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| Manchester City vs. Fulham |
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Full Time
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H/T: 0:0 | F/T: 0:0
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CITY 1-1 Fulham
Robbie Fowler scored an extra-special goal to get his season off on the right foot, but it was the same old Manchester City as they threw away the initiative and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Fulham.
City's new stadium was full again with hope and pride and City started off so well with Fowler - so often a failure in front of goal last season - grabbing a special goal to put his side ahead and purring
Shaun Wright-Phillips was an outstanding bundle of tricks and City ran Fulham ragged for much of the first hour.
Then Fulham got a grip, started to compete all over the park and claimed a rather fortunate strike from Collins John that deflected fractionally off new-boy Danny Mills.
From then on it was anybody's game as City played on the nerves of their fans again, and were grateful for a point.
Kevin Keegan gave debuts to Ben Thatcher and Danny Mills, while Fulham chief Chris Coleman was able to do the same with his new summer signings Tomasz Radzinski, Andy Cole, Papa Bouba Diop and Claus Jensen.
But it was player all City fans pray is not on the move soon who stole the show. The Eastlands faithful left no-one in any doubt about their feelings over Wright-Phillips' future, with the youngster still not agreeing a new contract and various potential buyers hovering.
The midfielder was given a standing ovation as soon as he stepped onto the pitch, and almost set up a goal inside two minutes after racing from his own box, holding off three men on the way before firing in a fierce low cross that Moritz Volz desperately hacked behind. Cue another standing ovation from the Eastlands faithful.
Then Wright-Phillips' astute pass put Nicolas Anelka in on the right, but his low cross drifted unhindered across the face of a gaping goal. The England prospect tormented any Fulham defender who came close and constantly had the home fans on their feet.
But the pressure and possession did not produce early goals and City looked to be back into the same groove as last season - plenty of chances but wasteful.
Then it was a recipe for a relegation fight. A packed City of Manchester Stadium will be praying for something better this time around.
But City eventually got the goal their attacking play deserved when on 28 minutes Fowler struck with a peach of an effort.
Mills' long throw was flicked on in the box by Antoine Sibierski and Fowler had plenty to do with the ball dropping over his head. But he managed to execute a hook shot over his shoulder that soared into the top corner with Edwin Van der Sar clutching thin air.
Fulham employed Radzinski largely on the left and John on the right with Cole a lone striker through the middle, and it left him isolated against two defenders.
His frustration got the better of him when he followed through high into Reyna's ankle as the American cleared, and referee Matt Messias produced a yellow card.
Wright-Phillips started the second period intent on demoralising Fulham in the air, too. He climbed above the giants all around him and planted a header just wide from Sibierski's chipped cross.
But just as Fulham were starting to reel under the pressure of Anelka's running power and Wright-Phillips' trickery, they found themselves level.
Once again lack of concentration was the cause in a City rearguard not known for staying awake for a full 90 minutes.
Jensen's ball sailed in from the right, it was missed by a clutch of players and dropped for John, who was allowed too much time to turn and managed a half-hit shot that flicked Mills and left David James stranded.
Fulham had made use of their own hi-tech video equipment at the break, which allowed them to watch specific incidents over their cup of tea. Boss Chris Coleman had certainly seen enough room for improvement from a first half of sloppy work.
If little else, they were pressing City properly, reducing their time and space and it was now a much more even contest.
Van der Sar kept Fulham in the game with a superb reflex save with his feet from point-blank range after Sibierski produced a diving header from Reyna's free-kick, but James soon had to match that when Jensen was clear and the England keeper got a faint touch to turn the shot wide.
Then Sibierski took a neat touch from Macken to stride on and drill a low 20-yard shot inches wide.
City were desperately trying to regain the almost total control they had enjoyed for most of the first hour but Fulham were very dangerous on the break against what was now an exposed back four.
Wright-Phillips had faded from the scene and the flow of decent ball into Anelka had also diminished. The same old tensions were rippling around this magnificent stadium, echoing all the bad old times from Maine Road.
Keegan: Shaun is mine to keep
Kevin Keegan tonight confirmed Shaun Wright-Phillips has agreed a new four-year contract to end speculation that the Manchester City midfielder was about to be sold.
The dynamic 22-year-old had a superb game in the 1-1 draw with Fulham, and afterwards City boss Keegan said: 'Manchester City have now got Shaun for the next four years.
'He has always been a fine player ever since I have been here.
'He is great to work with and now he will go on to be a great player.
'He will play for England and not only hold down a place in the national side but he will be a star of the future. You can't find a weakness with this kid, and he is still anxious to learn.
'He has great balance, a terrific attitude and above all he is courageous. You do not often get all that in one player but Shaun has the lot.'
Wright-Phillips' representatives had been seeking to win a contract which would put him on terms with the club's high-earning stars.
Keegan said: 'He is now getting paid what he deserves to be paid. I don't approve of using kids as cheap labour and that sometimes happens when a young lad has come through the ranks at a club he has been with all his life.
'But he has now got an excellent contract and is very well paid for what he does. He deserves every penny and I know the City fans will get full value from him.'
Keegan was less happy with the 1-1 draw. Robbie Fowler gave the home side the lead with an overhead kick before Collins John levelled for the visitors.
'We were outstanding in the first half and totally dominated the game,' he said.
'But we were never going to be able to produce another 45 minutes like that in the heat and Fulham were always going to have a good spell. They did and although their goal was a bit fortunate, they will probably feel they deserved a point.
'We, in the end, were first feeling unlucky after the first half and then probably a little relieved that we got the point because we could easily have lost.'
Fulham boss Chris Coleman said: 'We were very poor in that first half, we didn't ask them any questions in attack, we were second to everything in midfield and shaky at the back.
'All in all I was just pleased to get them off at the break only one down, we were lucky it wasn't more.
'But we were tremendous in the second half, we changed our shape a bit and went at them. We got the equaliser and then could easily have won it.
'I had a few words, a rant really, at the break because we cannot allow ourselves to start games like that.
'Every game in the Premiership is tough and if we want to be better than last season, we know we cannot do things like we did in the first half and expect to get points.'
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