Tottenham lost 2-1 to Fulham at home in the Premier League on Saturday night, in a clash featuring a Guglielmo Vicario howler as Spurs conceded twice in the first six minutes of the game
Spurs suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham on Saturday night, continuing their poor run of form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Thomas Frank made four changes to the side that lost 5-3 to PSG in the Champions League, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring his first two goals for the club and Richarlison netting his third goal in as many games. The Spurs manager once again paired 19-year-olds Archie Grey and Lucas Bergvall in midfield.
Kevin Danso replaced suspended Spurs captain Cristian Romero, while Mohammed Kudus and Destiny Udogie also returned to the starting line-up. Elsewhere, Man City beat Leeds after some late drama but it didn’t stop some of their team landing 4/10 ratings.
Spurs got off to a terrible start, with Fulham taking the lead just three minutes into the game due to some sloppy play from Spurs. First, Danso sent a loose header towards the visitors, then Bergvall misjudged a pass from Samuel Chukwueze, which fell to Kenny Tete.
His shot deflected off Udogie and into the net, reports Football London.
Just three minutes later, Guglielmo Vicario came out of his box to claim a ball but inexplicably chose not to clear it. Instead, he hit a weak pass down the line, which eventually fell to Harry Wilson, who curled the ball into the empty net from the touchline.
Chukwueze hit the left-hand post with a curling effort before Micky van de Ven made a last-ditch tackle to prevent a third Fulham goal, stopping the same Fulham player after he had rounded Vicario.
The Spurs squad huddled on the pitch amidst a chorus of half-time boos, returning for the second half with renewed vigour.
Their efforts paid off 59 minutes in when Bergvall seized a loose ball and lofted it to Kudus, who promptly smashed a left-footed half-volley into the top left corner. Bernd Leno could only graze it with his fingertips as it sailed past him.
Bergvall had a header cleared off the line, but Spurs failed to do enough to earn even a single point, let alone all three. Their home league record now stands at a dismal three wins in 21 matches.
Here are our player ratings for Spurs:
Guglielmo Vicario
He was helpless against Tete’s deflected shot but made a blunder with a ball over the top that he came out of his box to intercept, only to inexplicably fail to kick it out of play. Instead, he weakly knocked it down the line, allowing Wilson to curl it back into the unguarded net.
The crowd booed the goalkeeper the next two times he touched the ball and cheered when he finally put the ball out of play in a similar situation. He didn’t have much else to do throughout the match. 3/10
Pedro Porro
A disastrous first half marked by careless possession and feeble crosses. He allowed Chukwueze a significant opportunity at the 26-minute mark, saved only by Van de Ven’s intervention.
His performance improved slightly after the break with decent crosses for Kolo Muani and Xavi, but overall, it was a poor showing. 3/10
Kevin Danso
Stepping in for the suspended Romero, he defended adequately despite a poor header that contributed to Fulham’s first goal. 5/10
Micky van de Ven
Despite a shaky start as captain, including a misplaced pass and several slips, he redeemed himself with a crucial last-minute tackle to thwart Chukwueze after he had bypassed Vicario. He also won an important header right in front of goal to deny Jimenez.
Despite not being his best performance, these were two instances of excellent defending. 7/10
Destiny Udogie
His deflection sent Tete’s shot past Vicario and he slipped as Wilson took his shot on goal. His contribution going forward was limited. 4/10
Archie Gray
In his second consecutive start, he seemed to be the only one requesting the ball at times in the first half while others shied away. However, he didn’t do enough with the ball before being substituted following Kudus’ goal. 5/10
Joao Palhinha
One of his less impressive performances, offering little in either half and was replaced during the triple substitution. 5/10
Lucas Bergvall
He displayed plenty of energy, although he was caught off guard in the build-up to Fulham’s opening goal. He delivered a good ball over the top for Kudus to score and had a header cleared off the line. 7/10
Mohammed Kudus
For nearly an hour, he was subpar with weak crosses, corners and aimless dribbles before sparking to life with a half-volley into the near top corner. However, he quickly reverted back to his earlier form.
A lacklustre performance saved by a good goal. 6/10
Richarlison
He contributed nothing noteworthy. Seemed to be limping around a bit. 3/10
Randal Kolo Muani
The more active of the forwards, sending a header into the side-netting and a backheel just wide. 6/10
Substitutes
Xavi Simons
Came on but didn’t really do anything to suggest he should have started, apart from a brief burst of energy. Had one shot deflected over. 5/10
Wilson Odobert
Soon found himself at left-back and aside from a couple of runs to the byline, he offered little. 5/10
Rodrigo Bentancur
Appeared shaky in possession and didn’t improve upon Palhinha’s performance. 5/10
Pape Matar Sarr
Brought on for Bergvall but Spurs seemed to lose something with the switch. 4/10
Mathys Tel
Came on in the final minutes but barely touched the ball. N/A
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