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Saturday 11 February 2012

Fulham 2 Stoke 1


PAVEL POGREBNYAK marked his Fulham debut with a goal as the Cottagers defeated Stoke.
The Russian – a deadline day signing from Stuttgart – latched on to John Arne Riise's ball to fire in the opener for the hosts.

Fulham then doubled their lead when the in-form Clint Dempsey rattled a 25-yarder against the bar which hit the back of Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen and bounced in.With 12 minutes to go, Stoke pulled one back through a Ryan Shawcross header to set up a frantic finish.

But Martin Jol's men held on to climb above their opponents and up to 12th in the league.

It was a deserved win for the hosts who were in the ascendancy from early on and bossed possession in the opening stages.

Mousa Dembele was particularly impressive despite playing in an unusual role alongside Danny Murphy in central midfield.

And the Cottagers turned their dominance into a 16th-minute goal as Pogrebnyak controlled a wayward John Arne Riise ball inside the box and unleashed a fierce drive into the top left-hand corner.

Incredibly, Pogrebnyak's goal means he becomes the first ever player to score on his Premier League debut while playing for Fulham.

Stoke pushed for an immediate equaliser with Wilson Palacios shooting just wide and Kenwyne Jones looking a threat.

Dempsey had other ideas however as he fired a crashing 25-yard drive against the bar with the ball rebounding in off Stoke keeper Sorensen's back.

Shawcross was to thank for stopping a third goal when he managed to clear Pogrebnyak's dangerous ball to an unmarked Dempsey in the six-yard box.



Stoke looked rejuvenated immediately after the restart and came close to reducing the deficit through Matthew Upson, who volleyed Whelan's free-kick just wide.

But the home side still looked threatening going forward and a Stephen Kelly cross almost snuck inside Sorensen's near post moments later.

Goal scorer Pogrebnyak had to be replaced just after the hour-mark when he appeared to fall awkwardly in a challenge with Shawcross.

Shawcross then gave the Potters hope when he headed home at the near post from Jermaine Pennant's corner after 78 minutes, before Peter Crouch flashed a shot over from close range as they pushed for a leveller.

Dempsey though should have put the game to bed but could not get his effort away after a mixup between Shawcross and Matthew Upson.

And the United States international then hit the post after rounding Sorensen towards the end of injury time.

But his late misses were not to matter and Jol's side registered a precious three points their dominant performance deserved.

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