Premier League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Tottenham beat Fulham

#3 Spurs never gave up hope despite their thin squad

Harry Winks' winner was his first goal since 2016

Alarm bells have been ringing for Tottenham fans since last week – when it was confirmed that Harry Kane would be out until March with an ankle injury – and those bells appeared to become louder on Friday when Mauricio Pochettino admitted he probably wouldn’t venture into the transfer market this month, and instead decided to back the players he’s already got – Dele Alli, Fernando Llorente and the unproven youngster Kazaiah Sterling – to cover for Kane’s absence.

Had this game ended 1-1 – or had Fulham scored a second goal – then the cries that Tottenham can’t survive without Kane would’ve become absolutely deafening. But even after Alli was taken off late in the second half with a hamstring injury, Spurs never gave up the hope that they could claim all 3 points. And in a way, it was telling that their winning goal not only came from an unlikely source but was created by one too.

With seconds on the clock, it was Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – barely used by Spurs since his signing in 2016 – who popped up to fire an incredible cross into the box, and it was Harry Winks – who hadn’t scored a goal since 2016 – who arrived to head the ball home for the winner. Better still, it was only what Winks deserved for a tremendous performance that saw him justifiably awarded Man of the Match by Sky.

Not only was the goal important in terms of keeping a healthy lead on Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, but it meant even more given Tottenham’s current squad issues. The late winner showed that Pochettino’s team don’t know the meaning of giving up, and it showed that they don’t always have to rely on Harry Kane for goals – they’ve got another special Harry too – and that perhaps fringe players like N’Koudou could end up playing a bigger part than even Spurs fans could’ve imagined.