The lowdown on Fulham 2 Tottenham 0 – Whites close in on European places as Sessegnon haunts Spurs at Craven Cottage – South London News

Goals from Rodrigo Muniz and ex-Spurs man Ryan Sessegnon sank Spurs in west London, with Marco Silva’s men climbing to eighth in the Premier League on goal difference, just three points off of a potential Champions League spot, currently occupied by Manchester City in fifth.

Here is Mitchell Hall’s lowdown from the match.

THE LINE-UPS

Fulham: Leno, Robinson, Bassey, Andersen, Castagne, Berge, Pereira, Willian (Sessegnon 87), Smith-Rowe (Cairney), Iwobi (Traore 63), Jimenez (Muniz 63). Subs not used: Benda, Reed, Cuenca, King, Godo.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Udogie, Davies, Romero (Maddison 68), Spence, Bissouma (Bergvall 46), Gray, Bentancur (Scarlett 86), Tel (Odobert 77), Solanke, Johnson (Son 46). Subs not used: Kinsky, Porro, Sarr, Van de Ven.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Despite some early threat provided by Spurs’ Djed Spence and Mathys Tel, the first half was mostly one-way traffic in favour of Fulham. Neat interplay between the Cottagers’ full-backs and wingers on both sides allowed them to provide constant threats when crossing or cutting the ball back into the area, but they all eluded their target Raul Jimenez. The Mexican striker saw a penalty claim dismissed in the 24th minute after an apparent push in the back by Spence, but the striker’s theatrical reaction may have worked against him as the appeals were waived away by referee Andy Madley. Two half-time changes for Spurs saw Son Heung-min and Lucas Bergvall brought on to help establish a foothold for the visitors, but the boost they provided was short-lived and the momentum soon turned back in the hosts’ favour. A Willian effort in the 77th minute was the closest either team had come so far to scoring as it whistled past the post, but it was a warning that went unheeded, as Andreas Pereira received the ball in the box one minute later and laid it sideways for Muniz to place home beautifully into the bottom left corner. Ex-Tottenham player Sessegnon added insult to injury when he outfought Ben Davies for a long ball over the top, before finishing his strike into the top right corner to secure all three points.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Fulham’s one change in personnel from their loss at Brighton last Saturday was accompanied by a change of shape, with Willian coming into the side in place of Issa Diop to facilitate a move to a back four, with a technical midfield three made up of Sander Berge, Pereira and Emile Smith-Rowe. Fulham settled into a 4-4-2 shape out of possession, with Smith-Rowe stepping up alongside Jimenez to disrupt Spurs’ build-up. In possession, Fulham funneled the ball wide with hopes to cross to Jimenez in the box. Spurs fielded a more varied side compared to their previous Premier League contest against Bournemouth courtesy of Thursday’s Europa League contest against AZ Alkmaar, as well as the return of multiple players from injury. Dominic Solanke led the line alongside Brennan Johnson and Bayern Munich loanee Tel. Cristian Romero’s return at the back allows Archie Gray to move into midfield with Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma.

STAR MAN

Willian. The decision to bring the Brazilian into the line-up on the left wing paid dividends for Fulham, who channeled so much of their build-up through the partnership between him and Robinson at full-back. His crossing never quite found his mark, but the same could be said about any player on the pitch today. His close control invited defenders towards him and opened up space for the underlapping run from his team-mates, and he was inches away from a spectacular goal when he curled wide late in the game.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

In what was overall a very exciting match, one persistent issue was the prevalence of players playing for the penalty. I was quick to lose count of the appeals in the game. Some of the challenges may well have been given as fouls on another day, but the theatricality of Jimenez and Bergvall, for example, made it hard for the referee to take them seriously. Jimenez was especially guilty as he comically took flight after a genuine but slight push in the back. It was hard to feel too much sympathy for his protestations.

Fulham’s third win in five games took them up to eighth in the table. With the chance for extra European spots for Premier League sides this year, the Cottagers have a very real chance at forcing their way into continental competition next season… If only they can overcome the very difficult run of games looming on the horizon. The FA cup quarter-finals against Crystal Palace and Premier League contests with Arsenal and Liverpool are next in their calendar, all within eight days of each other. Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester City all also remain among the nine games left standing between Fulham and European qualification.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“We deserved much more from the first half, apart from the first ten minutes, we controlled all the first half. There were not many clear cut chances for both sides in the first half, Tottenham did not have one, but we had one good one with Castagne and one from Jimenez.

“There were some good moments for us from the right and left, the dynamic on the left hand side was very good and I believe we deserved to be leading in the first half. Tottenham started well in the second half and we needed a reaction in that moment, but the impact from the bench was very good, with two goals from two substitutes. We all deserved three points and we were the better team on the pitch.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD