Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham played out a dramatic draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The game started with a great chance as Spurs almost capitalized on a defensive error by Fulham’s Calvin Bassey in the first minute.
A careless pass into his own box was intercepted but Bernd Leno reacted strongly to deny Son Heung-min with a save using his feet.
Fulham responded with intent, pressing high and creating chances down the flanks through Rhys Nelson and Antone Robinson.
Raul Jimenez twice went close, forcing Fraser Forster into a pair of excellent saves, including one from Kenny Tete’s cross.
Fulham’s best moment of the first half came in the 42nd minute when Alex Iwobi thundered a strike onto the crossbar after some fine interplay with Nelson.
It ends in a square ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/z6zTrSqRQ1
— Tottenham (@SpursOfficial) December 1, 2024
Moments later, James Maddison’s clever low free-kick for Spurs slipped under the wall but clipped the post, epitomizing a disappointing half for both sides.
The second half continued at a torrid pace, with Fulham looking the more dangerous early on.
Harry Wilson, who brought on Nelson, added fresh energy and almost found a first step with his tries.
However, it was Spurs who struck first in the 54th minute. Timo Werner, who had been quiet until then, fed a deft lofted ball to Brennan Johnson, who controlled it and smashed it past Leno to give the home side the lead.
Fulham responded quickly and their persistence paid off in the 67th minute. Robinson’s overlapping run led to a cut-back for Iwobi, who set up substitute Tom Cairney to curl a beautiful shot past Forster from the edge of the box.
Kearney equalizes for the visitors.#TOTFUL | 1-1
— Tottenham (@SpursOfficial) December 1, 2024
It was Cairney’s first Premier League goal of the season and a timely one for the visitors.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 83rd minute when Cairney, who had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes, was sent off for a reckless challenge on Dejan Kulusevski.
Referee Darren Bond initially showed a yellow card but upgraded it to a red after consulting the VAR monitor. This prompted Tottenham to pile on the pressure in the closing stages.
Ange Postecoglou’s side threw everything forward, with Pedro Porro and Son repeatedly crossing into the box, but Fulham’s defense held firm.
Leno, in particular, was excellent, claiming several dangerous passes and organizing his back line.
Fulham even had a chance to grab a winner on the counter but Wilson’s solo run ended unsupported in the box.
