Fulham boss Chris Coleman watched a half-fit Vincenzo Montella inspire a dramatic FA Cup turnaround – and then predicted the Italian will be a massive hit in the Barclays Premiership. The Italian on-loan striker scored two as Fulham won 4-3.
Matt Fryatt’s 13th-minute opener was cancelled out by Brian McBride but Leicester carried a 2-1 lead into the interval after a header from Gareth McAuley.
Montella dug Fulham out of a massive hole. They had been dreadful in the first half and when James Wesolowski fired home Leicester’s third a minute after the interval it was little more than either side deserved.
But then came Wayne Routledge who ran rings around about 6 defenders, and then shot home from a tight angle, and sealing the win deep into injury time, and booked Fulham a fourth round tie at home to Stoke.
Coleman said: ‘Vincenzo brings goals. Any type of quality we get into the box he will get on the end of it. His technique is fantastic. The timing of his runs across defenders, he is always moving in the box, he is never standing still and that is very hard for defenders. He has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. His record shows that. He has scored one in two (as a ratio) in Serie A, which is the hardest league to score goals in.’
‘The first half was poor. It was a bad performance,’ he said. ‘When you concede a goal just before half-time it is tough enough but with another a minute into the second half I thought `here we go, an FA Cup upset again’. I thought maybe it was too much for us but we got back to 3-3 so quickly. We didn’t want extra-time and it was a great time to win.’
FULHAM: Warner (GK), Rosenior, Christanval, Bocanegra, Queudrue, Routledge, Volz, Brown, Radzinski, Helguson, McBride (Montella 46). Subs Not Used: Lastuvka (GK), Runstrom, Zakuani, Omozusi.
LEICESTER: Henderson (GK), McAuley (Stearman 81), Kisnorbo, McCarthy, Maybury, Hughes (Cadamarteri 82), Williams, Tiatto (Wesolowski 38), Porter, Hume, Fryatt. Subs Not Used: Logan (GK), Johansson.
Player Ratings
Tony Warner (GK.)
Made a good few saves. 6.
Liam Rosenior (RB).
Wasn’t up to usual standerd but OK. 5.
Phillipe Christanval (CB).
Didn’t see a lot of him. 5.
Carlos Bocanegra (CB).
Got attacking. 7.
Frank Queudrue (LB).
Like a rock. 7.
Wayne Routledge (RWM)
WHAT A GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. 9.
Moritz Volz (CM).
Was every-where. 7.
Micheal Brown (CM).
Got attacking. 6.
Tomasz Radzinski (LWM).
Has proved to be a good winger now. 8.
Heidar Helguson (ST).
Didn’t do a lot. 7.
Brian McBride (ST).
Scored, but that was it. 7.
Vincenzo Montella (SUB) (ST).
The star of the show for Fulham. 10.
Vital Fulham’s MOM.