Fulham have become such a power at home this season that on the face of it Tottenham should be grateful for a second chance in their FA Cup quarter-final following Saturday’s scoreless encounter at Craven Cottage. Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, implied as much after the game but had the quality of his team’s finishing matched the slickness of their build-ups they might already be in the last four instead of facing a replay which could clog up their aim of finishing in the Premier League’s first four.

If the performance proved anything it was that while Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko might be in excellent form individually they are not yet an item as an attacking partnership. The predatory instincts of Jermain Defoe, whose contribution was restricted by a hamstring problem to the last nine minutes, were badly missed as the Anglo-Russian pair struggled to maintain a tenuous link near goal. “We kept possession well enough although we didn’t create enough chances,” Redknapp admitted.

Yet the opportunity to create chances was always there and often stemmed from Gareth Bale’s consistency in outwitting Fulham’s defence on the left. The young Welshman has rarely played better. Normally he advances from left-back but here he was used as a wide man in midfield, which meant that the threat to Fulham was more immediate and occurred more often.

The frequency with which Bale reached the byline and switched the ball into the goalmouth with crosses which were more like rifle shots – and in sharp contrast to Vedran Corluka’s blunderbuss on the other flank – should have enabled Tottenham to achieve more scoring attempts than they did. And too many of those were off target.

In the end Spurs’ Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had a busier evening than Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer, particularly at the start of the second half when Roy Hodgson’s players managed to up their previously pedestrian tempo and get more people forward to support Bobby Zamora.

Gomes made a series of sharp saves, the best to keep out a goal-bound header from Zoltan Gera, and reaffirmed his status as a Premier League goalkeeper of genuine class. When he first arrived at White Hart Lane from PSV Eindhoven, Gomes appeared set on supporting the theory that in Brazil as in the playground the worst player goes in goal.

Redknapp’s first defeat in charge of Tottenham was the consequence of a howler by Gomes at Fulham in November last season. Yet the goalkeeper had established a reliable reputation at PSV so maybe it was just a matter of getting used to being bombarded from on high in the English game.

Either way, Redknapp was pleased his first impressions had not been borne out. “Gomes looked different to the goalkeeper who came here in 2008 when I first arrived,” he said. “He had a terrible time here but he’s a different lad now; full of confidence who looks what he is, a top keeper.”

For Fulham an FA Cup replay is equally unwelcome as they prepare to face Juventus over two legs in the Europa League, with the small matter of a visit to Manchester United in between.

Hodgson’s squad has already been stretched by injuries to such regulars as Andrew Johnson, Clint Dempsey, Paul Konchesky and John Paintsil, and the absence of Danny Murphy from midfield on Saturday was noticeable as Jonathan Greening struggled to pick up the pace.

Fulham confirmed they are a power in the Europa League when they knocked out last season’s Uefa Cup winners, Shakhtar Donetsk, and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals would further enhance Hodgson’s standing as a manufacturer of silk purses from the ears of porcine females. Fulham, too, might already be there had Zamora, having finally escaped the stifling attentions of Sébastien Bassong, not dragged his shot wide five minutes from the end.

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These two sides are hardly regulars in FA Cup semi-finals of late – Fulham have made only one appearance in the last four since reaching the final in 1975, Tottenham have not reached the semis since 2001 – and neither side seem hugely intent on breaking that run if this evidence is anything to go by.

This was a replay waiting to happen, a staccato midfield battle enlivened by occasional flurries at either end. The comfort for both is that, even at this late stage of the competition, priorities seem to lie elsewhere.

That both these teams have bigger fish to fry – Tottenham are deep in the race for a Champions League spot, while Fulham’s visit to Juventus in the Europa League on Thursday is billed by the club as “arguably the biggest” in their history – was painfully obvious in a first half played in and around the centre circle.

Harry Redknapp had pointed out pre-match that injuries had reduced him to around 12 first-team players. Indeed such was Spurs’ shortage that Jake Livermore and Andros Townsend were recalled from loan spells at Peterborough and Milton Keynes Dons respectively to take places on the bench. Gareth Bale was pressed into service on the left of midfield, with Luka Modric prompting in the centre.

Fulham were without their captain Danny Murphy, but that was not enough to explain their lacklustre opening. Tottenham, though cobbled together, began much the brighter but were hardly radiant. It took 18 mintues for their first genuine shot at goal, and that was an apologetic free-kick from Niko Kranjcar that bobbled well wide. That scare, however minor, briefly galvanised the hosts. Little more than a minute later Bobby Zamora, an angular, awkward, though largely ineffective presence throughout the first period, showed neat feet to cut inside and force Heurelho Gomes into a smart save at his near post.

