Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey became the all time leading American goal scorer in English league history when he netted from close range to give Fulham a vital 3 points against Liverpool.
There was a sense of deja vu about Dempsey's latest strike (his 37th in the PL for Fulham).
It was in 2007 that Dempsey first netted for Fulham, once again a close range strike at the Hammersmith End to secure a 1-0 win against Liverpool.
Despite claims by Lawrie Sanchez that he had kept the Whites up single handedly in his role of caretaker boss, it was Dempsey's goal which effectively saved Fulham and probably goes down as the second most important goal in the modern history of Fulham football club. (behind Danny Murphy's header at Fratton Park)
After breaking his duck, Dempsey has gone from strength to strength and has topped the scoring charts for Fulham in 3 of the subsequent 4 seasons. His haul of 12 last season made him just the 4th player in 10 seasons to reach double figures.
Fulham's Premiership
goalscoring charthart |
| Dempsey | 37 (1 pen) |
| McBride | 32 |
| Malbranque | 32 (6 pens) |
| Boa Morte | 26 |
| Saha | 26 (5 pens) |
| John | 20 (1 pen) |
He is once again leading the way this term with 4 goals in the league and his knack of finding the back of the net and his versatility arguably make him Fulham's MVP.
That first goal against Liverpool was enough for me to grant Dempsey legendary status but his contribution has grown ever since. (that goal against Juventus will never be forgotten). Clint Dempsey deserves to be recognised as a modern day Fulham great.
More important than breaking the American record, held by another Fulham favourite Brian McBride, Dempsey has extended his lead at the top of Fulham's PL goalscoring charts.
Paul
Browne