Sheffield United manager Brian Clough was outraged as referee Andre Marriner denied his side what looked like a clear penalty. Chris Porter gave the home side the lead before Michael Doyle was dismissed early in the second-half. The spot-kick could have awarded the Blades a two-goal lead but instead Rodallega pulled Fulham level three minutes later. Clough said:
"I asked Ryan Flynn if there was contact for his penalty appeal and he said there was. Andre is one of the nicest guys you'll meet but some of his decisions today frustrated us."
The Blades manager took his League One side into half-time with a one-goal lead but saw his team reduced to ten-men in the second period, another decision that he believes changed the course of the game. He said:
"I think it did. Even with ten men we were a threat but we had to defend a bit more. We got the balance right. We should've had the second goal with that penalty."
The result sees Sheffield United enter the hat and they will discover their potential opponents this afternoon, though Clough refuses to get carried away:
"There's not many little teams left but we've got to prepare for the replay."
Shortly beforehand, Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen stated that his team got lucky and could have found themselves knocked out the cup if refereeing decisions didn't go in their favour. He said:
"We should have been able, as a Premier League team, to put this game to bed. Especially with the equaliser, we lacked some real quality. In hindsight you could say we were lucky to be in cup, they could've had that penalty."
The Fulham manager had made eleven changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Arsenal last weekend as he prepares for a crucial clash with Swansea on Tuesday. Meulensteen said:
"We had so many youngsters playing and it was a fantastic experience for them. It gives us another opportunity to give them a run-out in the replay."
However, the manager refused to believe that his squad alterations disrespected the FA Cup and defended the choices that he made. He said:
"That's why we've got a squad and we can make everyone feel like a valued member. I think everyone with a bit of common sense and if there's one person that respects the FA Cup it's me. You have to mix it up."
The draw means the two sides will face off again at Craven Cottage in a few weeks, while they will found out their potential opponents in this afternoons FA Cup draw.
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
