Monday Fulham Stuff - 02/12/24...

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Results

Sunday 01/12
Chelsea	2-0	Villa
Man Utd	4-0	Everton
Spurs	1-1	Fulham
		Cairney
Liverpool	2-0	Man City

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Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fulham
Inconsistency struck Tottenham Hotspur again as they were held at home by Fulham in the Premier League.

Spurs, who were missing several key players through injury and suspension, had to withstand severe pressure before taking a 54th-minute lead through Brennan Johnson.

The Wales forward volleyed home his sixth league goal of the season from close range after being teed up by Timo Werner's cross.

But Fulham, who had the better chances in the game, deservedly equalised 13 minutes later through captain Tom Cairney, who was then sent off with seven minutes left for a late challenge on the back of Dejan Kulusevski's leg.

Cairney, who had only just come on as a substitute, lashed a first-time left-footed shot home from 18 yards after being picked out by Alex Iwobi.

Spurs, who beat Manchester City 4-0 last week and are the Premier League's top scorers, have now failed to win back-to-back games in their last eight matches.

After missing a golden chance after just 50 seconds when Son Heung-min pounced on a loose Fulham pass but was denied by Bernd Leno, the hosts struggled to create many opportunities.

James Maddison hit the post with a clever free-kick under the wall, but Fulham came close as Iwobi's drive shortly before the interval flicked off Ben Davies and hit the crossbar, while Fraser Forster made a string of saves to deny the visitors.

Spurs missed first-choice striker Dominic Solanke, not in the squad after manager Ange Postecoglou said he "felt a bit sore" following the midweek Europa League draw against Roma.

And key forward Kulusevski, who had created more chances than any other player in the league before today, was on the bench as Postecoglou rotated his squad. The Swede was sent on after Fulham's equaliser as Spurs chased a winner.

But they could not find it as they drew at home for the second time in a week after their 2-2 stalemate with Roma on Thursday. It was also their first league draw since the opening day of the season.

Forster impresses but Spurs hampered by injuries
Lack of consistency has been Spurs' downfall so far this season, but now injuries and suspensions are starting to take their toll too.

They went into this game without their first-choice goalkeeper, centre-back pairing and striker, and it told in a performance that was often disjointed.

They are also not helped by the absence of Rodrigo Bentancur, who served the second of a seven-match domestic ban for racist comments made about team-mate Son.

Italian keeper Gigi Vicario, who suffered a fractured ankle in the 4-0 win at Manchester City, is another serious miss.

Forster replaced him for the 36-year-old's first league match in goal since May 2023, but does not have Vicario's passing ability which is crucial to Postecoglou's system.

What Forster does have, though, is shot-stopping ability, and showed that against Fulham. He kept out Raul Jimenez's volley with a superb reflex save, before making point-blank stops from both Issa Diop and Iwobi after the break.

But there was nothing he could do about Fulham's leveller as seventh-placed Spurs dropped two crucial points in the top-four race, and are only a point ahead of the Cottagers in 10th.

Fulham impress after Pereira dropped
While Spurs were hampered by player absences, so too were Fulham who had to do without Andreas Pereira for this game.

The Brazilian midfielder, who had started every Premier League match this season until today, was dropped by Marco Silva after an interview with a Brazilian outlet this week.

Pereira is reported to have said he spoke with Marseille this summer pver a move and "unfortunately" it didn't work out. He later published a statement on Instagram claiming he was misquoted.

Whether he returns to the Fulham fold remains to be seen, particularly with Cairney now set to be sidelined through suspension.

The Scottish midfielder started on the bench, but took the armband immediately after coming on in the 62nd minute and led by example with a terrific finish for the equaliser.

But he was rash with his tackle on Kulusevski in the 83rd minute and, after initially being booked, he was shown a red card following advice given to on-pitch official Darren Bond by the video assistant referee (VAR).



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cp9zg92r91rt

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Post-Spurs Press Conference
Marco Silva thinks that Fulham did enough on Sunday afternoon to take three points away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Whites created a lot more chances than our hosts, but had to settle for a draw after going down to 10 men, with Tom Cairney shown a straight red card 16 minutes after scoring a fabulous equaliser.

"Great performance from ourselves," Silva said. "I got the feeling throughout the week, and I told the players during the week and before the match in our pre-match meeting, that we had all the conditions to come here to match them, like we have been playing against every team in this competition, and to fight for the three points. And we showed that.

"I think we deserved much more from the game. Deserved clearly to win the game with the chances we created, against a very good side.

"Tottenham had very good chances, too, but overall, looking at the game, I think we had more. We had more control of the game and, performance wise, we did really well.

"Great first half from us – very good chances, control of the game, apart from the first minute where the first pressure of Tottenham created a little bit of a problem for us. When we found the right moments to beat that pressure, I think we did it well almost always.

"We know how they are strong, how they can press really high. Most of their goals come from moments where they press high, and the turnovers from themselves.

"We did control really well the situation, and it's not easy to be on the front foot always against a team like Tottenham, when they have Werner, Johnson or Kulusevski in that front line, plus always Maddison to provide the right passes for them, and we did it very well first half.

"Even in the second half, the first chances were from ourselves. Great chance from Issa, another great chance from Alex Iwobi before we conceded the goal.

"Okay, we have to be more ruthless in the moments that we are controlling the game. We cannot give the chance like we gave."

Spurs opener came from a counter attack against the run of play, but Fulham rallied valiantly, with substitutes Cairney and Harry Wilson helping to bring us level.

"Great reaction from us," Silva stated. "First with the two players that came in, Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson – they made a massive impact in the game. Great goal from us.

"And when the game was open for both sides, comes the red card and changed completely the mindset from ourselves. We changed the formation, with five at the back, plus three midfielders.

"We know that they are strong on the sides, so we wanted to block the sides for them. And the reality is that we didn't give any chance for them, even with the 10 men during the last 15 minutes of the game."

The big disappointment from the game was that Cairney will now serve a three-match suspension, and his Head Coach empathised with his Captain, who he insists doesn't have a malevolent bone in his body.

"We all know Tom Cairney is not a malicious player at all. Sometimes, honestly speaking with you, I'm the first one pushing him to be more aggressive, in the right way of course.

"But looking at the images, you have to accept it. He was unlucky. Okay, good interception from Kulusevski. [Cairney] tried to get the ball, and he stamped his leg. And if you want to look just at the picture and the images, you have to accept the red card."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2024/december/01/post-spurs-press-conference/

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Tottenham 1-1 Fulham: Tom Cairney scores and then sees red as Cottagers frustrate London rivals Spurs
Report and free match highlights from the Premier League game between Tottenham and Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday; Tom Cairney came on and cancelled out Brennan Johnson's opener before being sent off following a VAR check; Spurs sit seventh, Fulham a point back in 10th

Tottenham's inconsistent form continued as Fulham clung on for a point after the visitors' captain Tom Cairney came on, scored a deserved equaliser to make it 1-1 and then saw red for a nasty challenge on Dejan Kulusevski.

Fulham were ruing a string of missed chances and saves from stand-in Spurs 'keeper Fraser Forster when Brennan Johnson volleyed in his 10th goal of the season from a counter-attack on 54 minutes.

But sub Cairney brilliantly fired them level 13 minutes later from Alex Iwobi's pass with his first goal in a year - and first away from home in the Premier League in 14 years.

