The shock departure of manager Harry Redknapp seemed to have affected his team who lost concentration at a vital moment in the game against Fulham allowing them to equalize late on and earn a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park.

Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept his team in the game with some splendid saves early on as Richard Hughes, Lassana Diarra, Peter Crouch and Armand Traore mounted incisive attacks on the Fulham goal. Pompey left-back Nadir Belhadj tested Schwarzer just after the 30th minute when he shot through from just outside the area. Schwarzer clung on desperately even as Jermaine Defoe hovered in the background.

Jimmy Bullard came close for Fulham in the 34th minute shooting from 30 yards, but the shot was misdirected. Zoltan Gera then crossed in the 40th minute that found Andy Johnson who nodded home, but Gera was ruled offside correctly.

Five minutes after the break Defoe tested the Fulham defence with a sizzling shot that went wide at the last minute. Minutes later he forced a save from Schwarzer. Just after 60 minutes, Crouch finally broke the deadlock with a fine goal that started off as a move from Diarra who fed Defoe who found Crouch with an incisive pass.

Clint Dempsey came on for Zoltan Gera in the 71st minute as Fulham looked to regroup. However the game seemed to be Pompey's until the 87th minute when Younes Kaboul let through Dempsey, who latched onto Erik Nevland's pass and scored a dramatic equalizer to snatch a late point for the visitors.

Late in the game Niko Kranjcar had an appeal for a penalty turned down inexplicably by referee Mark Halsey and after this the game petered out to a draw.