DURING his career in England Junichi Inamoto has grown used to watching from the sidelines as other players make the headlines, but this was his night. Nine minutes into extra time, the Japan international went from benchwarmer to benchmark when from nowhere he unfurled a stunning long-range drive that sent West Bromwich Albion into the fourth round of the Carling Cup.

This was only the 26-year-old’s second start for West Bromwich since his move from Gamba Osaka last summer. In four years in this country he has become familiar with life as a substitute in largely uneventful loan spells at Arsenal, Fulham and Cardiff City.

“I thought he was outstanding,” Bryan Robson, the West Bromwich manager, said. “That’s his best game since I’ve been at the club. We spoke about lapses of concentration and he took that on board.”

Robson was exercised by an apparent lapse in judgment from Andy D’Urso, the referee, at the end of the match. Zat Knight and Paul Robinson tangled on the touchline and Robinson was given a straight red card.

The visiting team took the lead inside three minutes. Inamoto’s through ball bisected Fulham’s poorly-positioned centre backs and Robert Earnshaw ran clear to beat Tony Warner. The goal did briefly breed more of a cup-tie mood in the two-thirds empty stadium: the players showed a little more urgency, but a lot less composure. Passes went astray, and so did the passion as the match drifted towards tedium.

The onus was on the home team, but they created little. Still, they should have equalised in first-half stoppage time. Ahmad Elrich’s free kick from the left was headed horribly wide by Zesh Rehman, who was inexplicably left unmarked six yards out.

Coleman’s half-time team talk was evidently concise, since his players appeared far too early for the second period and had to jog up and down the pitch to keep warm. At least the contest grew more heated once play restarted. The manager brought on Papa Bouba Diop and Collins John to beef up the performance and Fulham were far more effective.

Warner performed well in Fulham’s win over Liverpool on Saturday as a substitute for the injured Mark Crossley but last night he was hapless. A reckless foray out of his area to intercept Earnshaw in the 58th minute backfired badly when the striker easily sidestepped him. Knight cleared Earnshaw’s shot and Richard Chaplow, a substitute, lobbed the ball back at goal but Knight again rescued Warner.

That was important as four minutes later Fulham were level after Steed Malbranque set the excellent Luis Boa Morte clear. He delayed, drew Tomasz Kuszczak, the goalkeeper, out and slid the ball beyond him.

With three minutes left, Warner donated a goal to the away team. He miscontrolled an innocuous Diop backpass and Kanu robbed him. The Nigerian broke the habit of a lifetime of excess flair, simply dribbling forward and dispatchingd the ball into the vacant net. Just when West Bromwich appeared to have got away with their overall mediocrity, Heidar Helguson headed in Boa Morte’s free kick in the last minute and we had extra time and Inamoto’s moment of genius.

Perhaps the half-time announcement that Daphne Cohen, the wife of George, the former England full back, had won the Fulham Flutter lottery was an omen of sorts. Cohen was in the 1966 World Cup-winning team, and that year was special for West Bromwich, too: they won the League Cup.

FULHAM (4-5-1): A Warner — D Leacock, Z Knight, I Pearce (sub: C Bocanegra, 93min), L Rosenior — A Elrich (sub: C John, 57min), Z Rehman, S Legwinski (sub: P Bouba Diop, 46min), S Malbranque, L Boa Morte — H Helguson. Substitutes not used: R Batista, A Goma. Booked: Boa Morte, Bouba Diop, Pearce, Knight.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-4-2): T Kuszczak — R Scimeca, D Moore, N Clement, P Robinson — D Kamara (sub: K Campbell, 99min), R Wallwork, J Inamoto, D Carter (sub: R Chaplow, 54) — Kanu (T Gaardsoe, 90min), R Earnshaw. Substitutes not used: C Kirkland, G Horsfield. Booked: Robinson. Sent off: Robinson

Referee: A D’Urso.