When Clint Dempsey walked off the Craven Cottage pitch on November 25, 2009, having scored a brace in Fulham's stunning 3-0 demolition of Blackburn Rovers, he appeared unstoppable. The American had scored five goals in his last five Premier League matches, establishing himself as one of the division's most feared attackers. Then, abruptly, the goals dried up.
Six matches passed without Dempsey finding the net. Yet Fulham's results barely wavered in his absence from the scoresheet. Roy Hodgson's side collected nine points from a possible fifteen, drawing with Bolton, Burnley and Tottenham while securing victories over Sunderland and Manchester United. Only a narrow 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on December 28 blemished an otherwise steady run that kept the Cottagers firmly positioned in the top half of the table, their European ambitions intact despite the festive fixture congestion.
The trip to Stoke on January 5 represented a different sort of challenge. While both Carling Cup semi-finals had been postponed due to heavy snow blanketing the northwest, the Britannia Stadium sat just outside the worst of the weather. After a lunchtime inspection involving police and referee Mark Clattenburg, Stoke officials declared the pitch playable, though snow continued drifting into the exposed corners of the ground throughout the evening. The Potters desperately needed points—they had gone without a league win since November 22 and had failed to score in five of their previous six matches. Fulham, meanwhile, traveled north with mounting injury concerns, having lost Bobby Zamora to a dislocated shoulder in that same fixture at Stoke three weeks earlier.
What followed was a nightmare opening 45 minutes that exposed every defensive vulnerability in Hodgson's typically organized side. Matthew Etherington tormented Fulham's backline from the left flank, delivering three assists before halftime as Stoke raced to a commanding 3-0 advantage. Tuncay headed home from close range in the 12th minute, Abdoulaye Faye slid in unmarked at the far post in the 33rd, and Mamady Sidibe hammered a half-volley into the top corner four minutes later. The avalanche left Fulham reeling in the treacherous conditions, their defensive solidity—the foundation of their season—completely absent.
Hodgson reshuffled at halftime, withdrawing the uncomfortable Brede Hangeland for Chris Smalling. When Zamora departed with another shoulder injury early in the second period, Dempsey entered as his replacement. The American's impact was immediate. Within minutes, he slid a pass across the 18-yard line for Damien Duff, whose deflected shot gave Fulham a lifeline in the 61st minute.
The game settled into a tense pattern as Stoke protected their cushion and Fulham probed for openings. Erik Nevland came on for Andy Johnson with seven minutes remaining, and almost instantly, the substitute provided the moment that reignited hope. Nevland flicked on a long ball forward, and Dempsey, positioned 35 yards from goal, struck it on the full volley without hesitation after a big bounce. The technique was perfect—his foot connecting cleanly with the dropping ball, sending it arcing through the snowy air with a wicked dip that left Steve Simonsen helpless. The net rippled, the deficit was suddenly just one goal, and five added minutes remained.
Fulham pressed desperately in the closing stages, convinced they had earned a penalty when Ryan Shawcross appeared to handle inside the area. The appeals were waved away. Stoke held firm, securing their first league victory in seven weeks and climbing to 10th place—level on points with Fulham but ahead on goal difference. For the Cottagers, it marked a ninth consecutive away match without victory, a troubling statistic for a side harboring European dreams.
"We were determined to give a better performance in the second half—and I think we did," Hodgson said afterward, searching for positives in the wreckage. "In the second half, we showed we are a good football team, but unfortunately, there aren't many teams that come back from three down in 45 minutes. We certainly gave it a good shot."
Dempsey's spectacular strike offered a reminder of his quality after a rare goal drought, and suggested his hot streak might resume as Fulham entered the business end of their campaign. Instead, disaster struck four days later at Ewood Park. In the second half of a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn, Dempsey crumpled to the turf with a knee injury that required immediate hospital attention. The initial diagnosis was grim: suspected cruciate ligament damage that would sideline him for months and potentially jeopardize his place at the World Cup in South Africa.
"The initial prognosis for Clint is not good," Hodgson confirmed after the match. "It looks like he has suffered cruciate knee ligament damage, which, if he has, keeps him out of action for a while." The scan on Monday would confirm the worst fears, ruling Dempsey out until March and forcing Fulham to navigate the remainder of their historic season—one that would ultimately deliver a Europa League final appearance—without their most dynamic attacking threat for nearly two months. The dipping volley at the Britannia, brilliant and defiant in defeat, had been his final contribution, for now, before injury intervened at the worst possible moment.
