Player Ratings: Fulham 2-1 Spurs
Scores after our we complete our first double over Tottenham in two decades.
Well we made that a LOT tougher than we needed to, but Fulham just about got the job done against relegation threatened Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage. Lovely. goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi put us in the driving seat, but our failure to take our chances for a third nearly cost us two precious points.
Ultimately, we held on comfortably enough and the win takes Fulham to the ‘magic’ 40 point mark.
For today’s Player Ratings, we’re also giving you the scores voted by Fulham Fanalyists on the excellent Fanalysis app. Download the app for free and you can drop your ratings and react with fellow Fulham fans.
Bernd Leno
Solid game from Bernd who couldn’t do much about Richarlison’s header. He dealt really well with some testing corners late on which preserved Fulham’s three points.
Fulhamish Score: 7/10
Fanalysis Rating: 65/100
Kenny Tete
Really enjoying Kenny being back in the side. He not only provides protection in his position, but I do think the rest of the defence play better in the knowledge they have his robustness and physicality.
It wasn’t vintage King Kenny, but he still had a solid game. He maybe should have done slightly better with the shot he dragged wide in the first half, but it was his teasing cross that eventually led to Wilson’s opening goal.
Fulhamish Score: 7/10
Fanalysis Rating: 72/100
Issa Diop
ISSA DIOP BABY! How this man does not play more football for us I don’t understand. The Frenchman was absolutely brilliant in the first half, making some wonderful tackles, particularly the one on Randall Kolo Muani that he timed to perfection. He was only deputising because Joachim Andersen was ill, but you do wonder what else he needs to do to deserve a starting run.
Fulhamish Score: 8/10
Fanalysis Rating: 76/100
Calvin Bassey
Defensively, it was decent enough from Calvin. He still gives me moments where my heart is in my mouth every game, but more often than not he corrects his own mistakes after making them. The biggest negative was his wild shot at the end of the first half where he should have done so much better. If he makes that 3-0 before half-time, then it would have been goodnight and god bless.
Fulhamish Score: 6.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 72/100
Ryan Sessegnon
Ryan looked good going forward, but I do just worry about him defensively. In the first half, he was responsible for some poor clearances that led to unnecessary Spurs chances and then he was caught out for Richarlison’s goal, leaving the Brazilian with a routine header at the back post. Both left-backs have had defensive errors in them recently, and I think the spot is still up for grabs.
Fulhamish Score: 5.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 69/100
Sander Berge
A lot of talk about Sander after Sunderland, but he was good in the middle of the park today. Obviously, he’s being overshadowed by Alex Iwobi - but you get the impression that Sander does not mind living in the shadows. He broke up Spurs attacks well and moved the ball nicely all around the park.
Fulhamish Score: 6.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 76/100
Alex Iwobi
Wonderful performance from Alex once again in midfield capped off with one of our goals of the season. It won’t win GOTS, only because Harrison Reed and Harry Wilson have that particular battle sewn up - but it’s a beautiful goal that was worthy of winning any match. He should have got a second assist had Smith Rowe finished the chance that Alex served up on a dinner plate for him.
Alex’s passing range in the midfield was excellent, he’s always striving to advance the ball, whilst acknowledging the risk of a mis-placed pass in the area of the pitch he’s normally occupying. Whilst Alex might not be over-taking the two Harry’s for the goal gong, could he be in the running for Fulham’s Player of the Season?
Fulhamish Score: 9/10 (MOTM)
Fanalysis Rating: 87/100
Harry Wilson
Another game where Harry doesn’t impact the match all that much, but still ends up with two goal contributions on his record. He makes that opening goal look easy, but as Calvin Bassey proved later on in the half, having such poise and technique in a crowded penalty box is not a skill everyone possesses. It was then Harry who tee’d up Alex Iwobi before his wonderful shot. That’s now 9 goals and 6 assists in the league this season, hugely impressive numbers.
He was taken off mid-way through the second half after picking up a little knock, hopefully it was nothing too serious and just a precaution to take him off.
Fulhamish Score: 7.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 87/100
Emile Smith Rowe
Look, ESR was good again today, but I do have a bit of a bone to pick because he HAS to score that chance that would have made it 3-0 after Alex Iwobi put him one-on-one against Vicario. He also missed another good chance at the start of the second half, which in fairness, may have been marginally offside.
