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In a closely fought Premier League game at Craven Cottage tonight, Tottenham Hotspur were able to edge a 0-1 victory over Fulham.
The win for Tottenham puts them just four points outside the top four, while Fulham remain in the bottom three, three points away from 17th placed Newcastle United.
Tottenham dominated the first half and were well worth their lead, which came through a Tosin Adarabioyo own goal. Jose Mourinho’s side could perhaps have had more goals, but Harry Kane in particular, missed an easy header.
The second half saw Fulham come roaring back, and Scott Parker’s side will feel aggrieved after VAR chalked off what looked like an equalizer from striker Josh Maja.
Here are five talking points from Tottenham’s win over Fulham.
#1 Tottenham’s four-pronged attack worked well in the first half
The first half of tonight’s game was dominated by Tottenham. And while a lot of this was due to the midfield domination of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele, it was clear that Spurs’ four-pronged attack of Dele Alli, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, and Son Heung-min was highly dangerous.
The foursome opened Fulham’s defense on numerous occasions in the first half, with Kane missing a gilt-edged chance in the form of a point-blank header following a tremendous cross from Son.
Eventually, the pressure told. Son was played through on the left side of the box, and his cross found its way to Dele, who flicked it towards goal.
The ball took a touch off Fulham defender Tosin and went into the net, and after some deliberation, was labeled as an own goal.
Dele will likely be annoyed by the decision, but it was his hard work that earned Tottenham their goal. And in the end, it proved to be the telling blow.
The attack didn’t work quite so well in the second half – more on that later – but Jose Mourinho can now breathe easily in the knowledge that this more positive system can work for his side.
#2 The decision to chalk of Fulham’s equalizer was harsh – but fair
Fulham pushed really hard for an equalizer in the second half, and the closest they came was obviously Josh Maja’s disallowed goal midway through the period.
The goal came about after some pretty poor defending from Tottenham. An initial shot came to Davinson Sanchez, who had plenty of time to clear the ball.
However, the Colombian booted it directly at Mario Lamina. From there, the ball spun to Maja, who turned and fired into the bottom corner of the net.
It was a wonderful finish and a well-deserved goal. However, after a VAR check, the strike was chalked off when a replay revealed that the ball had struck Lamina’s hand prior to bouncing to Maja.
Fulham fans will be frustrated by this, largely because Lamina’s hand was by his side at the time. But unfortunately for them, the laws of the game currently state that any handball – accidental or not – will instantly rule out a goal.
To be quite honest, it’s a ridiculous rule, especially when a handball of that kind wouldn’t be penalized from a defensive standpoint.
VAR got this one spot on, but it’s a rule that ought to be looked at going forward.
#3 Parker’s subtle tactical switch changed the game
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
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
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.