There was controversy at that point as Cairney had come on for Sasa Lukic who had been lucky to escape a second yellow card for a challenge on Heung-Min Son. But referee Darren Bond was rightly swift to show Cairney a red when VAR advised him to watch the midfielder rake his studs into Kulusevski's calf.

That left Fulham needing to see out the final five minutes of normal time and seven minutes added on and, despite Spurs piling forward, Marco Silva's men managed to leave north London with a point.

There were boos at full-time from the home fans who have seen their side win just one of their five Premier League games after Europa League fixtures.

Spurs - who were missing ill Dominic Solanke, had first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven out and Rodrigo Bentancur suspended - were far from their best here.

Son and Radu Dragusin were both denied by Bernd Leno in the first half and James Maddison saw a free-kick deflected against a post. But Fulham should have gone ahead from a couple of good openings for Raul Jimenez in that first period, when Forster was able to benefit from a poor touch and a miscued strike.

Fulham won the shot count and had twice as many shots on target as their hosts. Tottenham - at Bournemouth on Thursday - will need to pick themselves up after a disappointing result again. They sit seventh, three points off the top four. Fulham are a point back in 10th.

Player ratings: Forster impresses on first PL start in 18 months
Tottenham: Forster (8), Porro (6), Dragusin (6), Davies (7), Udogie (7), Sarr (7), Bissouma (6), Maddison (7), Johnson (7), Son (6), Werner (7).

Subs: Kulusevski (7), Bergvall (6), Lankshear (N/A)

Fulham: Leno (8), Tete (7), Diop (7), Bassey (6), Robinson (7), Berge (7), Lukic (6), Iwobi (7), Smith Rowe (6), Nelson (6), Jimenez (6)

Subs: Cairney (6), Wilson (6), Muniz (6), Sessegnon (6), Castagne (6)

Player of the Match: Fraser Forster (Tottenham)

Postecoglou: Whatever we do well is used to bring us down at every opportunity
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou:

"Tough game, tight game. Not a lot of openings for either side. Just a few sort of opportunities to score. We started the game well and should have been on the up and put the pressure on but they then had their spells. We got our noses in front, and we couldn't push on. Not for a lack of trying, the players did everything they could, but we couldn't push on. A decent strike for their goal."

On boos and inconsistency: "I didn't hear that, if that's the case. I'm not talking about the supporters, I've had three questions on the Man City game and why can't we replicate that? We've lost significant players in seven days. It seems with this club, whatever we do well is used to bring us down in every opportunity.

"From my perspective, it's important we don't react to any of that and stay focused. I just sometimes feel like with the players we have at the moment, they are working hard to progress to where we want to be and we're still in good shape. A decent position in the league, Carabao Cup and Europe. We're still focused on continuing to develop."

Team news

    Dominic Solanke was missing for Tottenham, while Dejan Kulusevski was named on the bench. Timo Werner, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie came into the side.
    Fulham made two changes from the defeat to Wolves with injured pair Joachim Andersen and Andreas Pereira missing out and Issa Diop and Sander Berge coming in.

Analysis: Ange's squad does not match his style
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

The boos rang round at full-time and it felt like back to square one for Tottenham. Ange Postecoglou does not want his team compared to last week's win over Manchester City - but when are Spurs going to build on a performance like that, show consistency and go on a run to take them forward?

Their inconsistency is best shown after games in Europe. Since beating Manchester United - albeit a poor team in one of Erik ten Hag's lowest ebbs - after the first Europa League game of the season, Spurs have failed to win each of their four matches following a continental game since.

Three defeats to Brighton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich, now a stalemate against Fulham - and they deserved to lose this one.

The reason for this poor form? Concerns over squad quality and size can be argued against given Tottenham's injury list - added to by Dominic Solanke's unfortunate withdrawal with illness - but how Postecoglou has used his squad recently can be questioned.

Dejan Kulusevski played 90 minutes in Thursday's draw with Roma in a Europa League Spurs are likely to qualify for the next round - but could not start today due to too many minutes.

Heung-Min Son, Brennan Johnson and four out of the back five also started the game - most of them looked off as Fulham took control in north London.

Can Spurs use their squad better? It is becoming apparent that Postecoglou's vibrant style of play does not match the equipment he has available. The January transfer window opens in one month's time, if injuries continue then Tottenham need bodies.

Silva: It would have been painful to lose
Fulham manager Marco Silva:

"We deserved more from the game, deserved to win the game. Tottenham had good chances too, but overall we had more and more control of the game.

"It was a great first half from us, good chances, apart from the first minutes when the pressure of Tottenham caused problems. When we beat the pressure, we did well always. It's not easy to always be on top against Tottenham, especially with the front line and Maddison.

"The chances are the moments where we have to be more ruthless, then you can't give the chance we gave for the first goal. We need more responsibility from ourselves, but it was a great reaction from us.

"My view of the red card? We all know Tom Cairney, he's not a malicious player at all. Honestly speaking with you, I'm pushing him to be more aggressive in the right way of course. Looking at the images, you have to say he is unlucky. If you look just at the images, it's a red card.

"It would have been painful to have nothing from the game. In some moments we don't perform we want, but when we don't pick up three points we always deserved something more.

"Yes there were Tottenham injuries, Joachim Andersen not here, Andreas Pereira not here. If you want to talk about injuries for Tottenham look at other teams in similar situations."

Analysis: Fulham ruing missed opportunities this season
Sky Sports' Peter Smith at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Fulham have now won on just one of their 15 trips to Tottenham in the Premier League - this could so easily have been a rare victory for Marco Silva's side in north London. Up until the 85th minute they were the side carving out the better opportunities.

Stand-in Spurs 'keeper Forster was sharp and the bar was rattled. Sub Cairney deservedly got them level but when he was rightly shown a red the prospects of three points faded.

Cairney's rare away goal
Tom Cairney has scored an away Premier League goal for the first time since March 2010 when he struck for Hull City vs Everton – at 14 years and 269 days, it's the longest ever gap between two away goals for a player in the competition, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record (12y 235d).

Silva will point to a series of other fixtures this season where Fulham will feel like they could have got more than they did and with the table so tight there would have been the possibility to be in a much higher position than 10th. But the key will now be to build on the positives of their performances in the opening months of this season if they are to challenge for a European spot.



https://www.skysports.com/football/tottenham-hotspur-vs-fulham/report/505934

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Tottenham 1-1 Fulham: Tom Cairney scores off bench, then sent off as 10-man visitors earn point
Tottenham limped to a second straight home draw in all competitions as 10-man Fulham claimed a deserved point in their London derby. Spurs stunned Manchester City 4-0 last weekend, hinting at an upturn in fortunes for Ange Postecoglou's side, but they have since come back down to earth, following up Thursday's 2-2 draw with Roma in the UEFA Europa League with a subdued 1-1 draw against Fulham.

There was a chaotic 20-minute cameo for Fulham captain Tom Cairney who came off the bench to rescue a point for Fulham on the road against Tottenham before being sent off.
Brennan Johnson and Cairney were both on target as the 10-man Cottagers earned a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

After a goalless first half, Spurs took the lead against the run of play at the start of the second period, but Cairney came off the bench to cancel out Johnson's stylish finish with a beautiful strike of his own.

The first half was all about the goalkeepers, who both made big saves. Bernd Leno denied Heung-min Son from point-blank range in the second minute, before Fraser Forster reacted excellently to deny Raul Jimenez an opener.
Fulham were the ones who continued to ask the question in the opening 45 minutes, and following Forster's heroics, Alex Iwobi crashed the ball off the underside of the bar minutes before half-time.
Forster was called into action a couple of times early in the second half to deny Issa Diop and Iwobi, and the visitors would rue the missed opportunities as Spurs swiftly took the lead.

