Match recap: Tottenham squeeze out a win vs Fulham

Tottenham came away with 3 points against Fulham at Sunday’s match. The Craven Cottage contest was an absolute nail-biter where any result was possible. In the end, Tottenham came out on top with a 1-2 scoreline.

First Half

For the first 45 minutes, it looked like Fulham was the stronger side. Their attacks were fluid and could have easily had them up by 2 or 3. This was thanks in part to Fulham having a healthy team while Tottenham were running with a skeleton crew.

One of Fulham’s most promising moments was when Mitrovic played Babel into the box, Babel beat Sanchez for the near-post shot, and Lloris got a last-second touch on it. Near the end of the half, Mitrovic headed in a rebound shot off of Lloris’ gloves but he was offside.

Fulham’s one goal was thanks to Llorente not seeing where a corner was placed and the ball ricocheted in the goal.

Tottenham had a few good chances but it was obvious they were missing Kane and Son. Eriksen had a couple of wide shots, Llorente almost found solace in a few close ones, and Winks could have capitalized a few times. Alas, the half ended Fulham 1-0 Spurs.

Second Half

Spurs seemed like a team reborn at the second half whistle and wasted no time in putting the pressure on Fulham. Winks almost perfectly played Llorente on in the box but the Spaniard gave up on the run. Two minutes later, Spurs would hit pay dirt.

The goal started from a lovely lofted pass from Eriksen into the box. Alli got a strong header on it and the match was all tied up.

Three minutes after the goal, Eriksen made a strong shot on the counter attack that was denied.

For the rest of the match, Sanchez and Mitrovic had their own personal battle. The Spurs man never let the Cottager produce, which is a great sign for Tottenham’s injury worries in the back line.

Another defender- Rose- was a bee in the bonnet for Fulham as he constantly found himself on the wing in their third. This led to a couple of promising moments, including a fantastic shot and a ridiculous no-call foul.

It truly seemed like Tottenham were playing for the draw, especially since Pochettino put on Dier instead of a forward or attacking midfielder. These assumptions were put to bed as who else but Spurs’ N’Koudou put a perfect cross into the box. The target was Winks’ head and the England international put it in the back of the net.

The final score was Fulham 1-2- Tottenham. Spurs solidify their 3rd place position with 51 points, 5 points shy of Manchester City. They next travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.