Fulham won on Spurs soil for the first time since 2013 after a blistering start was followed by a gritty defensive showing to confirm a huge three points, which not only made it three wins in four in the league for Fulham, but gave Marco Silva his first away win of the season. After recent promising wins at home to Wolves and Sunderland, this is another result which gives you optimism that the Whites are finding their feat this season and may start to climb the table through the Christmas period.
Bernd Leno
Was quite frustrating that the one time Tottenham put a decent shot on target in, Kudus was able to beat Leno at such a narrow angle into the top corner of his near post to deny what should have been consecutive clean sheets despite Tottenham’s dominance in possession in the second half. Beyond that, loved how well and confidently Leno punched the ball from Tottenham’s corners and long throws which were frequently placed perfectly into the six yard box among a cauldron of bodies. 6.5/10
Kenny Tete
I think Tete deserves more credit than he’ll be given for his deflected opening goal. Of course the deflection is the reason Vicario is beaten, but many full-backs would’ve spooned that opportunity into the crowd, whereas Kenny hit it low with power and control which forced the issue. Whilst I was worried over his ball retention at points in this game, his one on one defending late on and the way he managed the game at both ends of the pitch in the final minutes was expertly done. 7/10
Joachim Andersen
I thought the way Andersen played the game immediately after we went two goals ahead was superb and again showed really good leadership qualities. The way he slowed play down, won fouls and wasted time was expertly done. His passing looked miles off his normal standards second half but for me that was due to tiredness after withstanding a barrage of Tottenham crosses. 39 crosses in total led to another mammoth 13 clearances from our great Dane who continues to excel in the centre of our defence. 7.5/10 – man of the match
Calvin Bassey
Feels a bit harsh to comment on because nothing ultimately came of them, but thought there were some rash last-ditch defensive actions that could have been catastrophic with less luck, especially his header which nearly went in off Andersen. Bar that, I was relatively impressed. His recovery speed and physical strength in the battle against the impressive Kolo Muani was fantastic, as was his close range block with his chest from the Frenchman’s volleyed effort just 20 seconds into the second half. 6.5/10
Ryan Sessegnon
Linked really well with Chukwueze throughout, frequently offering an overlap or outlet that allowed Chukwueze to vary his attacking play. Thought he got caught in possession quite high a couple times and struggled physically against Kolo Muani once or twice but ultimately that’s nit-picking. The way he pocketed Kudus for half an hour after Tottenham’s goal was outstanding and showed extreme maturity. 7/10
Sander Berge
Normally I’d be a bit more critical of Berge for never playing his part in the final third, but I thought here he played the state of the game really well. In a game where we spent so much time protecting an early lead, his composure and ball retention throughout was vital. Thought he could’ve been quicker getting to second balls at time in the middle but Gray and Bergvall always had a pace advantage on the big Norweigan. 6.5/10
Alex Iwobi
Thought Iwobi looked really off it here. Dispossessed far too often in midfield, almost as if he was constantly expecting more time on the ball. Off the ball, way too passive in both winning loose balls or preventing Tottenham’s midfield running past him. Offensively, offered no creativity, whether centrally or from out wide later in the game. No real positives, if I’m completely honest, even if it sounds really harsh in a big win, I thought Iwobi was noticeably poor. 4.5/10
Harry Wilson
Other than his poor clearance which was massive in Kudus scoring and getting Spurs back in it, I was particularly impressed with Wilson’s defensive work. His tracking back to support Tete was naturally fantastic but also his aerial contributions to clear any set pieces that hit the front post were important too. Small point but thought he was getting caught offside far too often especially early on. It goes without saying that to score from the angle and range he did with his first touch was outstanding, but of anyone in the squad he’s the one I’d expect it from most, which is a testament to his superb natural ability. 7/10
Josh King
Another quieter performance, but not necessarily really poor. Loved the composure he showed to not just shoot straight away but instead lay the ball off to Wilson for our second goal. That composure needs to be part of his all-round game more often though, as once again he found himself in space in the final third but waited too long to do something with it. That sort of thing comes with experience granted, but when he’s a mainstay in the side, it’s important he gets better quickly. Love the way he uses his slimmer frame to sneak in ahead of opposition players to win possession so frequently. 6/10
Samuel Chukwueze
Honestly could’ve had about four goal contributions in the first quarter of an hour, the boy is absolutely electric (yes I’ve fallen in love with another loan player). Does so well to create the opener with persistence and superb footwork, and could’ve made it 3-0 himself had his 20-yard strike not struck the post and then when Van de Ven produced an unbelievable tackle to prevent Chuk from putting the ball into an empty net after going round Vicario with ease. Tired in the second half, which is to be expected after weeks of playing cameos off the bench. 7.5/10
Raul Jimenez
Tempted to give him a 10/10 for his Superman x Diego Maradona impression late on which made me laugh uncontrollably. On a serious note, he must be praised for the persistence he showed in pressing Vicario into making a mistake which led to our second goal. Made a cracking goal-line clearance from a Bergvall header just after Kudus had scored which kept us in the game. Hold-up play was really good, especially in the second half with less around him to help him whilst he was also evidently tiring. 7/10
Sasa Lukic
Really liked what Lukic added when he replaced Wilson for the last 25. Added so much energy to a midfield lacking it after fighting for so long out of possession. Looked really good on the ball, frequently winning possession back and playing the ball forward to keep pressure away from our defenders. Exactly what we needed. 7/10
Emile Smith Rowe
Another that made a positive contribution in place of King. Dropped deeper than King had been to pick the ball up and keep possession ticking around the Tottenham press. Kept pressing high into the Tottenham half into added time, causing mistakes and stopping Spurs from progressing up the pitch. 6.5/10
Kevin and Timothy Castagne subbed on too late to be fairly assessed.