Fulham edge Derby

Higginbottom (centre) is pressured by Fulham

Derby 0-1 Fulham
E-mail your reaction to Football Talk

Fulham changed their forward line-up in a bid to increase their attacking threat - but they had to rely on an own goal from Horacio Carbonari to secure the points at Derby.

The Argentine defender put through his own net on 73 minutes, deflecting a cross from Steve Finnan past goalkeeper Mart Poom.

Goal-starved Louis Saha made way for Steve Marlet, who got his first start for two months for the visitors alongside Barry Hayles.

Marlet (right) made his first start for two months

But the pair took time to warm to the occasion on a bitterly cold Pride Park night.

After Steed Malbranque's low shot had posed an early problem for Poom, Derby seized the initiative.

Buoyed by a valuable win at Blackburn on New Year's Day, the home side pressed forward.

Benito Carbone's lofted cross-field pass found the Fabrizio Ravanelli, who could not summon enough power in his header to trouble Edwin van der Sar.

On 20 minutes, Malcom Christie released Francois Grenet, who blasted just over.

We miss too many chances - Manchester United have three good chances and they score three goals

Christian Damiano
Fulham assistant boss

Christie then squandered the best chance of the first half, bundling the ball over the bar from 12 yards after Luciano Zavagno's 38th-minute cross had eluded the Fulham defence.

Marlet should have scored shortly after the break, when put through by Finnan from the right.

But the £11.5m Frenchman saw his shot saved smartly by Poom from six yards out.

Saha came on for Hayles on the hour but had no part to play in the only goal.

Finnan surged down the right flank and clipped a probing cross into the Derby box for the unfortunate Carbonari to deflect past his own keeper.

  Pride Park action

38: Christie squanders clear-cut chance

64: Saha replaces Hayles

73: Carbonari scores past his own keeper

Derby threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser, but disappointed on a night when two of the Premiership's lowest-scoring teams could only be separated by an own goal.

Afterwards, Rams boss Colin Todd lamented valuable points lost.

"We got punished because of our mistakes, but the most important factor was that we didn't create enough.

"We have another opportunity in a week's time but tonight was a vital game for us and we've missed out. A lot of it was down to our non-performances."

---

Derby: Poom, Riggott, Carbonari (Boertien 87), Higginbotham, Grenet, Ducrocq (Bolder 64), Zavagno, Powell, Carbone (Burton 84), Ravanelli, Christie. Subs Not Used: Grant, Elliott.

Booked: Carbonari.

Fulham: Van der Sar, Brevett, Melville, Goma, Knight, Malbranque, Collins, Davis, Finnan, Marlet, Hayles (Saha 65). Subs Not Used: Taylor, Ouaddou, Stolcers, Harley.

Booked: Hayles, Davis.

Att: 28,165

Referee: B Knight (Orpington).