Fulham 2 Charlton 1

Last updated : 17 October 2006 By Footymad Previewer
Claus Jensen came off the substitutes' bench to haunt his old club by masterminding Fulham's 2-1 victory over Charlton.

The Danish midfielder was making his debut this season after recovering from a calf injury and looked desperate to impress boss Chris Coleman sufficiently to earn a regular place in Fulham's starting line-up.

Jensen supplied the free-kick for Brain McBride to score the Cottagers' opener before chipping in with a goal for himself.

Darren Bent grabbed a late consolation for Iain Dowie's side, who remain at the foot of the Premiership, while Fulham leapfrog Liverpool into tenth place.

Both sides had chances to break the deadlock inside the first ten minutes. First Fulham's Papa Bouba Diop tried his luck from distance but saw his shot blocked by Talal El Karkouri.

At the other end Ian Pearce needed to be on his guard to turn away Darren Bent's dangerous looking ball into the box.

Darren Bent's cross was the only bright spark in Charlton's opening exchanges as Fulham took control of the game. Tomasz Radzinski and Wayne Routledge tried their best to carve out chances but could not find a way through the Charlton defence.

But as the game progressed, Dowie's side grew in confidence and it was the basement side that were enjoying the better chances.

Darren Bent started their resurgence with a strike from 25 yards in the 20th minute which narrowly sailed over the crossbar. The impressive Dennis Rommedahl then cut in from the right wing before feeding fellow Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The former Middlesbrough striker made room but could not apply the finish from inside the box.

Rommedahl was proving too hot for Fulham and three minutes before the break he again cut inside before passing to Andy Reid but the Irishman could not keep his shot on target.

Charlton began the second period with the same flourish with which they ended the first when El Karkouri nearly scored direct from a free-kick from 20 yards only to miss Antti Niemi's right post by inches.

Fulham boss Coleman tried to inject some freshness into his flagging side and introduced Jensen on 58 minutes.

His arrival helped the home side provide a reminder to Charlton that they have only lost once at home this season, and that against reigning Premiership champions Chelsea, when McBride forced Scott Carson to make a save. McBride was at full-stretch to turn Radzinski's effort goal-bound, but Carson was equal to it.

The warning signs were there for Charlton and McBride was quick to punish them by putting Fulham in front in the 65th minute. The striker smashed home from the edge of the area after controlling Jensen's free-kick.

Charlton could be forgiven for feeling hard done by, so when Jensen doubled Fulham's lead two minutes later, it must have been hard for Dowie to swallow. The fresh legs of Jensen looked devoid of the calf injury which has plagued his Fulham career since he joined them in 2004, as he raced into the box and buried the ball past Carson.

But Charlton were handed a lifeline when Darren Bent clawed a goal back with 12 minutes to go. The striker finished smartly after sheer dogged determination from substitute Jerome Thomas, firing low past Niemi.

But it was too little too late from the strugglers, as Fulham held on to take all three points, much to Dowie's dismay.