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Fulham can plan another season in the top flight

Fulham 3 Bolton W 0: ON NEW Year’s Day Fulham were 18th in the Premier League table, but after winning at West Bromwich Albion…

JAMIE JACKSON at Craven Cottage
Thu Apr 28 2011 - 01:00

Fulham 3 Bolton W 0:ON NEW Year's Day Fulham were 18th in the Premier League table, but after winning at West Bromwich Albion on January 4th they never again returned to the relegation zone, and with these three deserved points now stand ninth, and can contemplate yet another season in the top flight.

A goal in each half from Clint Dempsey and a third from Brede Hangeland gave the home side all the points in their first outing at the Cottage since the 3-0 win over Blackpool at the start of the month.

It was Wanderers who should have opened the scoring, not Fulham. Yet after a daisy-chain of passes featuring Kevin Davies, Johan Elmander, Matthew Taylor and Fabrice Muamba ended with the latter given a clear sight of Mark Schwarzer’s goal, he failed to convert.

This proved the visitors’ final threat for a period in which Mark Hughes’ side took a lead that should have been more than that afforded them by Dempsey’s 12th strike of the season.

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After the striker had challenged for a corner that Bolton should have dealt with, the ball bounced to Chris Baird, who zipped a delivery back into the danger area and Dempsey now connected with an instant volley that left Jussi Jaaskelainen with no chance.

After the restart, Moussa Dembele blazed a left-foot effort off Jaaskelainen’s crossbar from 25 yards.

Then, Fulham had their second: yet again Bolton failed to clear a corner, and Dempsey smashed home his second from Gudjohnsen’s neat flick.

Fulham were now rampant. On 65 minutes Hangeland completed the scoring. Danny Murphy floated in a free-kick and, unmarked, the defender headed beyond Jaaskelainen.

FULHAM: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Gudjohnsen (Johnson 84), Sidwell, Murphy (Etuhu 78), Dempsey, Davies, Dembele (Zamora 68). Subs not used: Stockdale, Kelly, Senderos, Kakuta. Booked: Zamora.

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson (Wheater 67), Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Lee, Muamba (Gardner 72), Cohen, Taylor, Elmander, Kevin Davies (Klasnic 72). Subs not used: Bogdan, Petrov, Moreno, Blake. Booked: Klasnic.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).