Fulham 2 - 2 Chelsea

Dempsey grabs draw for Whites

Updated: December 28, 2008, 4:30 PM UK

Clint Dempsey's last-minute header dented Chelsea's Barclays Premier League title challenge as Fulham earned a battling 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.

• Scolari: Blues paid for cutting corners

Chelsea, who have now taken just 10 points from their last 21, had been on course for a west London derby win after two second-half strikes from Frank Lampard.

But Dempsey, who had given Fulham the lead after 10 minutes, popped up with seconds remaining to extend the Cottagers' unbeaten run to nine games.

Chelsea now head into the new year three points behind league pace-setters Liverpool, who had signed off 2008 earlier in the day with a 5-1 win at Newcastle.

Fulham may not challenge for the title this season, but they are determined to have a major say in its eventual destination having now beaten Arsenal and taken points off Liverpool and Chelsea.

It is some turnaround in the space of 12 months under manager Roy Hodgson, who took charge a year ago when the club seemed bound for relegation.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari decided to start with Nicolas Anelka on the bench and Didier Drogba caused Fulham all sorts of problems in the opening stages.

Florent Malouda fed the Ivorian striker with a delicate reverse ball but Drogba drove his shot into the side-netting, wide of the near post.

Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa was frustrated to concede a free-kick for a foul on Andrew Johnson - and Fulham took full advantage to take a 10th-minute lead.

John Mikel Obi failed to deal with Simon Davies' curling free-kick as it bounced at the far post and Dempsey controlled the ball on his chest before flicking it past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Drogba worked space in the Fulham box with a neat turn past Aaron Hughes to slide his shot between Mark Schwarzer's legs and was unfortunate to see the ball roll agonisingly wide.

Chelsea were laying siege to the Fulham box. Hughes did well to shepherd the ball out for a corner when Drogba latched onto a knock-down from Malouda.

Malouda was replaced by Anelka after half an hour and his first touch teed up a stinging drive from 25 yards that Schwarzer could only parry clear off his thigh.

Chelsea's reshuffle saw Joe Cole pushed into a more advanced role on the right and they continued to dominate possession but Fulham were bright on the ball and Cech needed to intercept a low cross from Bobby Zamora before Dempsey could pounce again.

Chelsea then made their second change with Alex replaced after 36 minutes by Ricardo Carvalho, who returned to action after nearly three months out with a knee injury.

Bosingwa teed up Lampard for another strike from outside the box and Schwarzer did well to scramble across and push it behind for a corner.

Fulham were under pressure right from the restart with Brede Hangeland and then Dickson Etuhu forced into vital rearguard action as Drogba linked with Cole down the left flank.

Branislav Ivanovic unleashed a fierce volley from outside the Chelsea box which Schwarzer appeared to have covered, though he was saved the bother as the ball slammed straight into Anelka's midriff.

Four minutes into the second half the pressure finally told as Lampard pounced on a mix-up between Hughes and Schwarzer to put Chelsea level.

Hughes, retreating towards his own goal to deal with Deco's lofted ball and under pressure from Drogba, collided with Schwarzer and Lampard was able to slot the loose ball home.

Chelsea ramped up the pressure further. Lampard's pin-point 50-yard ball bisected Hughes and John Pantsil to find Drogba who took one touch but then rifled his shot over the bar.

Chelsea switched their point of attack to Cole, who forced Schwarzer to make two sharp saves in the space of a minute as Fulham continued to be stretched.

But there was no hint of Fulham, driven by the industrious Dempsey and Danny Murphy in midfield, trying to hold on for the draw and when Pantsil cut inside his left-foot shot flew just wide of Cech's near post.

Chelsea fans booed the substitution of Cole but they were soon cheered as Lampard rifled a 25-yard free-kick through a gap in the Fulham wall and under Schwarzer's dive to put Chelsea 2-1 up.

But Fulham refused to roll over and with the clock ticking down earned one final chance - and once again Chelsea were found wanting at a set-piece.

Dempsey rose highest to meet the corner and directed his header inside the unguarded far post.

There was more drama to come as Chelsea piled forward in search of an injury-time winner but Schwarzer pulled off a brilliant double save to deny Cole and then Lampard to seal the draw.

Scolari: Blues paid for cutting corners

Luiz Felipe Scolari criticised Chelsea's poor set-piece defending after Fulham snatched a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage with a last-minute Clint Dempsey header.

''We lost two points today,'' said Scolari, whose Chelsea side enter 2009 three points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Liverpool.

''We made two mistakes with our marking and conceded two goals. I think they had one more chance - we had 10 chances and scored two goals.

''We have been very good with corner kicks and free-kicks this season but not today. Before the game every player knows who to mark. It is my job now to look and see what happened. It is my dressing room. I need to look at it.

''After the first goal we tried to make sure it didn't happen again but we made another mistake.

''I asked Petr what happened because one player was free in the middle of the area in the last minute. It is incredible. Petr is the captain for this area.''

Had Chelsea stationed a defender on Cech's right-hand post, Dempsey's header may have been cleared off the line - but Scolari does not believe in the tactic.

''Posts do not score goals, players score goals,'' he said.

Chelsea lost ground on Liverpool, who ended 2008 with a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle, and will be overtaken by Manchester United if the champions win their three games in hand.

Scolari continued: ''The championship is not finished today. It will be finished in the last two or three games. It is normal in England. The Premier League is difficult.''

Dempsey's late header was a fitting way for Fulham to celebrate the first anniversary of Roy Hodgson's appointment as manager.

Twelve months ago, Hodgson took over a club that seemed doomed to relegation. Not only did Fulham survive but this season they have beaten Arsenal and taken points off both Liverpool and Chelsea.

Today's result extended their unbeaten run to nine games and Hodgson said: ''It's been one of the best managerial years of my career, if not the best. I'm immensely satisfied with what we've achieved in 2008.

''It was a remarkable achievement for the players to show the spirit and the character they showed to come back and keep the unbeaten run going.

''We didn't start the second half well and as a result of their good pressure they scored two goals. After we went 2-1 down we did find our feet again a little bit, we did play more football and as a result we were able to put their goal under more pressure.''