On This Day in 2009, Deuce Scored Twice as Fulham Came From One Goal Down to Beat City
When Clint Dempsey stepped onto the pitch at Eastlands on April 12, 2009, he was looking to continue a season of gradual emergence for Fulham. After spending the first eleven fixtures of the 2008-09 season mainly on the bench, the American had slowly transformed from a peripheral figure to a critical component of Roy Hodgson's resurgent side.
Dempsey's journey that season had been marked by incremental breakthroughs. His first goal came in October as a substitute at Portsmouth, followed by a home strike against Middlesbrough in December. A dramatic late equalizer against Chelsea in late December hinted at his growing confidence, and his first FA Cup goal against Swansea in February further signaled his rising importance.
The match against Manchester City would become his most emphatic statement yet. Fulham arrived at Eastlands with European qualification hopes hanging in the balance, sitting just outside the top seven. Manchester City looked vulnerable despite their expensive squad, and Dempsey was about to exploit that weakness.
After Stephen Ireland's deflected first-half goal gave City the lead, Dempsey sparked Fulham's comeback just five minutes into the second half. Capitalizing on Pablo Zabaleta's careless loss of possession, he drove a powerful low shot past Shay Given to equalize. Dickson Etuhu's thunderous volley soon gave Fulham the lead, and Dempsey wasn't finished.
With seven minutes remaining, he delivered the decisive blow. After Richard Dunne's error allowed Bobby Zamora to release him, Dempsey calmly slotted the ball through Given's legs, sealing a remarkable 3-1 victory. His brace secured three crucial points, keeping Fulham's European qualification hopes alive.
"We kept fighting, and we got the result we needed, and now we are on 43 points," Dempsey said. "It's great to get back-to-back away wins because it's something we haven't been doing. Hopefully, we can continue that form and have a strong end to the season and see where we get in the table." His performance epitomized Fulham's season - resilient, opportunistic, and continuously improving.
The victory pushed Fulham to eighth place, just a point from European qualification. For Dempsey, it was a defining moment in a breakthrough season, during which he would finish as the club's joint-top Premier League goalscorer as the club finished seventh—their highest-ever league finish. More importantly, it symbolized Fulham's transformation under Roy Hodgson from relegation battlers to a competitive Premier League side ready to make their mark on European football.
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