Fulham substitutes Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon did the damage late on as Marco Silva's team boosted their European hopes with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage.
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Sunday’s London derby failed to offer much in the way of goalmouth action until midway through the second half, when Dominic Solanke and then Willian went close to scoring for the visitors and hosts respectively.
Yet Fulham settled the contest in their favour with two late goals in the space of 10 minutes.
Muniz broke the deadlock with a neat first-time finish and that paved the way for former Spurs man Sessegnon to curl in a sensational second goal in the 88th minute, securing the points for Silva on his 200th Premier League match.
Silva’s side climb to eighth place and four points off the top four, while Spurs remain 13th after their winless run in the league was extended to three games.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
28 | +9 | 47 |
| 7 |
Brighton
BHA
|
29 | +6 | 47 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
29 | +5 | 45 |
| 9 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
29 | -4 | 45 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
29 | +12 | 44 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
29 | +5 | 41 |
How the match unfolded
The best opportunity of a scrappy first half fell to Fulham in the 34th minute. Ben Davies failed to deal with Alex Iwobi's centre, which he diverted straight to Timothy Castagne, but the full-back could only send a tame shot at Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs were much improved after the break and Solanke saw a golden chance go begging in the 69th minute. Bernd Leno parried Mathys Tel’s curling effort straight to substitute James Maddison, who helped the ball into the path of the striker, who fired over from close range.
Willian went close to snatching the lead in spectacular fashion at the other end, bending an effort agonisingly wide of the right-hand post.
However, the breakthrough arrived in the 78th minute when Andreas Pereira teed up Muniz, who guided a cool effort beyond Vicario’s reach.
The Spurs goalkeeper was beaten again two minutes from time as, just 57 seconds after coming on, Sessegnon outmuscled Davies before putting the result beyond doubt with a sublime strike into the right-hand corner.
Super subs strike again for Silva
Silva marked becoming only the second Portuguese manager after Jose Mourinho to oversee 200 Premier League games in style, as his team also got back on track after last week’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving them well placed heading into the final international break of the season.
The Fulham boss handed Willian a first top-flight start since his return to Craven Cottage, though he could not make the difference in a stuttering opening half in which both teams failed to generate much in the way of an attacking threat.
The hosts did have the best opportunity before the break, though it was unfortunate Davies’s loose clearance fell to full-back Castagne, rather than one of Fulham’s attackers.
But when Silva was needed in the second half, he got it spot on when turning to his substitutes.
Muniz, who replaced Raul Jimenez, finished expertly to break the deadlock, while Sessegnon came back to haunt his old club within a minute of taking Willian’s place.
Fulham have now scored 13 goals via substitutes this season – more than any other side in the Premier League – and this victory keeps them right in the tussle for European qualification ahead of a trip to Arsenal after the international break.
Spurs’ pre-international break hoodoo continues
After a run of three games without victory in all competitions, Spurs relieved some of the pressure with a comeback win over AZ ALkmaar in the UEFA Europa League in midweek.
Yet Ange Postecoglou’s team simply could not build on that victory, even if they did look brighter following the introductions of Son Heung-min and Lucas Bergvall at half-time.
The duo tried to spark the visitors into life and each delivered crosses within 10 minutes of the restart, with Solanke heading narrowly wide on both occasions.
Solanke, who was called up for Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, will also be kicking himself for not finishing the glorious opportunity heading into the final 20 minutes.
Spurs looked to be building up a head of steam at that stage, with Maddison aiding their attack too, but they were left stunned when Muniz struck at the other end.
Sessegnon rubbed further salt into the wounds, while Solanke’s difficult day in front of goal was epitomised as he shot straight at Leno late on.
Games prior to international breaks have become something of a bugbear in recent times for Spurs, who have now lost each of their last six such matches. They will face Chelsea next, when the Premier League resumes in the first few days of April.
Club reports
What the managers said
Marco Silva: "We did not create many chances but controlling a side like Tottenham is not easy. The pace they have with Solanke and all of the wide players. But the impact off the bench again was amazing for us. We deserved it, to win again at home, because we were the best team on the pitch."
Ange Postecoglou: "It's a disappointing outcome. I thought up until they scored we were really on top of them. It was a tight game and we hadn't made a save at that point and they scored a really soft goal. Then the game got away from us. It's disappointing. It wasn't a great game. We had a couple of chances to score."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Marco Silva has the best points-per-game average in London derbies of any Fulham manager who has taken charge of the team for 10 or more such matches in the Premier League. He has picked up an average of 1.3 points with a total of 42 from 33 matches - W11 D9 L13.
Tottenham Hotspur have lost 15 of their 29 Premier League matches this season, their joint-most at this stage of a campaign in the competition – also 15 after 29 in 1997/98.
Fulham have scored the most goals from substitutes in the Premier League this season - 13, including two today from Muniz and Sessegnon.
Muniz, with five goals, has scored the most as a substitute for Fulham in a single campaign, surpassing both Collins John (four in 2004/05) and Harry Wilson (four this season).
Willian made his 50th Premier League start today for Fulham, becoming only the second Brazilian player to make 50+ starts for multiple clubs (168 for Chelsea, 50 for Fulham) along with Heurelho Gomes (100 for Watford, 95 for Spurs).
