Fulham vs Tottenham result: Player ratings as Son Heung-min shines as Spurs boost European hopes
Fulham 0-1 Spurs: An own goal deflected in off Dele Alli’s shot was the difference between the sides
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham Hotspur hung on to beat Fulham 1-0 in the Premier League on Thursday night, with an own goal settling the affair.
The home team started brightly and a couple of Ruben Loftus-Cheek forays almost led to openings, while at the other end Harry Kane saw a header saved at close quarters when he really should have scored.
A lightning counter put Spurs ahead before the 20-minute mark, though, as Bale and Son Heung-min were involved in the build-up and Dele Alli flicked it goalwards, with Tosin Adarabioyo eventually knocking the ball over the line. Fulham’s best opening was spurned right before the break, as Mario Lemina skied an effort from 12 yards.
READ MORE: Premier League fixtures and table - all matches by date and kick-off time
Josh Maja then hammered in a low finish for a would-be equaliser, but VAR ruled out the goal as an attempted clearance had hit Mario Lemina’s arm, two yards away, before bouncing to Maja. Fulham pushed for a legitimate goal for most of the second half, but were left frustrated by near-misses, while at the other end Kane had a great chance to wrap up the win - only for Alphonse Areola to save again.
Here are the player ratings from the game at Craven Cottage.
Fulham
Alphonse Areola - 7. Only had one shot on target to save in the first hour and couldn’t do anything about the deflected goal. Late on made the great block on Kane.
Ola Aina - 7. Solid in the tackle and progressive in possession.
Joachim Andersen - 8. Excellent throughout with his passing out from deep and dominated Kane aerially.
Tosin Adarabioyo - 6. Unfortunate with the own goal but defended well in one-on-one situations.
Antonee Robinson - 7. A very good outlet for his team and his dribbling high upfield created openings for Fulham.
Harrison Reed - 7. Extremely reliable with his passing and won the ball back plenty, too.
Mario Lemina - 6. Wasted a huge chance right on half-time and saw another close-range effort saved. Worked hard throughout but made plenty of fouls - not always called - and ultimately should have earned his side a point.
Ivan Cavaleiro - 6. A few moments of ingenuity to find space but nothing clear-cut.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 6. Looked lively in flashes but didn’t find much end product.
Ademola Lookman - 5. Not one of his finer outings; heavily involved but his technique was lacking and often overran the ball.
Josh Maja - 6. Tireless running for little reward. Very unfortunate to see a daft rule ‘correctly’ cancel out his strike.
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris - 7. Two saves off headers at the start of the second half. Good footwork throughout.
Matt Doherty - 5. Was overrun with Fulham’s left-wing forays and struggled to stop the cross.
Toby Alderweireld - 7. A few important clearances and reacted well to dangerous moments for the most part.
Davinson Sanchez - 6. Superb recovery challenge on Loftus-Cheek to stop a certain goal, then a poor clearance to cost one moments later - fortunately, for Spurs, ruled out.
Ben Davies - 5. Didn’t really get close to his man at any point and offered nothing going forward.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7. Relentless running, made plenty of blocks and cut out the pass through the centre with regularity.
Tanguy Ndombele - 6. A hit-and-miss performance. Surged forward to great effect once or twice, but also missed tackles going the other way and didn’t track the runners.
Gareth Bale - 6. Some fantastic switches of play to launch counters, but less-effective once around the edge of the box.
Dele Alli - 7. Central to Spurs’ counter-attacks in the first half and the opening goal. Quiet after the break and played around an hour in his first league start since the opening day of the season.
Son Heung-min - 7. Spurs’ best source of creativity in the first half, including the cross for the goal, but forced all the way back in the second half and couldn’t support the attack.
Harry Kane - 5. Missed a great chance early on and went down easily in the box when again well-placed. Could have netted the second late on but saw his stabbed effort well-saved.
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