Timo Werner clipped in an excellent cross for Johnson - who had been very quiet in the opening period - to blast in with a volley at the back post to break the deadlock with his sixth goal of the season.
But Fulham were not behind for long as club captain Cairney came off the bench to equalise with a stunning first-time strike just five minutes after his introduction.
Cairney's afternoon quickly came to an end, though, when he was sent off after catching the back of fellow substitute Dejan Kulusevski's leg with his studs.
But despite having the player advantage, Spurs could not capitalise in the final 15 minutes of action as Fulham held on for the point.

Talking point - Opportunity missed for Fulham as Spurs return to reality
After an absolute whitewashing of four-time champions Manchester City last week, Spurs were unable to follow up their stunning 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium as they failed to win at home again.
Fulham might have been down to 10 players, but they did more than enough to win the game and will probably feel as though they should have with the chances they had.
It is not often a team with a numerical disadvantage come away from the match feeling as though they deserved more than a draw, but at the end of the day, it is a valuable point on the road.
As for Spurs, they may have broken the win-lose cycle to gain their first Premier League draw since the opening game of the season against Leicester City, but their levels dropped again in comparison to last week's effort which will not be good enough if they are to challenge for a top-four spot.

Player of the match - Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
The former Arsenal forward delivered another inspiring display against his old rivals and got so much joy on the left-hand side, which he continued to threaten until he found Cairney for Fulham's opener.
Iwobi came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock himself in the first half when his effort crashed off the underside of the bar, but he continued to drop brilliant balls in the box for his team-mates, who could not convert.

Match ratings
ottenham: Forster 7, Porro 7, Dragusin 7, Davies 7, Udogie 6, Sarr 7, Bissouma 6, Maddison 6, Johnson 7, Son 6, Werner 7
Subs: Gray N/A, Kulusevski 5, Bergvall N/A, Lankshear N/A
Fulham: Leno 7, Tete 8, Diop 7, Bassey 6, Robinson 7, Berge 7, Lukic 6, Iwobi 8, Smith Rowe 6, Nelson 7, Jimenez 6
Subs: Castagne N/A, Sessegnon N/A, Cairney 6, Wilson 6, Adama, Muniz 5

Match highlights
2' - HUGE CHANCE FOR SPURS! Son is denied an early opener! There's a mix-up at the back and Werner capitalises on a sloppy pass and plays in Son, who forces a massive save out of Leno!
17' - JIMENEZ MUST DO BETTER! Iwobi floats in an inviting ball from the left and Jimenez is free in the box, but he doesn't really know what to do with it and just stabs the ball at Forster. Fulham could, and should, be ahead!
36' - WHAT A SAVE! No Vicario, no problem! Jimenez gets on the end of a cross from the right and is free as a bird in the box as he diverts a volley to the bottom right corner, but Forster reacts excellently to deny him.
38' - LENO TIPS OVER! It's all about the goalkeepers in this opening half. Dragusin sends a strong header towards goal but the former Arsenal goalie turns it over.
42' - OFF THE BAR! Fulham fly forward and Nelson slips in Iwobi on the right, who slams the ball against the underside of the crossbar. A lovely, flowing move from the visitors who come close again!
49' - FULHAM COME CLOSE! Nelson whips in a delivery from the right to Diop at the back post, who sends a header downwards and right at Forster's feet. He should have gone back across goal really, and another massive Fulham chance goes begging.
52' - ANOTHER CRUCIAL STOP FROM FORSTER! Spurs' back-up goalkeeper has been busy today! Nelson shows excellent skill to bring the ball down on his back, skip past Porro and find Iwobi at the back post, who strikes straight at Forster.
54' - GOAL!!! - TOTTENHAM 1-0 FULHAM (JOHNSON): Spurs take the lead against the run of play! Werner crosses from the left to Johnson at the back post - who has been very quiet to far - who lashes home a brilliant volley.
65' - GOAL!!! - TOTTENHAM 1-1 FULHAM (CAIRNEY): Fulham finally get their goal and it's the substitute Cairney! Robinson finds Iwobi in a little pocket down the left, who lays the ball off to Cairney just inside the box to fire past Forster with a sweet first-time strike.
81' - CAIRNEY CATCHES KULUSEVSKI - And VAR will have a look at this... He challenges the Swede from behind and catches his Achilles with his studs.
84' - FULHAM RED CARD! Cairney has been sent off after a VAR check - he's only been on the pitch for 20 minutes and he must now hand the armband back to Robinson.
90'+1 - FULHAM COME CLOSE TO WINNING IT! Udogie loses possession to Wilson on the right, who beats Davies and fizzes a ball across goal but there is no one there in a black and red shirt as Dragusin hooks the ball away.

Key stats
om Cairney has scored away from home in the Premier League for the first time since March 2010, with this being the longest ever gap between a player scoring in away matches in the competition (14 years and 269 days).
Brennan Johnson is one of only two Premier League players to score 10+ non-penalty goals across all competitions this season, along with Erling Haaland (15)



https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/premier-league/2024-2025/tottenham-hotspur-v-fulham-premier-league-live_sto10404847/story.shtml

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Tottenham 1-1 Fulham: Tom Cairney comes on to net equaliser before seeing a straight red after Brennan Johnson had opened the scoring

    Brennan Johnson met Timo Werner's ball at the back post to break the deadlock
    Substitute Tom Cairney produced a brilliant finish to level before being sent off

Tom Cairney was on the pitch for little more than 20 minutes but he earned Fulham a point and wounded Tottenham.

Cairney came off the bench to score within five minutes, his first goal in almost a year to wipe out Brennan Johnson's opener.

Then his tackle from behind on Dejan Kulusevski left Fulham to see out the game with 10 men, which they did without too much cause for alarm.

The draw leaves Spurs with only one win in five games, although that just happens to be a 4-0 at Manchester City.

Ange Postecoglou's injury problems continued to pile up with Archie Gray off injured after coming on near the end.

With Dominic Solanke sent home unwell before kick-off, Tottenham started with Heung-min Son at centre forward. Son forced Bernd Leno into a save within a minute but does not provide the same physical presence as Solanke.

He offers another kind of threat, dashing onto passes but Spurs found it difficult in the first half to establish any territory. The game fizzed from one end to the other and the visitors were slick in possession, testing Postecoglou's patched-up defence.

Ben Davies made late interceptions and clearances, and Fraser Forster made some fine saves, the best of them to push a Raul Jimenez volley wide. Alex Iwobi crashed an effort against the bar, as the interval loomed.

Tottenham resisted and found some better rhythm. Radu Dragusin forced Leno into another save with a powerful header from a corner and James Maddison clipped the outside of a post in first-half stoppage-time, with a clever free-kick driven low as all the those in Fulham's defensive wall jumped.

Maddison clutched his head as he crumpled to the turf. Spurs had spotted the opportunity and came within centimetres of making it pay.

Fulham were brightest again at the start of the second half, exerting pressure with the three former Arsenal forwards in their team causing problems with their pace and movement. Reiss Nelson rolled out the party pieces, turning at the last second to control one long pass with his back.

Forster saved a header from Issa Diop with a knee but just as they seemed to relax into being in the ascendancy Silva's team were caught out at the back, with Johnson capitalising on space left behind by one of Antonee Robinson's forays upfield.

