Fulham’s push for European football got another boost as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in a London derby, moving just four points behind the Premier League top four.
The game started slowly at Craven Cottage, with Spurs looking tired after their midweek European match. It took them 20 minutes to create a real threat, as Mathys Tel dribbled past Timothy Castagne in the box and sent in a cross that flashed across the goal, but no Spurs player was there to tap it in. Shortly after, Castagne had a chance at the other end when Ben Davies’ poor clearance fell to him, but his weak shot went straight to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Fulham finished the first half looking stronger, but neither team had many clear chances. The second half started in a similar way, although Emile Smith-Rowe had a lucky opportunity but sliced his shot high and wide. Spurs made changes at half-time, bringing on Lucas Bergvall and Heung-min Son. Bergvall soon set up an opportunity for Dominic Solanke, but his header went wide.
The best chance of the match came in the 69th minute when Bernd Leno made a great save to stop Tel’s shot. James Maddison reacted first, cushioning the ball for Solanke, but the striker volleyed over from close range. The match became more open in the final minutes, with both teams pushing for a winner. Fulham’s returning star Willian came close, curling a shot just wide with 15 minutes to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0WHg5X2Vfs
Fulham finally broke the deadlock when a scrappy move ended with Andreas Pereira setting up Rodrigo Muniz, who rolled the ball into the bottom corner. Two minutes from time, former Spurs player Ryan Sessegnon sealed the win in style. Seconds after coming on, he shrugged off Ben Davies and curled a brilliant shot into the net, ending Spurs’ two-match away league winning streak.
