After 70 minutes, Fernando Torres is off, with Didier Drogba on, a disappointing withdraw, with Chelsea electing not to chase a match-winning goal with both Torres and Drogba. If the defending champions are going to break the 0-0 at Craven Cottage, it seems Carlo Ancelotti is unwilling to go out of his comfort zone to do so. Torres's day is done.
And with the change, Fulham has started to play as the besieged. Ten men are starting to get behind the ball, hinting the Cottagers are willing to hold-out for a draw.
Further indication of that approach came in the 74th minute, when Simon Davies came on for Andrew Johnson, pushing Clint Dempsey to a more central role. Though Deuce will play high on the pitch, Fulham's formation should collapse into a 4-6-0 in their own end, with Dempsey and Moussa Dembele defending like midfielders.
And even after Fulham switched to a more conservative approach, they were almost able to generate a chance. A ball played to Dempsey with his back to goal, 16 yards out, was laid-off for Damien Duff, the winger coming onto a left-footed shot. The former Chelsea attacker couldn't get the ball out of his feet, though, leaving the score 0-0 in the 76th minute.
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