I know it’s a bit harsh to only pick out Smith Rowe’s finishing, but we are at the point now where we need goals and assists from our number 10. His close control, passing and progression with the ball are lovely, but a free-scoring Smith Rowe could be the difference between a historic season and one that just peters out. Now is the time where ESR must start contributing to goals, had we thrown that game away today, that miss at 2-0 would be getting a lot more scrutiny.
Fulhamish Score: 7/10
Fanalysis Rating: 73/100
Oscar Bobb
Olé Olé, Oscar Bobb, Bobb, Bobb has arrived on the scene! I thought Oscar looked brilliant on that left-wing today. Sure, he’s still finding his feet, but I think we have a really capable player on our hands here. There was a little moment of skill in the first half on the touchline that oozed class, and his cross that led to Wilson’s opener was perfectly weighted to cause chaos in the Spurs defence.
Left-wing is obviously Oscar’s least favourite side, but even so he’s still more than capable of doing a job out there. He just feels like a Marco Silva winger, not blessed with pace, but technically gifted and able to glide in either direction. This was definitely a full debut to get excited about.
Fulhamish Score: 8/10
Fanalysis Rating: 74/100
Raul Jimenez
Bit of a quieter day at the inn for Raul after his two goal haul last week in the North-East, but still plenty of hard-work up top fighting Radu Dragusin. He did really well to flick on Kenny Tete’s cross and the protests by Dragusin and Tudor were embarrassing.
Was unlucky not to make it 3-0 in the second half, but he was well blocked by Van De Ven. I guess the biggest compliment you could pay Raul was that we looked significantly weaker up front when Muniz came on.
Fulhamish Score: 7/10
Fanalysis Rating: 74/100
Subs:
Rodrigo Muniz
It will take time for him to get up to speed, but Rodrigo looks miles off being able to adequately contribute to the team right now. There’s not too much to analyse, because he just really struggled to get into the game. I’m not too worried, but right now there is no chance of Muniz dislodging Jimenez as our starting number 9.
Fulhamish Score: 5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 57/100
Tom Cairney
Classic TC performance that. Came on just after Spurs got back into the game and eased the pressure massively. Calm on the ball and able to take the sting out of Spurs’ mini fightback. Must admit, I bricked it when he gave away the ball in the 96th minute - but thankfully for TC it led to nothing.
Fulhamish Score: 6.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 64/100
Samu Chukwueze
Great to see Samu back out on the pitch. Whilst TC slowed the game down, Samu gave the Spurs left-hand side something to worry about. It was another good sub by Marco that helped quell the potential comeback by Igor Tudor’s men. Probably the best out of all the subs
Fulhamish Score: 7/10
Fanalysis Rating: 72/100
Josh King
Some nice touches, but didn’t have that long on the pitch to really make an impact.
Fulhamish Score: 6/10
Fanalysis Rating: 65/100
Jorge Cuenca
Brought on at the very end for Alex Iwobi, but no real moments of note.
Fulhamish Score: 5.5/10
Fanalysis Rating: 65/100
Marco Silva
Last summer, Tottenham overlooked Marco Silva for their head coach position and today the Spurs hierarchy must have wondered if they made a bit of a mistake as Fulham completed the double over Tottenham for the first time in 22 years.
Obviously it’s helpful that Marco has pretty much a fully fit squad to choose from, but the difference in competence between the two teams was stark. The team feels really balanced at the moment and Marco is able to change one or two components each game without changing the overall feel of the team.
He must be tearing his hair out at some of the chances we’re squandering, but the triple sub that Silva made after the Richarlison goal was enough to quell the fightback.
Whether Marco really wanted the Tottenham job is not known, but either way, today must have felt like a sweet one for him.
Fulhamish Score: 8/10
Fanalysis Rating: 83/100
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Disagrre about Bobb having nonreal pace, he is a bit like Harry in that he has very quick, sharp movement over short distances, just watch back some.of his pressing. Also I think it's a bit lazy to go to the 'TC slows the game down' trope. He is actually one of the players who always keeps the ball actively moving, and frequently initiates forward momentum when other players would just step on the ball or pass backwards. TC is just good at doing the right things in the right moment, it isn't simply slowing things down.
Agree with the ratings - Ryan was poor today defensively, given that Bowen is such a threat would prefer to see Robinson start. Anxious that Raul looks so much more of a threat than Muinz and to make it worse, works harder or at least more intelligently.