Spurs worked the ball briskly from right to left through Son and Maddison before Werner clipped a pass back across to Johnson, who made no mistake on the volley.

This has become the trademark goal of the season for Johnson, a first-time finish at speed cutting inside from the right.

Fulham to their credit refused to panic, continued to pick their passes and levelled through Cairney, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes when he slammed in a left-footer from 15 yards at the end of a patient passing move culminating in a lay-off by Iwobi.

It was his first goal for nearly a year although his delight soon vanished when his foul from behind on Kulusevski in midfield was picked up by the VAR.

Referee Darren Bond showed his yellow card at first but was referred to his monitor because Cairney caught Kulusevski midcalf with his studs. It did not look good on the slow-motion replays and the card was upgraded to a red.

TOTTENHAM 1-1 FULHAM MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS 
Spurs 4-3-3: Forster 6.5; Porro 6, Dragusin 7, Davies 6, Udogie 6; Sarr 6 (Gray 85 (Lankshear 90+6)), Bissouma 6, Maddison 6 (Bergvall 85); Johnson 6.5, Son 6, Werner 6.5 (Kulusevski 68, 5).

Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Spence, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett

Goals: Johnson 54

Manager: Ange Postecoglou 6

Fulham 4-2-3-1: Leno 6.5; Tete 7, Diop 6, Bassey 6.5, Robinson 7; Lukic 6 (Cairney 62, 6.5), Berge 6.5; Iwobi 7.5 (Sessegnon 86), Smith Rowe 6 (Castagne 86), Nelson 6 (Wilson 62), Jimenez 6.5 (Muniz 78).

Subs: Benda, Traore, King, Amissah

Goals: Cairney 67

Bookings: Lukic

Off: Cairney 83

Manager: Marco Silva 6.5

Referee: Darren Bond 6

Attendance: 61,141



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14145777/Tottenham-1-1-Fulham-Tom-Cairney-comes-net-equaliser-seeing-straight-red-Brennan-Johnson-opened-scoring.html

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Cairney's superb goal – before being sent off – earns Fulham point
Tom Cairney's fantastic goal earned Fulham a point – but they had to complete the game with 10 men after he was sent off.

Fans' favourite Cairney, on as a substitute, cancelled out Brennan Johnson's opener.

However, having initially been booked for a crude challenge on Dejan Kulusevski in the 83rd minute, Cairney was shown the red card after referee Darren Bond viewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.

Spurs' James Maddison hit the bar with a first-half free-kick, but Fulham were the better side before going behind against the run of play.

Raul Jimenez missed chances for the Whites, including when he was put through on goal and seemed certain to score.

The striker could not find a way past keeper Fraser Forster, who also tipped an effort from Alex Iwobi onto the bar.

Forster was busy again after the interval, keeping out an Issa Diop header and then superbly stopping an acrobatic strike from Iwobi, who was brilliantly set up by Reiss Nelson.

Spurs appeared to be on the ropes, but went ahead when Johnson netted at the far post after being set up by former Chelsea man Timo Werner.

Fulham boss Marco Silva responded by sending on Cairney and Harry Wilson in place of Nelson and the yellow-carded Sasa Lukic.

Five minutes later, Cairney added another to his catalogue of memorable Fulham goals, collecting Iwobi's pull-back and curling a glorious strike into the far corner of the net.

Fulham defended well after Cairney's dismissal and the result leaves them 10th in the Premier League table.
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic (Cariney 62); Smith Rowe (Castagne 85), Iwobi (Sessegnon 85), Nelson (Wilson 62); Jimenez (Muniz 78).
Subs not used: Benda, Traore, King, Amissah.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-was-tottenham-v-fulham-report-011224

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Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fulham: Spurs fail to secure three points again
Disappointing match against Fulham sees points leveled

Tottenham Hotspur had a shaky performance yet again as the side saw its London Derby match against Fulham end in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

With the lineup coming out and Dominic Solanke not in the squad — sent home after feeling ill — and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench, Spurs were looking for a way to get some chances without the two who have provided the most work in the squad.

Neither side seemed to control the ball throughout the first half, as shaky passes, poor possession play, and an inability to break down a defensive side in the end produced only a few moments.

Fulham they were able to get the Spurs' defense open as they broke down the press, and for a majority of the chances they believed to have had, but Ben Davies came in clutch in multiple instances as the 10-year-veteran for the side put his defensive skills on display — as he rocked a black eye.

With questions about how Fraser Forster would slot in with Vicario out, Forster stood tall between the sticks as he made himself big on multiple Raul Jimenez chances and kept the striker out of the scorers sheet for the entirety of the match.

Spurs had early chances from Heung-min Son in the first minute as his shot hit the chest of Bernd Leno, and another opportunity he had, he couldn't get out from under his feet in time.

The other big chance for Spurs came on a James Maddison free kick. Having a goal already from set pieces this year, Maddison tried to go for the spectacular with a low shot that was nicked away by the wall as the shot narrowly missed the post.

Spurs opened the scoring in the second half as Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson connected yet again. Struggling to keep possession and play strong balls, Maddison had the ball 25-yards out and put in a ball for Werner on the left wing. Taking a few touches and dragging the defense into his path, Werner lifted a perfect ball to the edge of the 6-yard box for an open Johnson to open his foot for a first-time volley and a 1-0 lead.

Rarely scoring first at home this season, Spurs had to go on the defensive shift, but a mistake in defense again allowed Fulham to get the goal they had been looking for all game long.

Club captain Tom Cairney equalized the match with a first-time shot from just inside the box, and the open space allowed Cairney to hit a curler to the far post that left Fraser just diving and watching the ball spin into the back of the net.

Tying the game, Cairney was eventually shown a red card after VAR ruled he had studs entirely on Kulusevski's calf during a foul in play.

Sensing the advantage and the crowd coming alive to back the boys for a winner, Spurs failed to break down the back 5 Fulham resorted to.

With that, a draw was the final result, and the home crowd voiced its displeasure in the side as Spurs dropped another possible three points in the second half.

Consistency has yet to be shown for the side as the next visit to Bournemouth is on Thursday.



https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/12/1/24310162/tottenham-hotspur-1-1-fulham-spurs-fail-to-secure-three-points-again

[WhiteJC]

Tom Cairney equalises but then sees red as Fulham earn point at Tottenham
It would be tempting to talk of Tottenham at least being predictable in their unpredictability, of the way they cannot but follow up a great result with a disappointing one, of the inevitability of them, having beaten Manchester City 4-0 last weekend, failing to beat Fulham at home this. But actually the story on Sunday was far more about Fulham, how well they played and how mystifying it was that they didn't take all three points having had much the better of the majority of the game.

What made their performance all the more impressive was that they did it without the midfielder Andreas Pereira. Marco Silva denied that he had been left out after giving an interview to Brazilian media in which he seemed to suggest he would quite fancy a move to Marseille to play under Roberto De Zerbi. "He's going to be back to help the team like he's been helping us every week," Silva said. "I don't make decisions around interviews. I don't protect players because of social media. My decisions come from daily sessions with the players. He was not ready. It was a technical decision from myself."

That Fulham were not ahead by the time Tom Cairney was sent off after 83 minutes was almost entirely down to the heroics of Tottenham's backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who hadn't played a league game for 18 months and whose obvious differences from the first-choice Guglielmo Vicario, absent with a fractured ankle, had been the source of much pre-match concern. Only 7% of Vicario's passes had been played into the opponent's half this season, by far the lowest figure in the league, and he'd maintained a 90.8% pass completion rate. Forster, who completed 77.8% of his passes and hit four out of his 14 long, is a more old-fashioned kind of goalkeeper.

