spectator as Stewart Downing saw less
of the ball than he did during the days when he used to sit on the substitutes'
bench.
Fulham were marginally better but used their share of the ball more
effectively, although they too failed to make the most of their chances.
McBride was the main culprit and, if he was unfortunate to direct an
eighth-minute header just wide of the post, he really should have done better 10
minutes before the break when, having got the benefit of an extremely generous
offside decision, he planted another well off target.
In the meantime, Collins John has scuffed a shot wastefully away from the goal
after veteran defender Colin Cooper, 38, had stubbed a clearance out to him on
the edge of the penalty area.
Boro trudged off at half-time to a chorus of boos after drastically
under-achieving as Mark Pembridge, Lee Clark, Radzinski and Luis Boa Morte had
made them look lethargic and uninspired.
There was little doubt that they would have to improve dramatically if they
were to emerge with the three points they needed to climb into the European
places.
But if anything, the visitors were even more prominent in the minutes
immediately after the restart, Pembridge just failing to find either McBride or
Zat Knight with a 48th-minute corner and Gareth Southgate hacking away a Boa
Morte cross two minutes later after he had sliced his way into the penalty area
from the left.
They were unlucky not to get their noses in front on 55 minutes when, after
John had been felled by Ehiogu 22 yards out, Boa Morte curled the resulting
free-kick over the defensive wall, but with keeper Brad Jones beaten, the ball
came back off the crossbar.
The escape seemed to shake Boro from their slumbers, and they responded
swiftly, although Nemeth enraged the home fans when he failed to get a touch on
Ray Parlour's cross at the near post second later.
George Boateng drilled a rising 62nd-minute shot just wide after Knight had
only half-cleared a Zenden corner and the Teessiders were finally making their
presence felt on a sustained basis, although their tendency to give the ball
away far too cheaply was proving costly.
It was Fulham now looking nervous at the back with the home side having
re-organised in midfield to allow Parlour to partner Boateng in the middle with
Zenden switching to the left wing and Downing to the right.
Zenden blasted a long-range effort harmlessly wide 16 minutes from time and
Hasselbaink flicked a header agonisingly past the post three minutes later, but
the decisive moment was to come at the other end.
There were just eight minutes remaining when Radzinski found space on the
right and crossed to the far post, where McBride controlled assuredly before
driving a low shot past Brad Jones.
However, his side was to be denied victory by Styles' error, with Zenden
making no mistake from the spot.
Teams:
Middlesbrough Jones, Cooper (Kennedy 86), Southgate, Ehiogu,
Queudrue, Parlour, Boateng, Zenden, Downing, Hasselbaink,
Nemeth.
Subs Not Used: Doriva, Davies, Wheater, Knight.
Booked: Southgate.
Goals: Zenden 90 pen.
Fulham Van der Sar, Rosenior, Knight, Goma, Volz, Pembridge,
Radzinski, Clark, Boa Morte, John (Malbranque 82), McBride.
Subs Not Used: Bocanegra, Crossley, Jensen, Rehman.
Goals: McBride 82.
Att: 30,650
Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).
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