'Very aggressive' - Alvaro Arbeloa makes Newcastle United cup final claim after Fulham draw
Fulham and Newcastle United shared the spoils in the Premier League at Craven Cottage.
Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa believes Newcastle United treated the match against his side like a cup final.
The Magpies headed to Craven Cottage with a point to prove after successive defeats to Everton and came close to bouncing back with a victory after Jacob Murphy opened the scoring in the 80th minute with a stunning strike.
However, United's lead lasted just three minutes as substitute Rodrigo Muniz equalised.
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Both goalkeepers produced a big save ech late on, with Bernd Leno denying Lewis Hall and Lukas Hornicek keeping out Ryan Sessegnon's powerful effort to ensure the points were shared.
Having also lost five of their previous seven matches in all competitions, Matthias Jaissle's side had come in for heavy criticism but showed plenty of fighting spirit at Craven Cottage.
Their aggressive approach and determination made an impression on Arbeloa, who likened their mindset to that of a team playing in a cup final.
"You always want to win, especially at home,” said Arbeloa. “We knew how difficult it was going to be against Newcastle and you could feel from the start that, for them, it was like a final. They were very, very aggressive. They're a very physical team, they were marking us man-to-man.
“I think we did a very good first half, we controlled the game, had very good chances but the second half was more open, chances for both teams.
"It's unbelievable because we concede another amazing goal from outside the box, with the left foot... it's incredible. But we responded really, really well and could draw the game and have another good chance with Ryan Sessegnon.
"It's another point. We wanted to win the game but it is what it is and we need to continue working hard."