But however justified the anxiety about his capacity to play out from the back, at 36 Forster's reflexes remain sharp. After a brave early block from Raúl Jiménez, he made a fine save diving to his right to keep out a side-foot volley from the Mexican eight minutes before half-time. If anything, the fingertip he got on an Alex Iwobi effort to divert it on to the bar five minutes later was even better. "He was good," said Ange Postecoglou. "When you lose your goalkeeper the key is to have somebody experienced who's not going to be overawed by filling those shoes. What you saw out there we see every day in training. He still has a great work ethic."

The red card, inevitably, checked Fulham's momentum, and they reacted by going to five at the back to shut down the wide areas to Spurs. Sasa Lukic had earlier perhaps been fortunate not to collect a second yellow for an ugly lunge on Son Heung-min – he was substituted almost immediately – but Fulham were reduced to 10 as Cairney was dismissed following a VAR review for planting his studs into Dejan Kulusevski's calf. Even Silva accepted it was the right decision.

And yet good as Fulham were, it was also true that Tottenham struggled to get going. The comparison with the City performance has clearly frustrated Postecoglou, who pointed out that at the Etihad he'd had Vicario in goal and had been able to bring Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson off the bench. "It seems with this club, whatever we do well is then used as a millstone to bring us down at every other opportunity," he said. "It's really important we don't react to any of that. I've seen so much violin-playing over clubs with one centre-back out and we've got two out. We're going to have to protect our players and at the moment we don't have too many options and we've got to manage them as best we can."

Since the City game Tottenham have lost their goalkeeper, while Dominic Solanke was sent home with illness and the need was felt to give Kulusevski at least something of a rest by leaving him on the bench. That meant Son had to be shunted into the centre, which makes it harder for Spurs to retain possession. As a result, their threat was limited largely to transitions, although James Maddison hit a post with a clever free-kick under the wall just before the break.

Fulham were at their most dominant, Forster keeping out back-post efforts from Issa Diop and Iwobi when Tottenham took a 54th-minute lead, Johnson left weirdly unmarked to slam in his 10th of the season from Werner's cross. Was this a rare instance of Spurs winning a game in which they had not been significantly on top? It was not. Iwobi cut the ball back and Cairney slammed in the equaliser from the edge of the box.

The draw keeps Spurs above Fulham in the table, but there was little doubt which was the better side on Sunday afternoon.



https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/tom-cairney-equalises-then-sees-153937456.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jLm5ld3Nub3cuY28udWsv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABnL1veQFJdjKmkPGkcQ1lYSmrU8z3hdQcF4uas5t9ShsS4OKwJa92U3X-PgXqj3XLda6B0Aw3DiWkW39zifmqL7GKMHmOfx9HCLJhjJ7Sl5nfCHx3C6gRQQztb5W1zPbsj_folXn5-MB0Q4ROCft0TRJnFaeXX7wK-XNZOX4iqI

[WhiteJC]

Fulham battle back to secure stalemate against Tottenham
Fulham substitute Tom Cairney equalised before being sent off for a raking his studs down the leg of Dejan Kulusevski.

TOTTENHAM'S topsy-turvy season continued as they dropped points against modest opposition once again, with Fulham taking a hard-fought point away from north London.

Having won 4-0 at Manchester City last week, Spurs supporters turned up expecting to see their side put an inconsistent Fulham side to the sword.

But after Brennan Johnson had put Spurs ahead shortly after half-time, Fulham substitute Tom Cairney equalised before being sent off for a raking his studs down the leg of Dejan Kulusevski.

But even with seven minutes of stoppage time, Spurs could not make the most of their numerical advantage and had to settle for a point.

Both managers made significant changes, the most significant of which were the omissions of Kulusevski and Andreas Pereira, the most creative players on each side. Kulusevski was kept on teh substitute's bench for an hour, but Pereira's omission was thought to be after an interview he gave recently expressing frustration at not being able to move to Marseille.

The result was a goalless first-half for the first time this season at the Tottenham Hotspur, although there were plenty of chances. Heung Min Son, switched to number nine in place of an Ill Dominic Solanke, had a glorious chance in the opening minutes but shot too close to Bernd Leno, who stuck out a leg to save from close range. The Fulham keeper also did well to tip over a Radu Dragusin header from a corner before half-time. But Fraser Forster, playing his first league game of the season in place of the injured Guglielmo Vicario, made good saves too, smothering the ball at Raul Jiminez's feet and then turning away a close-range volley from the Mexican striker.

Alex Iwobi thumped a shot against Forster's crossbar after a flowing Fulham counter-attack, and a James Maddison free-kick was deflected on to outside of Leno's right-hand upright.

Forster was the busier keeper in the opening period of the second-half, using his knee to stop a far post header by Issa Diop and then tipping over a bicycle kick from Iwobi.

But nine minutes after the break, Spurs finally broke the deadlock. Maddison and Son exchanged passes as Tottenham counter-attacked at pace, the ball was worked left to Timo Werner, who chipped delightful towards the far post, where Johnson exploited a huge gap to volley past Leno from close range.

Marco Silva made changes, replacing Lukic, who was lucky to escape a second yellow card, with Cairney, who equalised within five minutes. Iwobi, Fulham's best player, found space on the left and cut back a pass to Cairney's whose first curling first-time shot went past Forster with the aid of a deflection off Dragusin.

Postecoglou made changes too, sending on Kulisevski. With ten minutes of normal time remaining, Cairney caught the Swede with an ugly challenge near the centre circle. Referee Darren Bond initially booked the Scot, but after being prompted by VAR to review the challenge on a pitchside monitor, sent off Cairney.

Still Spurs could not find a way through.

TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Forster 8; Porro 7, Dragusin 7, Davies 7, Udogie 6; Sarr 7 (Gray 85 [Lankshear 90+5]). Bissouma 7, Maddison 7 (Bergvall 85); Johnson 7, Son 5, Werner 6 (Kulusevski 68).

FULHAM (4-5-1): Leno 7; Tete 6, Diop 6, Bassey 5, Robinson6; Iwobi 8 (Sessegnon 85), Berge 6, Lukic 6 (Cairney 62), Smith-Rowe 6 (Castagne 85), Nelson 6 (Wilson 62); Jiminez 6 (Munoz 78).

Referee: Darren Bond 7/10



https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-41528042.html

[WhiteJC]

Tottenham 1-1 Fulham: Player ratings as Spurs struggle to draw

    Tottenham held to 1-1 draw by Fulham in N17
    Brennan Johnson's opener cancelled out by lovely Tom Cairney finish
    Cairney sent off for challenge on Dejan Kulusevski in closing stages

Tottenham struggled for large swathes of Sunday's Premier League clash with Fulham and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The hosts were without a number of key names for the Cottagers' visit, with Ange Postecoglou naming multiple teenagers on the Spurs bench. Andreas Pereira, meanwhile, was dropped from the Fulham squad entirely following recent comments surrounding his future in west London.

There were no goals in a fairly frenetic opening period laden with fast breakaways. Bernd Leno was rarely tested after being sprung into a very early save to deny Son Heung-min, with the away side enjoying the better of the chances. A couple of fine Fraser Forster saves kept them at bay, while Alex Iwobi hit the woodwork.

Fulham's positive momentum from the end of the first half permeated into the second period, but they were hit by a sucker punch and fell behind. Brennan Johnson scored for the fourth game running for club and country to give Spurs the lead against the run of play.

The visitors refused to let the contest get away from them, though. Fulham responded to Johnson's opener with another surge, and a deserved equaliser was claimed by substitute Tom Cairney, who curled home superbly from the edge of the Tottenham box.

However, the Fulham skipper failed to end the contest as he was dismissed in the closing stages for a nasty tackle on Dejan Kulusevski. Silva was intent on settling for a point thereafter, and the absence of a recognised No. 9, until Will Lankshear entered the fray in stoppage time, doubtlessly hindered Spurs' ability to snatch a late winner.

The Cottagers were able to hold on with ease for a well-earned point which probably should've been three.

Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)

Player	Rating
GK: Fraser Forster	7.5/10
RB: Pedro Porro	6.9/10
CB: Radu Dragusin	7.7/10
CB: Ben Davies	7.1/10
LB: Destiny Udogie	6.9/10
CM: Yves Bissouma	6.8/10
CM: Pape Sarr	7.6/10
CM: James Maddison	6.4/10
RW: Brennan Johnson	7.5/10
ST: Son Heung-min	6.5/10
LW: Timo Werner	7.2/10
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski (68' for Werner)	6.5/10
SUB: Lucas Bergvall (85' for Maddison)	N/A
SUB: Archie Gray (85' for Sarr)	N/A
SUB: Will Lankshear (90' for Gray)	N/A

Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Sergio Reguilon, Djed Spence, Callum William Olusesi, Luca Williams-Barnet.

Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

Player	Rating
GK: Bernd Leno	7.1/10
RB: Kenny Tete	7.7/10
CB: Issa Diop	7.0/10
CB: Calvin Bassey	6.6/10
LB: Antonee Robinson	7.4/10
CM: Sasa Lukic	6.8/10
CM: Sander Berge	7.3/10
AM: Emile Smith Rowe	6.8/10
RW: Alex Iwobi	7.7/10
ST: Raul Jimenez	6.8/10
LW: Reiss Nelson	7.4/10
SUB: Tom Cairney (62' for Lukic)	6.5/10
SUB: Harry Wilson (62' for Nelson)	6.8/10
SUB: Rodrigo Muniz (78' for Jimenez)	5.8/10
SUB: Timothy Castagne (85' for Smith Rowe)	N/A
SUB: Ryan Sessegnon (85' for Iwobi)	N/A

Subs not used: Steven Benda (GK), Adama Traore, Joshua King, Sam Amissah

Player of the match - Kenny Tete (Fulham)



https://www.90min.com/tottenham-1-1-fulham-player-ratings-1-12-24

[WhiteJC]

Fulham fight for a point at Spurs
Fulham substitutes have made a habit of eye-catching cameos this season. The most headline grabbing of all belonged to Harry Wilson last month against Brentford, but Tom Cairney won't forget his 20 minute cameo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon in a hurry. The veteran midfielder curled home a classy equaliser to bring his side level against Spurs, who were fortunate on the balance of play to be leading through Brennan Johnson's predatory strike, before seeing red with seven minutes left for a late challenge on Dejan Kulusevski. Marco Silva's side then scrapped for all they were worth to hold onto a well deserved point – although had they taken a host of chances to open the scoring before Johnson, it might well have been all three.

Ange Postecoglou's side struggled for a focal point up front in the absence of the ill Dominic Solanke. Son Heung-Min filled in as a centre forward, but the South Korean superstar struggled to pull Fulham's only two fit senior centre backs, Calvin Bassey and Issa Diop out of position. Son was denied by Bernd Leno's leg inside the first minute but only looked dangerous when released behind the visiting back four and Spurs struggled for fluency against a Fulham side who seemed confident and purposeful in possession.

It was Tottenham's makeshift defence that looked much more vulnerable. Ben Davies, deputising at centre back with Christian Romero still sidelined by a toe injury, made a couple of crucial last-ditch interceptions whilst Fraser Forster, making a first Premier League appearance since last May, kept Tottenham in the game with a number of superb saves. He sprawled across his goal to turn a Raul Jimenez volley aside before Alex Iwobi saw another sweet strike turned onto the crossbar by Forster after an excellent Fulham counter-attack.

Radu Dragusin saw a powerful header from a corner well kept out by Leno and the former Arsenal goalkeeper was almost beaten on the stroke of half time by a clever free-kick from James Maddison, who squeezed his effort under the Fulham wall as they all jumped. The shot clipped the outside of the post – and it remained all-square after an intriguing first 45 minutes.

The visitors carried their confidence into the second half and could have been in front within five minutes of the restart. Excellent approach play from Reiss Nelson fashioned a headed opportunity for Diop that saw Forster save again and Kenny Tete, well forward from right back, fired over as the Whites continued to commit numbers forward. Forster excelled himself again to keep out an effort from Iwobi after the winger had spun superbly and then grabbed a header from Jimenez – but the visitors were about to pay the harshest of penalties for not taking any of their chances.

Timo Werner exploited Robinson's presence upfield to drift into a dangerous area and picked out Johnson at the back post. The Welsh winger finished adroitly, powering a first-time volley beyond Leno despite the desperate dive of Bassey to give Spurs a lead they barely merited. Silva immediately turned to his bench, sending on Cairney and Wilson, in search of more penetration and his side found a leveller within four minutes.

Robinson rolled a first-time ball into the penalty area for Iwobi, who cleverly cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Cairney curled his first goal in more than a year past Forster to the delight of the travelling fans behind the goal. The captain's delight turned to disgust when the yellow card he had been shown for a late challenge on Kulusevski was upgraded to a red after the video assistant referee advised Darren Bond to view the tackle on the pitchside monitor.

The home fans roared their side forward but their only chance arrived from a corner in the last minute of normal time when Dragusin's downward header went wide of Leno's goal. Fulham, who had introduced Timothy Castagne and Ryan Sessegnon to solidify their share of the spoils, might have won it in stoppage time when Wilson did brilliantly to win the ball in his own half and sprinted 70 yards into the Tottenham penalty area, only for his low cross to be scrambled behind by Dragusin.

Silva promised a reaction after his side surrendered a winning position in abject fashion against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend – and this spirited showing was much more like the Fulham side who have proven their worth in the top flight over the past two seasons. Spurs might still be bafflingly inconsistent, but – after overcoming adversity – this was a praiseworthy point.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Udogie, Dragusin, Davies; Bissouma, Sarr (Gray 85; Lankshear 90+6), Maddison (Bergvall 85); Johnson, Werner (Kulusevski 68), Son Heung-Min. Subs (not used): Austin, Spence, Olusesi, Regulion, Williams-Barnett.

GOAL: Johnson (54).

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, A. Robinson, Diop, Bassey; Lukic (Cairney 63), Berge; Iwobi (R. Sessegnon 86), Nelson (Wilson 62), Smith Rowe (Castagne 86); Jimenez (Muniz 78). Subs (not used): Benda, Amissah, King, Traore.

BOOKED: Lukic.

SENT OFF: Cairney (83).

GOAL: Cairney (67).

REFEREE: Darren Bond (Lancashire).

ATTENDANCE: 61,141.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2024/12/fulham-fight-for-a-point-at-spurs-3/

[WhiteJC]

'Could have broken his leg' – Tom Cairney goes from hero to zero as Fulham skipper sent off for horrendous tackle
Tom Cairney rescued a point for Fulham at Tottenham before being sent off for a horror tackle on Dejan Kulusevski.

