- Tottenham held to 1-1 draw by Fulham in N17
- Brennan Johnson's opener cancelled out by lovely Tom Cairney finish
- Cairney sent off for challenge on Dejan Kulusevski in closing stages
Tottenham struggled for large swathes of Sunday's Premier League clash with Fulham and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The hosts were without a number of key names for the Cottagers' visit, with Ange Postecoglou naming multiple teenagers on the Spurs bench. Andreas Pereira, meanwhile, was dropped from the Fulham squad entirely following recent comments surrounding his future in west London.
There were no goals in a fairly frenetic opening period laden with fast breakaways. Bernd Leno was rarely tested after being sprung into a very early save to deny Son Heung-min, with the away side enjoying the better of the chances. A couple of fine Fraser Forster saves kept them at bay, while Alex Iwobi hit the woodwork.
Fulham's positive momentum from the end of the first half permeated into the second period, but they were hit by a sucker punch and fell behind. Brennan Johnson scored for the fourth game running for club and country to give Spurs the lead against the run of play.
The visitors refused to let the contest get away from them, though. Fulham responded to Johnson's opener with another surge, and a deserved equaliser was claimed by substitute Tom Cairney, who curled home superbly from the edge of the Tottenham box.
However, the Fulham skipper failed to end the contest as he was dismissed in the closing stages for a nasty tackle on Dejan Kulusevski. Silva was intent on settling for a point thereafter, and the absence of a recognised No. 9, until Will Lankshear entered the fray in stoppage time, doubtlessly hindered Spurs' ability to snatch a late winner.
The Cottagers were able to hold on with ease for a well-earned point which probably should've been three.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Fraser Forster | 7.5/10 |
RB: Pedro Porro | 6.9/10 |
CB: Radu Dragusin | 7.7/10 |
CB: Ben Davies | 7.1/10 |
LB: Destiny Udogie | 6.9/10 |
CM: Yves Bissouma | 6.8/10 |
CM: Pape Sarr | 7.6/10 |
CM: James Maddison | 6.4/10 |
RW: Brennan Johnson | 7.5/10 |
ST: Son Heung-min | 6.5/10 |
LW: Timo Werner | 7.2/10 |
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski (68' for Werner) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Lucas Bergvall (85' for Maddison) | N/A |
SUB: Archie Gray (85' for Sarr) | N/A |
SUB: Will Lankshear (90' for Gray) | N/A |
Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Sergio Reguilon, Djed Spence, Callum William Olusesi, Luca Williams-Barnet.
Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Bernd Leno | 7.1/10 |
RB: Kenny Tete | 7.7/10 |
CB: Issa Diop | 7.0/10 |
CB: Calvin Bassey | 6.6/10 |
LB: Antonee Robinson | 7.4/10 |
CM: Sasa Lukic | 6.8/10 |
CM: Sander Berge | 7.3/10 |
AM: Emile Smith Rowe | 6.8/10 |
RW: Alex Iwobi | 7.7/10 |
ST: Raul Jimenez | 6.8/10 |
LW: Reiss Nelson | 7.4/10 |
SUB: Tom Cairney (62' for Lukic) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Harry Wilson (62' for Nelson) | 6.8/10 |
SUB: Rodrigo Muniz (78' for Jimenez) | 5.8/10 |
SUB: Timothy Castagne (85' for Smith Rowe) | N/A |
SUB: Ryan Sessegnon (85' for Iwobi) | N/A |
Subs not used: Steven Benda (GK), Adama Traore, Joshua King, Sam Amissah
