Fulham 0 Wigan Athletic 1
Chris Kirkland reckons being bombed out by Benitez will bring the best out of him. He made his loan switch from Liverpool permanent this week and pulled off a dramatic late save to clinch Wigan's first away win of the season.
Injury-plagued Kirkland, 25, feels he never got a fair crack of the whip under Rafa Benitez and insists joining Paul Jewell's unpolished diamonds is better than bench-warming for Liverpool.
He said: “I had to get out. The writing was on the wall when Mr Benitez came. I struggled with training and bits and bobs like that. That's just football.
“He put me in the team when I was carrying a back injury that needed an operation and I was out for six months."
The Independent
Camara snaps up the Points
David Hasselhoff, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and the late Pope John Paul II have all declared allegiance to Fulham - according to a mixture of urban myth, actual fact and the big picture of "The Hoff" in Saturday's programme. The American actor was wearing a Fulham kit and smiling madly on behalf of the club's shirt sponsors.
For a long time in this match, the powers of Baywatch, Hogwarts and the Vatican seemed to be giving Fulham supernatural aid. Before Wigan scored in the 83rd minute, they missed a penalty. There was also a near-post header from Henri Camara that seemed to cross the line, but no goal was given. But then Camara defied any lingering suggestions of paranormal protection with his well-taken goal.
The Mirror
Fulham 0 Wigan 1
Chris Kirkland, 25, marked his permanent move from Liverpool to Wigan with a clean sheet and an impressive display at Fulham to help the Latics to their first away win this term.
Kirkland's assured performance underlined his international credentials just as England boss Steve McClaren is preparing to shake up the team for their friendly against Holland following the 2-0 loss to Croatia earlier this month.
The defeat was only the third of Fulham's campaign but manager Chris Coleman admitted that his side deserved nothing from the contest.
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