Fulham 0-1 Tottenham
Recently, I was bewailing Fulham's chronic failures against Chelsea. Somehow, I have never felt the same about Tottenham Hotspur.
One of my earliest football memories involves Spurs' visit to the Cottage in December 1948. Both teams were then in the second tier, but this was a big event –my mother and I arrived an hour before kick-off to ensure a good view from the enclosure.
Although the visitors were much fancied, Fulham held them to a 1-1 draw and went on to achieve promotion. It took Spurs another two seasons and a new style of football ('push and run') to reach the top even if they have not done too badly since.
In 1961, Bill Nicholson's Tottenham dispelled the image of the soft south by winning the League and FA Cup double at a time when it really meant something.
Yet, Fulham still held their own when they visited White Hart Lane in the 1960s. I recall the fearsome Dave Mackay's look of disbelief when a young Alan Mullery clipped his ankles. To put that in context, most of Mackay's tackles if copied today would need VAR to decide whether they earned a red or just a yellow card.
We have hardly excelled against Spurs in the Premier League. Our last victory came 10 years ago when Scott Parker and Moussa Dembele were playing for Tottenham (as already was Hugo Lloris). Another win was long overdue. Despite the Newcastle set-back Fulham could surely defeat a Tottenham side that seemed to be in crisis.
Monday evening's match at the Cottage took place in wintry conditions and problems on the London Underground delayed the kick-off for 20 minutes.
As the Sky TV pundits struggled to fill the extended pre-match discussion, one was recommending Marco Silva for a managerial vacancy that had just arisen while another was asking if Fulham had overperformed. On the contrary, Silva has inspired his men to play to their full potential. Good football has swept them to seventh in the table, above Brentford, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Confident start
The home side made a confident start. Bobby DeCordova-Reid had a powerful drive blocked, while Kenny Tete and Joao Palhinha saw long-range efforts on target easily saved by Lloris. Aleksandar Mitrovic was in impudent form, nudging Eric Dier over the goal line and almost converting yet another excellent cross from Tete. At the other end a lone Spurs breakaway was niftily foiled by Bernd Leno.
On the half hour mark, Harry Kane finally fired into action but in trying to equal Jimmy Greaves's record he lifted the ball over the bar. Fulham came close to scoring, but Palhinha and Issa Diop got in each other's way.
It was against the run of play that Spurs took the lead just before the break. Kane cleverly controlled a pass from Son Heung-min and shot on the turn past Leno. There were plenty of defenders near him, but none made a significant challenge.
Second half
Tottenham looked more confident in the second half and Leno made an outstanding save from a close-range Kane header.
Silva sent on Tom Cairney to some effect and Mitrovic could have equalised with a more accurate header. Israel's Manor Solomon, an even later substitute, gave Lloris some concern, but an equaliser failed to materialise.
As against Newcastle, Fulham lost by the odd goal and should really have secured a point.
Palhinha was probably as good as anyone else on the pitch though he should thank referee Paul Tierney for not sending him off in the closing moments. The official had earlier shown similar leniency to Son.
Fulham now have a fortnight to rediscover their ability to score Premier League goals – and to prove to sceptics that they haven't been overperforming this season.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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