Blades run through poor Fulham
Warnock edges closer to safety
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Fulham have been drawn at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round of the FA Cup as most of the big teams were kept apart. |  |
Tuesday, 30, Jan 2007 11:19
Sheffield United carried themselves further clear of the relegation dogfight with a 2-0 win over Fulham at Bramall Lane.
Jon Stead ensured that Neil Warnock's side's early dominance was reflected in the score-sheet as he neatly controlled a low cross before firing past Antti Niemi on 23 minutes.
Just five minutes later the lead was doubled, as Michael Tonge's harrying was rewarded when the Cottagers failed to clear the ball, allowing the midfielder to latch onto Stephen Quinn's deep cross and side-foot home.
The second half lacked the excitement of the first as the home side correctly predicted they could safely sit back and wait for victory.
Their stroll to three points never looked under threat from a toothless Fulham side and Quinn's late shot came within a bar's width of piling further misery on a despondent Chris Coleman.
At Fratton Park, the entertainment was similarly thin on the ground with Middlesbrough coming away with a point after holding Portsmouth to a dour 0-0 draw.
Boro striker Yakubu threatened to bustle his way through on a couple of occasions before being eased out by Sol Campbell.
It was Campbell's central-defensive partner Linvoy Primus who came closest to securing a win for Pompey, but twice he missed the target from promising positions.