1 December 2024
Tottenham 1 Fulham 1
Ange Postecoglou’s side had won some plaudits with big wins over both Aston Villa and Man City. They needed to now back this up and show that they can be a force near the top of the Premier League this season. Fulham were the visitors to North London, looking to bring them crashing back down to earth in front of their own fans.
Only one point separated these teams in the league table. With Vicario out for a spell on the sidelines, Forster made a rare appearance. Spurs should have taken the lead when Bassey gifted the ball to Werner. He found Son in the box but the South Korean’s effort was blocked by the feet of Leno in the Fulham goal. He should have done better.
The rain started to beat down in the capital and the visitors almost opened the scoring. The ball was lifted into the box towards Jimenez. He tried to control it on his chest and get a shot away before Forster could close him down. Fortunately for the hosts the keeper made himself big enough to get a block on the Mexican’s shot.
Moments later, Fulham came steaming forward once again. Tete crossed the ball to find Jimenez in the box. His volley was brilliantly saved by Forster in the bottom corner. This was the kind of stuff we were used to seeing at both Celtic and Southampton before. Great agility from the big man to get into the bottom corner so quickly to turn that one away.
The visitors were dominating the game and there was nothing Tottenham could do about it. As Marco Silva’s side came forward once again, the ball was played into the path of Iwobi wide in the box. He struck a superb shot, which had a full-stretch Forster beaten, only to see it come thundering back off the crossbar. It was the closest we had come to a goal yet.
Spurs looked a shadow of the team that had smashed Man City the week before. They were missing Solanke and Vicario but there just wasn’t the same hunger about them. You get that with a lot of teams in the Premier League right now, they can only get themselves up for the big games. Often just beating the expected teams can change your fortunes in the table.
The biggest question that has always been thrown at Tottenham teams is consistency. Irrelevant to the manager or the players, it seems to be a mental hurdle for the North London club. You can guarantee it keeps Ange Postecoglou up at night. Unless they can address the elephant in the room, they are not going to sample Champions League football anytime soon.
Postecoglou’s side managed to venture forward thanks a sublime piece of play from Son as he played it into the path of Werner out wide. He looked to attack the goal but was hacked down outside the box. Maddison stepped up to take the free-kick, opting to drill it underneath the wall as they jumped. The effort had everyone beaten but struck the bottom of the post and went wide.
After the interval The Cottagers continued to push for all three points. A cross was whipped into the back post and Diop seemed to do everything right as he headed the ball down towards the near post. Unbelievably, his effort hit the greasy surface and deflected off Forster’s knee and went wide. When you know it’s not your day vibes right there.
It was back to the walls stuff from Tottenham defensively. They kept giving the ball away cheaply and inviting the visitors onto them. Nelson turned their defence inside out before clipping a ball into the box. It dropped to Iwobi, with his back to goal, whose acrobatic volley was well blocked once again by Forster in the hosts’ goal.
In a rare moment of quality, Tottenham showed a glimpse of the team who destroyed Man City. Some neat one-touch passing saw the ball at the feet of Maddison, who lifted a cross into the box. Johnson ran onto it to volley home as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium erupted. Having been under the cosh for most of the game it seemed like they were going to grab an unlikely win.
The joy didn’t last long sadly for the home fans. Robinson played the ball into Iwobi in the box. He did well to hold it up until laying it off into the path of Cairney. He struck his shot first time into the far corner to give Forster no chance of keeping it out. The away end celebrated as The Cottagers got the goal their approach play had threatened all afternoon.
Marco Silva’s side had played well enough to take all three points in this game. Much like they did at The Etihad against Man City themselves. In both instances, poor finishing has cost them dearly. It is something they need to work on in training. Their performances are warranting more than they are securing. Shooting like a Taliban soldier.
Cairney then put in a poorly timed challenge on Kulusevski. It saw him stamp on the back of the calf of the Spurs’ winger. The referee allowed play to continue until VAR sent him to the monitor. After reviewing the incident, he changed his decision to a straight red card for the Fulham midfielder. He had suddenly gone from hero to zero for the visitors.
Fulham managed to hold on for the point and deserved it. They could have so much more. Tottenham will look at this as a point gained as they were largely outplayed for periods of this game. They need to take the positives where they can. Forster put in a brilliant performance for the North London outfit. If Marco Silva’s side keep putting performances like this in, it could be a fruitful season in West London.
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