Fulham end Wycombe dreams

Barry Hayles scored the goal that took Fulham through

Fulham 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers
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Fulham ended Wycombe Wanderers' hopes of mounting a second consecutive FA Cup giant-killing run with a narrow victory.

Barry Hayles scored the only goal in a game that the Premiership side dominated, despite finding it difficult to create many clear chances.

Fulham's attack was particularly blunt in the first half, even though they started the match with Louis Saha and Luis Boa Morte up front alongside Hayles.

They were more menacing after the break without consistently threatening Wycombe, who had made it to the semi-final last year before falling to Liverpool.

Saha was substituted after being kicked in the face

Fulham's breakthrough finally came after 67 minutes. Steed Malbranque beat two Wycombe players before threading a pass to Barry Hayles on the edge of the area.

The quality of the pass was matched by the shot, which curled into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Wycombe's hopes were reduced still further when Jason Cousins was sent off following a bad tackle from behind on Hayles, his second bookable offence.

Wycombe somehow managed to hold on without conceding another goal despite what became heavy pressure.

That was down to a great extent to Martin Taylor. He saved brilliantly from Steve Marlet, who came on for the injured Saha in the first half, with 10 minutes to go.

Fulham also had a goal disallowed for offside early in the second half after Marlet drilled low into the corner of the net from six yards.

Frustration

Malbranque had earlier come close with a shot from 20 yards out.

The game took on a higher tempo in the second half after a disjointed first 45 minutes.

Despite dominating the first half, Fulham's slick moves tended to break down at the final pass.

The Premiership side made few chances, and the frustration at failing to make clear chances despite dominating possession boiled over not long before half-time.

Rash moment

Rufus Brevett fell under a challenge in the Wycombe area and optimistically claimed a penalty.

A scuffle broke out after Brevett pushed away Wycombe defender Steve Brown. Both players were booked.

Wycombe's play increasingly took on an edge of desperation.

That feeling was encapsulated in a rash moment by Chris Vinnicombe early in the first half.

He attempted an overhead kick to clear but only succeeded in whacking Saha in the face.

The Frenchman was replaced by compatriot Marlet after leaving the pitch with a badly blooded nose.

Wycombe's best chance of the game fell to Jermaine McSporran - the hero of last week's 2-2 draw - midway through the first half.

He broke clear thanks to a mistake by Zat Knight, but skewed his shot badly wide of Maik Taylor's goal from the edge of the area.

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Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Goma, Knight (Stolcers 67), Malbranque, Davis, Saha (Marlet 21), Hayles, Boa Morte.
Subs Not Used: Hahnemann, Betsy, Trollope.

Booked: Finnan, Brevett.

Wycombe: Taylor, Vinnicombe, Cousins, Rogers, Ryan, Carroll (Roberts 42), Currie, Simpson, Brown (Lee 71), Bulman, McSporran (Devine 79).
Subs Not Used: Osborn, Johnson.

Sent Off: Cousins (75).

Booked: Vinnicombe, Cousins, Bulman, Brown, Roberts.

Att: 11,894

Ref: G Barber (Tring).