Fulham 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as Spurs grind out a vital win | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Parker’s subtle tactical switch changed the game

Ademola Lookman gave Tottenham problems in the second half.

Fulham largely bossed the second half of this game, but it wasn’t really down to Tottenham switching off. Instead, the change came down to a subtle tactical switch from Fulham boss Scott Parker.

Parker’s side were being absolutely overwhelmed in the first half. This was largely because they were both sloppy in possession, constantly giving the ball away. It was also because Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele were allowed to dominate the middle of the park.

The second half, though, saw Ademola Lookman push into a wider role on the left side of the pitch.

From there, Fulham began to largely bypass the midfield. They preferred Joachim Andersen and Harrison Reed, pinging long balls over the top to the forward, who constantly threatened Tottenham’s backline.

Spurs simply couldn’t adjust to this and found the game slipping away from them. In the end, Mourinho’s side were forced to cling on for their win.

Fulham’s good performance won’t be much of a consolation to Parker. But his side are still only three points away from Newcastle, who aren’t in the best of form right now. Continue to play like this, and survival is still a possibility for the Cottagers.

---

#4 Tottenham were far more robust than they have been in recent months

Davinson Sanchez has looked much stronger with Toby Alderweireld alongside him.

One thing that will have pleased Jose Mourinho tonight was Tottenham’s defensive robustness. His side have taken the lead in most of their games this season, only to collapse late on and give it away, usually because of silly defensive errors.

That wasn’t the case at all tonight. Barring Davinson Sanchez's error that led to Fulham’s disallowed goal, Tottenham’s defense held firm under a massive amount of pressure.

Sanchez was largely fantastic, making a number of clean last-ditch tackles to deny Fulham, while Toby Alderweireld and Ben Davies were both solid.

Matt Doherty struggled to cope with Ademola Lookman at times, but the right-back didn’t make any major errors, while Hugo Lloris also performed well in goal.

What can we take from this? It’s worth noting that Tottenham have now looked solid in their last two Premier League games. And this coincides with the return of Alderweireld at center-back.

Sanchez simply looks more confident when he’s alongside the experienced Belgian. And the mix of Sanchez’s pace and power with Alderweireld’s nous and positioning could be just what Mourinho needs right now.

It feels a little harsh on Eric Dier, who was fantastic for a handful of games during Tottenham’s strong run earlier in the season. But Mourinho should probably keep faith with this defensive partnership going forward.

---

#5 Tottenham’s top-four dream remains very much alive

Can Jose Mourinho lead his Tottenham side to a top-four finish?

The crazy nature of this season means that despite being in eighth position, Tottenham are still in with a shout of taking a Champions League spot after tonight’s win.

Jose Mourinho’s men now have 42 points, while fourth-placed Everton are four ahead on 46. Liverpool, West Ham United, and Chelsea also sit above Spurs. But Chelsea and Liverpool have both played one more game than Mourinho’s men.

And given their next three games – against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, and Aston Villa – look winnable, there’s every chance that Tottenham could end up taking 15 points from five matches.

Sure, even if they do that, they’re still relying on their rivals slipping up along the way. But based on what we’ve seen thus far this season, there’s every chance that it happens.

If Tottenham can recover from their recent slide that saw them lose five matches, then they’re definitely capable of a strong run to the finish line of 2020-21. If they can recover fourth place, then nobody would be able to question Mourinho and his methods.