It proved to be the first-half high-point for the home side. At the other end Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko exchanged passes before putting Kranjcar in space, though the Croatian’s curling effort from the edge of the area was palmed away by Mark Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. The goalkeeper needed to be much sharper a few minutes later to scramble across goal and turn away Crouch’s goalbound back-post header.

The promise of a Wembley semi-final was all the motivation Fulham needed, Roy Hodgson, a cup winner in Sweden and Denmark with Malmo and FC Copenhagen, had insisted, though the message seemed not to have filtered through to his players. Damien Duff smited an optimistic effort wide after 33 minutes, but as the break approached the home terraces grew increasingly restless, with their hopes of a first visit to the national stadium in a generation threatened by a labouring on-pitch performance.

Tottenham, having raised their game for a while, also caught the bug. Bale marauded into space but failed to find Crouch with a routine pull-back that would have provided the England striker with a simple chance, while Vedran Corluka’s failure to collect Kranjcar’s superb through-ball was indicative of both sides’ malaise.

Craven Cottage’s appetite for the fray returned after the interval and so did their team’s. Hodgson is not a manager to threaten the half-time tea-cups but his side certainly emerged from the dressing room with a spring in their collective step.

Within 60 seconds of the restart Simon Davies escaped down the left, his deep cross was headed back across goal by Zamora and Zolton Gera, little more than six yards out, forced Gomes into a stunning save. Four minutes later the Brazilian had to be on his toes once more, making a routine stop from Dickson Etuhu after a Davies corner.

That brief storm survived, Tottenham turned the screw once more and the visitors twice claimed for penalties before the hour. Pavlyuchenko tumbled optimistically and was rightly turned down by Mark Clattenburg, though the referee’s decision to wave play on as Brede Hangeland, jumping with arms aloft, appeared to be struck on the hand was less clear cut.

Though the Spurs captain Michael Dawson was not far away from breaking the deadlock with a thumping volley, the home side were growing in confidence and competence. Damien Duff, enjoying his tussle with Benoît Assou-Ekotto, twice stabbed shots at goal from promising positions, the first zipping narrowly wide, the second acrobatically collected by Gomes.

At the other end Pavlyuchenko, enduring a quiet evening after his recent goalscoring fireworks, was well off target with an ill-judged overhead kick.

Hodgson handed Zamora some company in attack, replacing Davies with David Elm, while Pavlyuchenko was put out of his misery with 10 minutes to go,

Jermain Defoe replacing the Russian. But even with the additional firepower, chances remained at a premium. When Zamora, having narrowly failed to get on the end of the exact same pass minutes earlier, did collect a Chris Baird through-ball, he dragged his shot wide of Gomes’ goal.

With games mounting up a replay is hardly what Fulham need, though they will be grateful that a trip to Wembley remains possible. Tottenham, who have been taken to replays by both Bolton and Leeds in the previous two rounds, will be optimistic of completing the hat-trick a fortnight on Wednesday.

THE FANS’ PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

CHRIS LLOYD, Observer reader The first half was nothing like what I expected. This was an important game for us. It’s not often you get the chance to go to Wembley. The second half was much better, with Zamora and Duff coming to the fore. Unfortunately, Zamora didn’t have his shooting boots on, while Gomes was excellent in the Spurs goal. Our defence coped easily with Crouch and Pavlyuchenko, with Hangeland outstanding. It was disappointing to see our midfield struggle. Davies and Greening were poor and it had quite an impact. We’ve got the replay now, but our away form is terrible. Let’s hope we can prove the critics wrong and do something special at White Hart Lane.

The fan’s player ratings Schwarzer 7; Baird 7, Hughes 7, Hangeland 8, Shorey 7; Duff 8, Greening 6, Etuhu 5, Davies 6 (Elm 73 6); Gera 7; Zamora 8.

DAVE MASON, Observer reader This will be our third replay and we are certainly doing it the hard way. We had loads of possession but hardly tested Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. Crouch was supposed to have had a great game for England in midweek, but he and Pavlyuchenko play the same game. We just lump it up to Crouch and expect him to hold it, but he can’t. The same with Pavlyuchenko – they play in each other’s shoes. I have to say we’re missing Bentley wide right, but Palacios was terrific. The amount of possession he wins for us is superb. Gomes was again outstanding. This time last year he was throwing the ball in his own net.

The fan’s player ratings Gomes 8; Corluka 6, Dawson 7, Bassong 6, Assou-Ekotto 6; Kranjcar 6, Modric 6, Palacios 8, Bale 7; Pavlyuchenko 5 (Defoe 81 n/a), Crouch 4.

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