Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Fulham - The look back
A routine defeat on the road to the table-toppers - made somewhat easier to swallow by news that Marco Silva finally penned his contract extension.
As surprising as Marco Silva signing a contract extension was, the Whites losing to table-topping Tottenham on the road on Monday night felt… inevitable.
Up top, we continue to pay for our inability to replace Mitrovic. But in defence, Issa Diop’s injury meant Calvin Bassey had to deputise as right centre-back, and it proved a precursor to a tough night. His ball out was intercepted by Micky Van der Ven, leaving Son to curl it home.
Bassey was caught out again in the second half in an almost identical move, this time James Maddison finishing to put the game beyond us.
There were some bright spots. Joao Palhinha forced a great save from Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario in the first half with a header from a corner, while Leno again pulled off some decent saves. We weren’t bad on the counterattack, but just missed that clinical edge.
Jimenez had the chance to give Spurs a nervy final 10 after being played in by Wilson, but shot straight at Vicario, making the travelling fans wonder if he’ll ever break his Fulham duck.
Losing to the league leaders is fine. But the game served as an indicator for the rest of this campaign: we’ll be fine, but we’ll not pull up any trees. The question is: is that enough?
What they said
Marco Silva: After the second goal we had enough chances to make it 2-1 and go at them again but unfortunately we didn't score. I hope the goals will come but the good thing we have been creating more in recent games. The way we created against Tottenham is a good sign.
Tim Ream: We were competitive in and around their box, having half-chances. Maybe on a different day we put one or two away and it’s a different game.
Sammy James: Hardly a surprising defeat, but still a disheartening one. We have a good spine but they're playing with one hand behind their back because there is no potency up front. Three goals against Sheff Utd papered over the cracks massively.
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Positives and negatives: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Fulham
Player ratings: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Fulham
Stubborn Silva cost Fulham against Spurs, not Calvin Bassey
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Why we should use Tom Cairney more
Does football have a gambling problem?
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Up next: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
It’s another tough game coming up in what’s looking like a particularly tricky run. Where are the goals going to come from?
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