Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 Carabao Cup loss to Fulham

Tottenham’s Carabao Cup run is over almost before it began, with the visitors losing 2-1 in penalties against Fulham to bow out. 

What a difference personnel makes. Ange made nine changes to his starting team and the contrast was stark.

Spurs went into the locker room at halftime down 1-0, and rightly so. It was the first uninspiring half of Tottenham’s season, a somewhat expected outcome based on who was in the starting 11.

The visitors showed some intent in the second half and played on the front foot way more than in the first stanza.

But in the end, the 2-1 loss was a fair reflection of the cup tie. Here are the player ratings from Tottenham’s 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage.

Defence

Fraser Forster 8/10

The veteran keeper stuck out like a thumb in the early goings. Too slow and cumbersome in possession, Forster certainly isn’t adept at playing the ball out from the back. He almost coughed it up at least once.

However, the wily veteran more than made up for it with a masterful right-hand save on a point-blank header from Rodrigo Muniz on cusp of halftime.  Forster made another match-saving stop in the 90th minute to keep the match deadlocked.

Still, though, Angeball requires a keeper who can confidently play out from the back.

Ben Davies 4.5/10

Not for lack of trying, but Ben Davies simply lacks the quality to be an inverted full-back in Ange’s system.

He dwelled on the ball far too long at times, and jumped in on unnecessarily on Adama Traore. The Welshman struggled to play on the front foot.

Davies lost the ball in the 65th minute, which led to a golden Bobby Decordova-Reid opportunity. Luckily the Fulham forward missed his open close-range effort. He also lost his man on another second-half Fulham foray and was exposed far too often.

Emerson Royal 6/10

Like several colleagues in the starting 11, Emerson Royal had a just-above average day at the office. He made a few excellent tackles but didn’t impact the match too much otherwise.

Davinson Sanchez 5/10

What a rollercoaster outing from the Colombian. He made a brilliant slide tackle in the opening minutes, saving Oliver Skipp’s blushes.

He followed that by making a poor pass two minutes later. He was taken for a ride on Fulham’s opener, diving in on Thomas Cairney and being spun around like a record.

He made an outstanding last-gasp block in the second half, reinforcing his topsy-turvy display. Just when you thought he redeemed himself, Sanchez again conceded possession needlessly. I also had to dock a point for his missed penalty.

Micky van de Ven 7.5/10

Micky van de Ven scored his second own goal of the season, neither of which were his fault. He enjoyed another strong performance, nullifying Traore’s powerful and speedy threat. He covers brilliantly for his colleagues in the rearguard.

He was beaten in the second half, but Davies created the initial problem. He hobbled off before penalties, a worrying sign for supporters.

Midfield

Pierre Hojbjerg 5.5/10

Like Ben Davies, Pierre Hojbjerg doesn’t have enough quality to impact proceedings at an elite level.

He played the long ball far too often and made the wrong decision on multiple occasions, including his skimmed wide shot in the second half. Manor Solomon was wide open and would have had a tap-in. In his defence, it was his header that led to the opportunity.

Oliver Skipp 5.5/10

It was an average outing from the Englishman. He didn’t do anything particularly impressive nor did he commit any grave errors.

He sold Davies a bit short on the touchline, leading to Decordova-Reid’s chance.

Giovani Lo Celso 4/10

In his first start under Ange, the Argentine endured a nightmare opening half. He committed a foul deep in his own half, played a poor pass to Perisic and was off the pace for most of the opening 45. His withdrawal at halftime wasn’t surprising.

Forwards and Subs

Richarlison 7/10

The Brazilian finally got his goal, thanks to a brilliant Perisic assist. He finished well with his head at the back post. Hopefully, that goal is the one that bursts the damn. He was average otherwise but goals are what count the most for our No. 9.

Manor Solomon 5.5/10

Aside from a burst or two in the second half, Manor Solomon endured a quiet, if not subpar first-11 debut. He had one shot on target in the second half that was well saved by Marek Rodák.

Ivan Perisic 6/10

It was a tale of two halves for the Croatian. He was poor in the first half, making several errant passes and crosses.

However, it was his brilliant cross that found Richarlison at the back post, offsetting his horrendous opening 45 minutes. Overall, he lacked focus and was wayward in a lot of his play.

Dane Scarlett 5.5/10

The youngster had a fairly quiet 45 minutes. He failed to collect a Hojbjerg through ball and wasn’t able to react in time to a rebound in the 80th minute.

Son Heung-min 6.5/10

Sonny positively impacted the match but couldn’t find the final touch. His off-the-bench performance was similar to Dejan’s.

Dejan Kulusevski 6.5/10

Like you’d expected, Dejan drove at Fulham’s defence after being introduced. He made some threatening runs and was pretty good overall. He did, however, cough the ball up in late into injury time, creating a counter the other way.

Pape Sarr 6/10

Pape didn’t do too much wrong, nor did he create anything memorable. He didn’t have too much time on the pitch.

James Maddison 8/10

Although he was on the pitch the least, he made an immediate impact, creating at least two scoring opportunities. What a player.