A 53rd-minute goal from Clint Dempsey lifted Fulham to a 1-1 draw with visiting Birmingham City on Saturday and a precious point in the English Premier League standings.
The Cottagers (2-4-9) climbed to 17th place in the 20-team circuit, one spot above the relegation zone.
It's fair to say that Fulham would be mired in the bottom three without Dempsey, who now has five league goals this season. All have been meaningful -- he scored both in a 2-0 win over relegation rival Wigan last month and the tying goal in draws at West Ham and Blackburn.
No other teammate has more than two league goals to his credit.
On Saturday, Birmingham (3-4-8) took a first-half lead on a goal from Swedish international Sebastian Larsson.
Fulham then tied it up off a corner kick. The ball was headed back from the far post toward the near, where Dempsey jumped/climbed over a City defender and knocked his own header home.
The play starts at 1:17 of the video below.
There were rumors last week that Germany's Bayer Leverkusen had offered €8.5 million for Dempsey. Considering his current form, the Texan should have no problem at all finding greener pastures if Fulham is unable to avoid relegation next spring.
November 27 2010 Last updated at 02:59 PM ET
Clint Dempsey Scores Another Crucial Goal for Fulham
By Brian Straus
Senior Soccer Writer
Read More: English Premier League Bundesliga (Germany) U.S. Men's National Team Bayer+Leverkusen, Birmingham+City, Blackburn+Rovers, Clint+Dempsey, Fulham, West+Ham
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