London: Fulham manager Martin Jol hailed the performance of Dimitar Berbatov in the 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Wednesday night, although he was frustrated at his side’s inability to pick up all three points.
The match was Rafael Benitez’s second match in charge of Chelsea - both at Stamford Bridge - and although he did not receive the frosty reception that greeted him against Manchester City, their performance was not much better.
Jol admitted his game plan revolved around stopping the hosts imposing their style on the match, and while he was pleased with how his side dealt with Chelsea’s key men, he highlighted the performance of Berbatov.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Jol said: "I thought Berbatov was fantastic. The way he linked the midfield was unbelievable.
"We wanted to frustrate them and keep a clean sheet. We know we are a difficult team to play against.
"I felt we handled their star players well. To go away from home and to keep a clean sheet is exactly what we wanted but we are frustrated not to win the game."
Despite the fine performance it was the win that Jol ultimately wanted and, with Fulham only managing a draw, the Cottagers boss admitted to being dissatisfied with the result.
"It`s only one point and you need three points and that`s a little disappointing," he said.
"We had three or four good possibilities. We could have nicked it. We wanted to frustrate them - it was their second game under Rafa and we wanted to take advantage of that. The chance with John Arne Riise maybe we could have done a bit better."
Goal.com
First Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012, 08:48