Fulham 0 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur

Gomes ensures Spurs replay

Updated: March 6, 2010, 8:31 AM BST

Tottenham had Heurelho Gomes to thank for keeping them in an FA Cup tie at Craven Cottage that came alive in the second half.

• Redknapp hails Gomes

Gomes made a string of fine saves as Fulham went on the rampage after the interval to book a quarter-final replay at White Hart Lane on March 24.

The Brazilian prevented Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, Brede Hangeland and Zoltan Gera scoring in a London derby that lacked any bite until a pulsating second period.

For Gomes it was a return to the ground where in November 2008 he made the worst in a string of blunders that almost saw him sold by manager Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp opted against offloading the £7.8million signing from PSV Eindhoven.

The Spurs manager's faith has already been repaid but once more Gomes underlined his value.

At the other end, Mark Schwarzer kept out Niko Kranjcar and Peter Crouch at the end of the first half, but was hardly involved again.

For all their possession and a passing game that was easy on the eye, Spurs rarely troubled Fulham's goal and wilted as an attacking force.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will be disappointed his side, who continue to punch above their weight in two cup competitions, did not finish off their capital rivals.

Hodgson and Schwarzer were presented with their manager and player of the month awards for February shortly before kick-off.

Spurs pressed hard in midfield to give their opponents little time on the ball but despite some slick passing, they failed to trouble Fulham's goal.

Anticipation gripped home fans as Zamora broke free down the left before expertly cutting back inside where he fired a shot straight into the arms of Gomes.

It was not until the 28th minute that either keeper was extended, Schwarzer palming away a well-struck shot from Niko Kranjcar.

The big Australian then had to dive sharply to his left to turn a fine goalbound header by Peter Crouch away from the target.

Damien Duff pulled the trigger from long range at the other end as Fulham's chances continued to be severely limited.

Zamora bulldozed his way through at the end of one well-worked move but Michael Dawson intervened to snuff out the danger.

The second half was not even a minute old when Gera drew a superb save from Gomes.

Simon Davies initiated the move with a marauding run down the right followed by a pinpoint cross to the far post where Zamora directed the ball to Gera whose header was well stopped by Gomes.

The Brazilian then had to react sharply to keep out Hangeland's header from a Davies corner.

Dawson smashed the ball into the stands to end a spell of Spurs' dominance but once again the visitors did not look like scoring for all their dominance.

The match was coming alive after a dull first half, partly thanks to the noisy Spurs fans.

Duff found the side netting after being set up by Davies and was then denied by another fine save from Gomes following excellent work by Zamora.

The impressive Kranjcar fizzed a lethal cross through the penalty area as Spurs launched a swashbuckling counter-attack.

Space was opening up for both sides in an increasingly frantic final 10 minutes that saw Zamora fail to connect with a fine chance.

Vedran Corluka almost turned an attempted clearance into his own net - he did not know where the ball was going and Spurs breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle went.

Redknapp hails Gomes

Harry Redknapp hailed Heurelho Gomes after the Tottenham keeper prevented Fulham from snatching victory in today's FA Cup quarter-final.

"Gomes looks different to the goalkeeper who came here in 2008 when I first arrived,'' said Redknapp. "He had a terrible time here then but he's a different lad now, full of confidence, who looks what he is - a top keeper. He had a bad day here in 2008 but it didn't affect him today.''

"We kept possession well, though we didn't create enough chances,'' said Redknapp. Of course we'll be the happier side. Before we came here we would have taken the draw. This is a difficult place to come.

"Fulham are a difficult team to beat - they just knocked (UEFA Cup) holders Shakhtar Donetsk out of the Europa League. That tells you all you need to know about them. They're well managed and coached and are not easy to play against.

"A replay gives us a good chance at home and we're still bang in there. At home we've got a big chance but I bet Shakhtar thought they were favourites for the second leg of that Europa League tie. It didn't work out that way, though. Fulham's win was one of the results of the season.''

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson, who was presented with his manager of the award month for February before the game, felt the stalemate was a fair outcome. "I'm only the more disappointed because it was a home game and the advantage now passes over to Tottenham because they will be at home for the replay,'' he said.

"We're pretty evenly matched and I'm disappointed we couldn't get the goal that would have put us through. We were close at the end but, on the basis of the play, 0-0 was a fair result, although it was anything other than a dull cup tie because of the quality and commitment on show. The atmosphere was magnificent. I'm pleased we didn't lose as that would have been a bitter disappointment.''

Hodgson was unhappy with the state of the pith and revealed it will be relaid over the summer. "The chairman is keen to invest in a new pitch. We badly need it because this one has been going a while,'' he said.

"By this stage of winter it gets bare and uneven and that doesn't help ball control. We need a proper pitch - there will be no temporary solution.''