The Cottagers skipper had an eventful 20-minute cameo off the bench as Marco Silva's side escaped with a 1-1 draw in north London.

Cairney was introduced off the bench in the 62nd minute with Fulham trailing following Brennan Johnson's opener.

And just five minutes later, he hauled the visitors level with a beautiful curling strike into the bottom right corner.

It was his first goal away from home since March 2010 during his time spell at Hull.

But he soon went from hero to zero after being given his marching orders in the 82nd minute.

The 33-year-old was initially given a yellow card by referee Darren Bond for a challenge on Kulusevski.

But he was then instructed to go to the pitchside monitor by VAR where replays showed Cairney's studs-up lunge into the back of the Sweden international's calf.

And Bond was given no chance but to upgrade his initial booking to a straight red for serious foul play.

Commenting on the tackle on talkSPORT commentary, Sam Ellard simply said: "That could have broken his leg."

Meanwhile the Premier League Match Centre's X account posted: "The referee's call of yellow card for the challenge by Cairney on Kulusevski is checked by VAR, who recommended an on-field review for serious foul play.

"The referee then issued a red card to Cairney."

Cairney will now miss the next three games for Fulham.

He will now be absent for Thursday's clash with Brighton at Craven Cottage.

And he will then be unavailable for next Sunday's clash with Arsenal in west London and then the trip to Liverpool on December 14.

Thankfully for Fulham, Spurs didn't make them pay for having a man less as they shared the spoil at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The result leaves Spurs in seventh spot - three points off the top four.

As for Fulham, they remain in tenth spot - just one point behind Ange Postecoglou's men.



https://talksport.com/football/2342495/fulham-tom-cairney-red-card-dejan-kulusevski/

[WhiteJC]

Pereira claims Marseille comments 'distorted'
Andreas Pereira has claimed that his comments earlier this week about a possible move to Marseille have been maliciously 'mistranslated and distorted'.

The Fulham midfielder was left out of his side's game against Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, but released a statement via his Instagram account shortly before kick off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saying:

"I would like to address the article recently published about me. Unfortunately, the piece contains statements attributed to me that I did not make, and the translation into English was done in a malicious and inaccurate manner, completely distorting my words.

In the interview, I clearly expressed my happiness and satisfaction with being at Fulham and my gratitude for everything the club and the staff have done for me, emphasising at all times that I still have two years remaining on my contract and that I am fully focused on the club.

However, the article includes comments that are neither accurate nor reflective of what I actually said. I deeply regret the unprofessional conduct displayed in this situation and respectfully request a retraction of the quotes falsely attributed to me. It is essential to uphold the truth and ensure that public discourse is based on facts. Thank you for your understanding. And most importantly Come On Fulham."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2024/12/pereira-claims-marseille-comments-distorted/

[WhiteJC]

Premier League forced to release statement during Tottenham vs Fulham after horror tackle
Tottenham news as Tom Cairney sent off late on against Spurs after scoring a brilliant equaliser for Fulham

The Premier League described Tom Cairney's tackle on Dejan Kulusevski as 'serious foul play' after Tottenham were handed a late chance to snatch a winner against Fulham on Sunday. Initially only given a yellow card by referee Darren Bond, Cairney was sent off following a VAR check.

His challenge, a late attempt to win the ball which saw Cairney scrape his studs down Kulusevski's right Achilles, came shortly after the Swedish forward had been substituted onto the pitch. He replaced Timo Werner but wasn't able to make a significant change in the match as it ended level.

The points keeps Spurs in the chasing pack for the top four, three points behind Brighton and another two adrift of Chelsea and Arsenal. Fulham are 10th but only one point away from Ange Postecoglou's men with Tottenham only ahead of 13th place Bournemouth by two points.

They had worked a strong position to move up to sixth after Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in north London. That was cancelled out by Cairney's impressive strike which got Fulham back on terms with 25 minutes to play.

He went from hero to zero, though, as VAR officials Craig Pawson and Ian Hussin recommended that Bond review his decision to only book Cairney. The Premier League Match Centre X (formerly Twitter) account explained the method behind the process.

"The referee's call of yellow card for the challenge by Cairney on Kulusevski is checked by VAR, who recommended an on-field for serious foul play," it says. "The referee then issued a red card to Cairney."

Tottenham couldn't take advantage of the brief extra man in the final 10 minutes. They take on Bournemouth on Thursday night in a bid to get back to winnings ways again after being unable to capitalise on beating Manchester City last weekend.



https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/news/premier-league-forced-release-statement-30491863

[WhiteJC]

Iwobi equals best start to a Premier League season as Fulham and Tottenham share spoils
Alex Iwobi equaled his best-ever start to a Premier League season during Fulham's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

With the scoreline still barren, the Super Eagles midfielder had the opportunity to open the scoring in the 42nd minute but smashed his effort on the crossbar.

The Hale End Academy product had another chance to get himself on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute, firing a rebound towards goal but was denied by a superb save from Fraser Foster.

Just two minutes later, the Cottagers paid the price for their missed opportunities, as Brennan Johnson latched onto a Timo Werner cross and calmly slotted the ball in to give the hosts the lead.

Iwobi then helped put Fulham back on level terms in the 67th minute, rolling the ball to Tom Cairney, who placed it into the corner of the goal to make amends for his earlier missed chances.

The Nigerian midfielder has now chipped in six-goal involvements in the Premier League games this term, the joint-most he has registered after 13 games in the English top-flight.

The last time he registered six goal contributions at this stage was in the 2022/2023 campaign, notching one goal and five assists

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid



https://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=53864

[WhiteJC]

Wingate hat-trick fires Fulham U18s in FA Youth Cup fourth round
Tom Wingate scored a hat-trick as Fulham's under-18s eased into the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup following a comfortable victory at Notts County this afternoon.

The Cottagers, playing in their purple away strip at Meadow Lane, were quickly into their stride and might have taken the lead early on as Farhaan Ali-Wahid had an early effort blocked. The visitors went in front in the seventh minute when a lovely cross from left back Jon Esenga found Wingate, who finished impressively past County goalkeeper Harvey Lawson. Ali Melloul's side doubled their advantage within seven minutes as French winger Macaulay Zepa sped down the right flank and fired through Lawson's legs.

James Sanderson came close on two occasions to pulling a goal back for County. His fine free-kick whistled just wide of Dino Kaiser's goal before he fired over from distance with another audacious attempt. Esenga also tried his luck from a set-piece, with an ambitious effort from an acute angle ending up on the roof of the net. The end of the first half saw a distressing incident as Zac Denman was stretchered off with what looked like a serious injury with the youngster receiving rapturous applause from the 580 fans in the crowd.

Fulham started the second half as if they were in the mood to kill off the contest. Zepa appeared to be Fulham's most likely source of a third goal – embarking on another mazy dribble down the wing before cutting the ball back for Ali Wahid, who spooned a shot over the bar from twelve yards out. Jayden Quashie also drilled over the crossbar as Fulham continued to press and the Cottagers got their reward seven minutes into the second half.

Wingate seized on a poor pass out from the back by the unfortunate Lawson by rolling his second of the afternoon into an unguarded net. To their credit, County continued to play and were only denied a consolation by the frame of the goal. Kameron Muir's magnificent effort from long-range cannoned back off the crossbar with Kaiser beaten before the Fulham goalkeeper gathered a speculative strike from Sanderson and Harrison Hazard failed to match a fine individual run with a finish as he fired wide of goal.

