Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was full of praise for striker Bobby Zamora despite a glaring 47th minute miss the manager described as "horrific".
With the score still goalless, Shay Given parried Dempsey's initial effort into the path of Zamora who somehow spooned the ball over the bar from six yards.
Hodgson said: "It was an horrific miss and it was a pity because he played so well.
"Unfortunately people who watch on the TV will see the miss and they won't see the 96 minutes and 45 seconds in which he was absolutely magnificent.
"Really it should have been seen as the crowning moment of a great performance but instead it is going to be seen as a glaring miss and a blot on his copybook but I was very pleased with his performance.
"His target-play was magnificent, he held the ball up well, he brought people into the game."
"If you want a good example of the character and resilience of this team and its ability to bounce back, Bobby's performance in the last 30 minutes shows that."
Hodgson said he thought a draw was a fair result but had issues with the set-piece that led to City's opening goal after the referee over-ruled the linesman to award a corner.
Hodgson said: "I'm aggrieved by the corner kick. It was a clear offside which was seen by the linesman then over-ruled and that has cost us a goal."