Fulham 3-0 Spurs

Rodrigo Muniz netted once in each half with Sasa Lukic also on target early in the second period to inflict a painful defeat on Ange Postecoglou’s team, who had plenty of possession and carved out some good chances but just couldn’t find a way to goal on the banks of the River Thames. The result also brought an end to our run of scoring in 39 consecutive Premier League matches.

Fulham settled quicker and had us on the back foot early on, as we needed some excellent defensive play to keep the scores level. On 11 minutes, Guglielmo Vicario pushed out Alex Iwobi’s low cross into the danger area, it fell invitingly for Andreas Pereira 10 yards out but Cristian Romero was out quickly to make a superb block before Vicario saved Lukic’s right-foot drive.

As the first half went on, we grew into the contest and it became quite open, with chances at either end. Two fell in quick succession in the 24^th minute when Muniz somehow failed to get a touch on Antonee Robinson’s cross at the back post and we countered from that, the move ending with James Maddison laying it off to Heung-Min Son but he fired over the bar with a side-footed effort from 12 yards out.

Six minutes later, Destiny Udogie did brilliantly down the left flank and his cut back found Maddison, he took his shot quickly but it went just past the post with Bernd Leno rooted to the spot. We were on top in the closing stages of the first period but three minutes before half-time, Robinson hit an excellent ball in from the Fulham left which found Muniz and he took one touch before driving a right-foot shot beyond Vicario to give his side the lead at the interval.

We’d won all seven of our previous league games at Craven Cottage before this one, but that looked like ending four minutes into the second half as the home side doubled their advantage. Lukic started the move in acres of space in midfield, playing it out to the right to Willian who in turn found Timothy Castagne and his cross was met with a deft touch by Lukic to send it past Vicario into the far corner.

Castagne almost added a third but was denied by Vicario, however from the resulting corner Fulham did make it 3-0, Calvin Bassey latching onto the loose ball from a corner and drilling a shot which hit the post but Muniz was on hand to poke the ball home.

Fulham had the ball in the net shortly after as well, Joao Palhinha driving in from the edge of the area but it was ruled out for offside before we made a triple change – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Timo Werner all coming on, with Yves Bissouma, Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr making way.

Almost immediately, we nearly opened our account when Dejan Kulusevski fizzed in a low cross to the back post but Werner couldn’t apply the finishing touch before Leno stuck out a hand to deny the German forward’s shot from a tight angle.

There wasn’t a great deal of goalmouth action in the final stages as Fulham sat back on their lead and we just couldn’t find a breakthrough, our best opportunity falling to another substitute Richarlison – back after missing two games through injury - but he fired just wide from 12 yards out, while Vicario made a good stop to prevent Harry Wilson from adding to the home side’s lead in the 89^th minute.

Team news saw Radu Dragusin come in for his first Spurs start, in place of the injured Micky van de Ven.