By David Hobbs
December 14 2004

Papa Bouba-Diop's last-gasp strike in the dying minutes was enough to swipe a much-needed 3 points from right under the feet of Manchester United at Craven Cottage. Alan Smith had put United into the lead after seeing his side striking the post on 2 occasions but was cruelly cancelled out by Diop.

Diop Strike Steals Late Point

Fulham 0
Bouba-Diop 87

Manchester United 1
Smith 33

Papa Bouba-Diop's last-gasp strike in the dying minutes was enough to swipe a much-needed 3 points from right under the feet of Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

The draw means United couldn't capitalize fully on Arsenal and Chelsea's 2-2 draw with each other yesterday afternoon.

Alan Smith had put United into the lead after seeing his side striking the post on 2 occasions but was cruelly cancelled out by Diop late on.

For the first time this season, Sir Alex Ferguson was able to pick the same side for 2 consecutive Premiership matches following injuries to the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha. Alan Smith partnered Wayne Rooney upfront consequently.

The game was played in Fulham's area for the majority of the first half with United steadily piling pressure on the defence.

After a low-tempo 25 minutes, United raised the temperature when Roy Keane was denied his 50th Manchester United goal by the a thin layer of paint applied to Fulham's woodwork. The skipper was laid of beautifully only to see his shot bounce straight back.

Just two minutes later, much to the anguish of the traveling United faithful, Wayne Rooney repeated Keane's effort and also had a shot blocked by the post from a tight angle.

The Red Devils finally got their breakthrough on the 33rd minute thanks to Alan Smith's determination and attacking prowess. The former Leeds United frontman originally had the ball dispossessed, but chased back and re-claimed the ball, shooting beyond the reach of Van Der Saar to break the deadlock.

Former United star Andy Cole smashed the post just minutes into the second half, making the strike the 3rd time a player had hit the post in this match.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side dominated throughout the second-half and were incredibly unlucky not to take 3 points back to Manchester. The United XI had to harshly watch Diop's thunderbolt swerve past a hapless Roy Carroll.

Final Score: Fulham 0 - 1 Manchester United
Att: 21,940

Fulham: E Van der Sar, L Rosenior, I Pearce, Z Rehman, C Bocanegra, S Malbranque, S Legwinski, M Pembridge, P Diop, A Cole, B McBride. Subs: R Flitney, Z Knight, C John, T Radzinski, E Hammond

Manchester United: R Carroll, G Neville, R Ferdinand, M Silvestre, G Heinze, C Ronaldo, R Keane, P Scholes, R Giggs, A Smith, W Rooney. Subs: T Howard, D Bellion, J O'Shea, D Fletcher, Q Fortune

Refereed By: P Dowd