Fulham rested an entire first team and then “lacked the quality” — their manager’s words — to see off a third‑tier side reduced to 10 men early in the second half.
There was much irony in Rene Meulensteen’s summing up of this fourth-round FA Cup tie.
Such was the scale of this scare skipper Aaron Hughes admitted he might well have conceded a second-half penalty with his team already trailing.
But the claim from Meulensteen, albeit valid, that late misses should have prevented all the bother of a replay a week tomorrow came back full circle to his original selection.
It baffled United manager Nigel Clough, who said he “honestly had no idea” of the opposition line-up.
No Dimitar Berbatov, no Clint Dempsey — in fact none of the 11, who started the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal the previous weekend.
Asked how much he had been influenced by the proximity of tomorrow’s Premier League game at Swansea, Meulensteen confessed: “Quite a bit.”
So had he disrespected the FA Cup? “Anybody with common sense can understand,” he argued. “If anybody is respectful to the Cup it is me.
“We have a very important game tomorrow. It works two ways in that there is a chance for other players. You have to maximise the possibilities and minimise the risk.”
Quite cleverly put but there is no disguising Fulham’s priority of cash over glory — as per most Premier League clubs. Or that their shadow squad did not grab their opportunity and are a little fortunate to have another with the prize of a fifth-round tie at home to Nottingham Forest or Preston.
“You could say we’re a bit lucky to still to be in it,” said Meulensteen. “Their penalty shout could have been given.”
That moment came in the 71st minute when Hughes appeared to trip Ryan Flynn.
The Fulham captain said: “I tried to get my foot out of the way. He [referee Andre Marriner] could have given it. But we had a couple of good shouts as well.
“We have to be happy with a replay at home. I thought we controlled most of the game and passed the ball around well.”
Contentment with mere possession almost rebounded on Fulham when Chris Porter shot the Blades in front after a charging run by centre-half Harry Maguire.
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Even after an indisciplined Michael Doyle saw red for an off‑the-ball stamp on Chris David in the 52nd minute, Fulham struggled for a sight of goal — though the outstanding Pajtim Kasami had some cause to claim a foul in the box, as had Hugo Rodallega earlier.
Finally, Rodallega fired home from 20 yards as the prelude to a late assault in which Philippe Senderos headed against the bar and substitute Darren Bent somehow missed from two yards.
Bent was unaware of an offside flag that barely spared his blushes.
Meulensteen added: “I’m not happy. We should have been able to put the game to bed. You need to take your chances.”
His consolation, besides a second chance for “players who have to deliver when called upon”, was the showing of youngsters Josh Passley and Muamer Tankovic, who set up the equaliser.
Meulensteen expects Berbatov to stay at least to the end of the season despite speculation to the contrary but says of the perils of the January window: “It is not a month. It comes down to one week and 24 hours.”
