Premier League giant Tottenham Hotspur FC put a temporary hold on their poor recent run of form in the top flight of English football tonight after Antonio Conte’s Spurs traveled across the capital to clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage to steal all three points in a London Derby win on the back of the club earning just one win in their last five league fixtures, while Harry Kane edged ever-closer to his date with Premier League destiny.
Tottenham close the top-four gap to three points! 🔒
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 23, 2023
The opening twenty minutes offered little by way of intent from either capital side at Craven Cottage, though the best chance fell to Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed whose tame effort could only be directed at Hugo Lloris after Andreas Pereira’s cross into the box found Reed with enough space to test the French veteran in some measure.
Marco Silva’s Cottagers were certainly the better of the two sides halfway through the opening 45-minutes, however, with Fulham controlling the lion’s share of possession and crafting out more chances than their Spurs counterparts, with Silva’s men coming close once again in the 42nd minute after fantastic dead-ball service from Pereira was put on a plate for both João Palhinha and Issa Diop to head home from close range, only for the pair to get in each other’s way and Palhinha’s effort to loop over the bar.
But on a night where Harry Kane could once again put himself in the spotlight for Tottenham, the England star did just that when he scored in stoppage time with a typical low-bending effort from just outside the box to curl it past Bernd Leno to draw level with Jimmy Greaves as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with 260 goals in all competitions and his 199th goal in the Premier League on his 300th appearance.
⭐️ Player of the Match, @SpursOfficial’s Harry Kane
Joint club record 266th goal for Tottenham
199th goal in 300th PL app for club
9th away PL goal this season – 2 more than Haaland
Scored in 5 of 6 away London derbies this season pic.twitter.com/O4mUrWL6nt— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 23, 2023
The second half very much resembled the opening stages of the previous 45-minute period along the Thames with the only difference coming by way of Spurs’ improved ability to keep hold of possession more effectively than the opening half, but neither side remained capable of crafting regular quality chances.
A decent chance fell to Serbian target man Aleksandar Mitrović in the 75th minute after Cairney’s bending ball found the center-forward at the back post, but Mitrović was only able to loop his header across the grain and over the bar as Fulham searched for an equalizer.
Fulham can hold their heads high despite the narrow home loss as well after Silva’s men earned a higher xG than their Spurs counterparts on the night and still remain in the hunt for an unlikely finish in the European places come the end of the season.
📰 Table Of Contents
Fulham Player Ratings
- GK: Bernd Leno – 7
- RB: Kenny Tete – 7
- CB: Issa Diop – 6.5
- CB: Tim Ream – 6.5
- LB: Antonee Robinson – 7
- CM: João Palhinha – 7.5
- CM: Harrison Reed – 6
- CAM: Andreas Pereira – 6.5
- RW: Willian – 6.5
- LW: Boddy De Cordova-Reid – 6.5
- CF: Aleksandar Mitrović – 6
- Sub: Tom Cairney – 6
- Sub: Manor Solomon – 6
- Sub: Carlos Vinícius – N/A
- Sub: Harry Wilson – N/A
Tottenham Player Ratings
- GK: Hugo Lloris – 7.5
- RCB: Cristian Romero – 7.5
- CB: Eric Dier – 7.5
- LCB: Ben Davies – 7
- RWB: Emerson Royal – 7
- LWB: Ivan Perišić – 7
- CM: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 7.5
- CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – 7
- RAM: Dejan Kulusevski – 6.5
- LAM: Son Heung-min – 7
- CF: Harry Kane – 7.5
- Sub: Richarlison –
- Sub: Yves Bissouma – 7
Key Data & Performers
Most tackles made in the Premier League this season:
95 – João Palhinha
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80
79
78
77
76
75
74
73
72
71 – Tyler AdamsIncredible. 😮💨
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 23, 2023
Spurs last 12 away PL London derbies:
L 2-1 v Arsenal
L 3-0 v Palace
L 3-1 v Arsenal
L 1-0 v West Ham
L 2-0 v Chelsea
D 0-0 v Brentford
D 2-2 v Chelsea
D 1-1 v West Ham
L 3-1 v Arsenal
D 2-2 v Brentford
W 0-4 v Palace
W 0-1 v FulhamBack-to-backs wins and clean sheets. 📈 pic.twitter.com/xeOl4tTdVa
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 23, 2023
Fulham (1.35) 0-1 (0.97) Spurs
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) January 23, 2023
Expert Takes & Social Media
Can they ease their capital travel sickness this evening?#BBCFootball #FULTOT pic.twitter.com/fROpH8xPCN
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 23, 2023
A win tonight would see Fulham leapfrog their cross-city rivals in the league table 😏#BBCFootball #FULTOT pic.twitter.com/6fa55I8NDM
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 23, 2023
🗣 “They’ve got to snap out of this little mood that they’re in, this sort of sulk.”@GNev2 says Tottenham still have plenty to play for this season and need to stop being so negative pic.twitter.com/8vfcaivjG1
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 23, 2023
📊 Tottenham’s style compared to major European clubs this season
◻️ Possession – 1️⃣6️⃣th
◻️ High turnovers per game – 1️⃣6️⃣th
◻️ Passes per defensive action – 1️⃣6️⃣th pic.twitter.com/d5TpICk36v— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 23, 2023
19′ Another chance! 😫@andrinhopereira whips a dangerous ball into the area, which meets an unmarked @HarrisonReed, whose shot is stopped by Lloris.
🤍 0-0 🔵 #FULTOT
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 23, 2023
1-0 Spurs and Kane has matched Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 Tottenham goals. Son gets an assist as he lays off to Kane, who holds off a defender and fires into the corner from the edge of the area. “He’s just a one-season wonder” sing the away fans
— Tom Barclay (@TomBarclay_) January 23, 2023
He’s one of our own 🎶 @HKane joined the late great jimmy greaves as #Tottenham all time greatest goals scorer #COYS #THFC #FULTOT pic.twitter.com/EtbqV7Vhj0
— Billy Cairns 🟣🟡 (@Billytheyid70) January 23, 2023
Most goals scored for England:
5️⃣3️⃣⚽️ Wayne Rooney
5️⃣3️⃣⚽️ Harry KaneMost goals scored for Spurs:
2️⃣6️⃣6️⃣⚽️ Jimmy Greaves
2️⃣6️⃣6️⃣⚽️ Harry KaneLegendary. 🙌
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) January 23, 2023
What an incredible achievement for @HKane to equal the great @jimmy_greaves as all-time top scorer for @SpursOfficial. And, yes, before you start, I know he’s not won anything. Also, that fact doesn’t make him any the less of a footballer.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 23, 2023
Harry Kane planning to extend past 2024, I’ve never seen a bigger loser mentality in the history of football. Brother is more obsessed about a goal scoring record than winning trophies.
— Mod (@CFCMod_) January 23, 2023