Ali Wahid curled an effort wide of the target after a promising run but Wingate completed his hat-trick with an excellent first-time finish past Lawson after connecting with a cross from the left flank. Fulham might have had more goals in the closing stages with substitutes Ruban Khan hitting the post and Tarrell Cavell shooting wide – but this accomplished away display ensured the young Whites were in the hat for round four.

NOTTS COUNTY UNDER 18s: Lawson, Hipkiss (Martin 15), Rice, Szczesny (Rowe 74), Nyirenda, Goodwin, Hazard, Muir (Lemard 80), Denman (Smart 45), Sanderson, Emmanuel (Shaw 81). Subs (not used): Noon, Bator.

FULHAM UNDER 18s: Kaiser; Schuttler, Esenga, Cooke, Slade; Quashie, White, Zepa, Ali Wahid; Wingate, Lubega. Subs: Varney, Faux, Picotto, Khan, Cavell, Evans.

GOALS: Wingate (7, 52, 74), Zepa (14).

ATTENDANCE: 580.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2024/12/wingate-hat-trick-fires-fulham-u18s-in-fa-youth-cup-fourth-round/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham star Andreas Pereira slams 'malicious' and 'inaccurate' article that claimed he wanted to leave for Marseille - after allegedly saying his Premier League move 'unfortunately didn't work out' and being axed for Spurs clash

    The Fulham midfielder was surprisingly dropped for his side's trip to Tottenham
    Andreas Pereira has since addressed the situation in a lengthy online statement

Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira has slammed a 'malicious' publication claiming he wants to join Marseille by stating he 'deeply regrets' quotes attributed to him after being dropped for Sunday's trip to Tottenham.

The Brazilian was the surprise omission from Marco Silva's squad with their being initial confusion as to why Pereira hadn't travelled with the team to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

An interview conducted earlier in the week associated Pereira with talking about wanting to leave the club in the January transfer window to pursue a move to Marseille and the midfielder subsequently released a statement just minutes before Fulham's clash with Spurs got underway.

supporters in a lengthy Instagram update and accused the publication he did the interview with of wrongly translating quotes.

The 28-year-old's presence was sorely felt against Tottenham with Fulham lacking his creativity and goal threat but still managing to rescue a point after Tom Cairney struck late in the 1-1 draw.

Addressing what the former Man United star calls a 'malicious' article, Pereira stated: 'I would like to address the article recently published about me.

'Unfortunately, the piece contains statements attributed to me that I did not make, and the translation into English was done in a malicious and inaccurate manner, completely distorting my words.

'In the interview, I clearly expressed my happiness and satisfaction with being at Fulham and my gratitude for everything the club and the staff have done for me, emphasising at all times that I still have two years remaining on my contract and that I am fully focused on the club.

'However, the article includes comments that are neither accurate nor reflective of what I actually said,' added Pereira.

'I deeply regret the unprofessional conduct displayed in this situation and respectfully request a retraction of the quotes falsely attributed to me.

'It is essential to uphold the truth and ensure that public discourse is based on facts.


Pereira posted a lengthy statement on social media apologising to Fulham supporters

'Thank you for your understand. And most importantly Come On Fulham,' he said.

It is yet to be seen whether Pereira will be recalled to the first-team for Thursday's midweek clash against high-flying Brighton at Craven Cottage.

Pereira has made 94 appearances for the Cottagers and scored nine goals during that time after previously joining from Man United two years ago.

His existing contract runs until 2026 with Fulham also having the option to extend the deal for a further year at their own discretion.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14145965/Fulham-Andreas-Pereira-marseille-tottenham-dropped.html

[WhiteJC]

Silva: 'We deserved to win'
Marco Silva felt Fulham deserved to win after the Whites battled to a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.

Silva watched his side largely dominate an absorbing game but fail to take their chances and fall behind to a predatory strike from Brenan Johnson. Substitute Tom Cairney levelled with a lovely finish but was then sent off for a late tackle on Dejan Kulusevski and the visitors had to hold on with ten men.

Speaking to Match of the Day after the final whistle, Silva said:

"I think that everybody should recognise that the team who deserved to win this afternoon was ourselves. We deserved to win. We played our way, with our identity, on the pitch. Myself, the players and the fans should be proud of it. We should have been leading the score with the chances we had. We have to be realistic, Tottenham had chances as well."

He sprung to the defence of captain Cairney.

"Firstly, I know him. Tom Cairney is not the player for that, everybody knows. I have to be realistic and honest with you, everybody knows I am the first one asking him to be more aggressive in the right way, to keep some principles as a midfielder in that situation, but he is not the type of player to do that type of thing. He stamped on his leg and, of course, looking through the images it should be a red card and we have to accept it, knowing that Tom Cairney was really unlucky because he is not that type of player."

The Fulham head coach was proud of his players' response after going down to ten men.

 "What a reaction from us. The reaction was good – fifteen minutes with ten men and the reality is that Tottenham didn't create one chance."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2024/12/silva-we-deserved-to-win/

[WhiteJC]

Silva insists Pereira is not finished at Fulham
Marco Silva insisted the door has not been closed on Andreas Periera after the Fulham midfielder was left out of the squad for the draw at Tottenham.

Periera was reported to have said in a recent interview that he wanted to leave Fulham and join Marseille during the January transfer window.

The Brazilian has since posted on social media that he was misquoted and his comments mistranslated in a "malicious and inaccurate manner, completely distorting my words."

Boss Silva has previously shunned the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo when they did not show commitment to the club.

But he claimed Pereira's omission from the squad was nothing to do with the comments attributed to him and was merely a "technical decision".

Silva said: "I didn't read the interview. I know some of the topics of the interview.

"I didn't read the interview because for me to read something from my players I need to be sure that they did it.

"I didn't read it but I know what you are talking about. The thing that I want to tell you is that Andreas is going to be back stronger and is going to be with us to help the team like he has been.

"He's going to be the important player that he's been since he our joined the football club.

"It's nothing related to the interview. I don't make decisions (based) on interviews. My decisions are never going to be related to newspapers or something.

"My decisions come from a daily basis with the players, (training) sessions, games and nothing more."

And Silva indicated that the former Manchester United man is in line for a quick return, with Tom Cairney and Sasa Lukic now facing suspensions.

Cairney scored a superb equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Spurs but was then sent off, while Lukic picked up a fifth yellow card so must also serve a ban.

"Let's hope we can have Andreas ready again next week in the way I know he can play. We need everybody in this moment of the season," said Silva.

Fulham created several chances against Spurs but the hosts went ahead through Brennan Johnson's goal.

Cairney, on as a substitute, brilliantly levelled and it was a useful point for the Whites, but Silva they felt the deserved more.

He said: "I think we deserved much more from the game. We deserved clearly to win the game with the chances that we created against a very good side.

"Tottenham had very good chances too, but overall we had more. We had more control of the game and performance-wise we did really well.

"We didn't give any chances to them when with 10 men for the last 15 minutes of the game."

Having initially been booked for a crude challenge on Dejan Kulusevski in the 83rd minute, Cairney was shown the red card after referee Darren Bond viewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.

"We all know Tom Cairney and he's not a malicious player at all – I'm the first one pushing him to be more aggressive in the right way," said Silva.

"He was unlucky. He went for the ball and, if you want to accept just the images, you have to accept the red card."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/silva-insists-pereira-is-not-finished-at-fulham