Tottenham 1-2 Fulham: Spurs have only won one Premier League home game all season, the opener against Burnley. Two early goals were enough for the visiting team to win.
Thomas Frank claimed on Thursday that he wants to turn Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into a fortress. You have to admire his wishful thinking, as Spurs have won just three of their last 21 Premier League home games since Fulham punished them for a dismal first-half defensive show.
Spurs were two goals down within six minutes, making it the first time since September 2003 that they had conceded the first goal in six consecutive top-flight games at home.
Mohamed Kudus regained a bit of pride after Kenny Tete and Harry Wilson scored for the Cottages, but it was a stark reflection of the current direction of this team under Frank that they never looked like they could turn things around.
Denmark’s withered Europa League champions look starved for inspiration, having won just three of their last 13 games in all competitions. It’s almost unbelievable that Tottenham, who were understandably booed by their own supporters, have come to fear their own shadow on their own patch in their £1bn, state-of-the-art stadium.
Fulham come into this clash as one of only two teams, along with Wolves, to have yet to taste a win on the road in the Premier League this season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the basement Boys Wolves’ only away point came against Spurs.
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But there was no sign of motion sickness as the visitors moved forward in just four minutes. Kevin Danso’s poorly defended header put the hosts under intense pressure, while Fulham winger Samuel Chukwueze’s wayward pass managed to get past Lucas Bergvall, allowing right-back Kenny Tete to aim on goal. The Dutchman’s shot was then deflected off the wrong foot of Destiny Udogi and Guglielmo Vicario. Tottenham’s No. 1 was helpless in taking the lead, but Fulham’s No. 2 had nowhere to hide just two minutes later. Joachim Andersen sent a long punt up the field, Vicario ran off the line to pick up the ball, and instead of dropping the ball off the pitch, the Italian got very smart and tried to defend Raul Jimenez, who pushed the shot-stopper in a panic.
Vicario then missed a clearance that landed at the feet of Josh King, who teed up Harry Wilson for a pinpoint 40-yard finish into an empty net. Marco Silva couldn’t believe his luck as the boos began to puncture Thomas Frank’s eardrums.
Notably, there appeared to be some late-arriving fans who had not yet taken their seats. The situation did not improve from there, so they were probably tempted to turn back. After scoring against PSG in midweek, Spurs played unevenly without their left winger, with Richarlison playing alongside Randal Kolo Muani. It didn’t take a tactical genius to see that it was a farce.
Chukwueze’s curling shot from the edge of the box kissed the post and a sarcastic cheer echoed around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Vicario finally hacked a clearance off the pitch.
Had it not been for stand-in captain Micky van de Ven, Silva’s men would have torn Spurs to shreds and would have won by three goals before the break.
Chukwueze benefited from Pedro Polo’s disastrous mistake, but the centre-back made a well-timed final tackle to stop the Nigerian from scoring. Tottenham regained momentum in the 59th minute when Kudus’ poisonous half-volley curled in at the near post and Lukas Bergvall saw his glancing header cleared on the goal line.
More than that, Spurs showed no signs of scoring other than a meek backheel from Kolo Muani, suffering a third successive defeat in a London derby for the first time since October 2021.
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