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Tottenham breezed past Fulham on Monday night to regain their place at the top of the Premier League table. A first-half strike from Son Heung-Min and a second-half finish from James Maddison secured the three points for a strong Spurs outfit on what was a very comfortable evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It all could have been very different for Fulham had Joao Palhinha found the back of the net with a good chance early on. The Portuguese international met an Andreas Pereira corner with his head but failed to direct the ball far enough away from Vicario in the Tottenham net. From that point onwards, Tottenham didn’t give the away side a sniff.
They took the lead in the 36th minute when Son Heung-Min finished into the top corner after some messy play from Calvin Bassey at the back for Fulham. Then, ten minutes after half time they doubled the lead through James Maddison after more carelessness from Bassey. Spurs could have added to their lead further but eventually had to settle for a 2-0 victory.
Tottenham 3-0 Fulham player ratings
Contents
Match timeline
3′ – Son finds himself one on one with Bernd Leno but the German sticks out an arm to deny the Spurs forward.
12′ – Joao Palhinha gets his head on a Fulham corner and directs it towards goal but Vicario pulls off a decent save to deny him.
36′ – GOAL: Son gives Spurs the lead with a wonderful touch and finish following some sloppiness from Calvin Bassey.
54′ – GOAL: James Maddison makes it 2-0 with a cool finish after being slipped in by Son.
76′ – Maddison has a great chance to make it 3-0 but his effort is blocked at the last minute by Tim Ream.
84′ – Jimenez fires a shot on goal but it’s well saved by Vicario.
Star man – James Maddison – 9/10
Although the match report will show that Son Heung-Min finished the match with a goal and an assist, it was James Maddison who ran the game for Spurs. Everything positive Spurs do seems to go through Maddison in one way or another and he seems to be thriving in the free role behind Son at the top of the pitch.
His passing was crisp and accurate throughout and he always seemed to make the right decision. He topped his evening off with his first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he took it well too. Instead of lashing at the ball when he found himself through on goal, he took a touch before passing the ball past Leno in the Fulham goal.
WHAT A SEASON JAMES MADDISON IS HAVING! 👏
His first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6GkHNpuDeg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 23, 2023
Tottenham player ratings
Guglielmo Vicario 6/10 – Made a good save to deny Palhinha early on but had a few hairy moments when sweeping.
Pedro Porro 7/10 – Defended on the front foot and joined in with the attacks.
Cristian Romero 7/10 – Was aggressive throughout to help Spurs maintain control.
Micky van de Ven 7/10 – Made it difficult for Fulham to play in behind.
Destiny Udogie 6/10 – Another solid outing from Udogie before being forced off with an injury.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 6/10 – Not as slick on the ball as Bissouma but did a good job defensively
Pape Sarr 7/10 – Covered a lot of ground to ensure Spurs won the ball back quickly every time Fulham got it.
Dejan Kulusevski 7/10 – Looked bright and dangerous every time he picked the ball up around the penalty area.
James Maddison 9/10 – Spurs’ best player once again. Arguably the Premier League signing of the summer.
Son Heung-Min 8/10 – Scored, provided an assist and looks to thriving again after a disappointing 2022/23.
WHAT A FINISH FROM SON! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/riPZNwGX6U
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 23, 2023
Richarlison 5/10 – Missed a few great opportunities and was generally very wasteful.
Substitutes
Emerson Royal 5/10 – Was caught napping a few times which gave Jimenez and Wilson chances to score.
Oliver Skipp 6/10 – Kept things moving in midfield.
Brennan Johnson N/A
Giovani Lo Celso N/A
Alejo Veliz N/A

Fulham player ratings
Bernd Leno 6/10 – Couldn’t have done anything about either goal but should have gone long on more occasions.
Timothy Castagne 5/10 – Kept losing Richarlison but was let off the hook by the Brazilian’s finishing.
Calvin Bassey 2/10 – Was at fault for both goals with bad passes and nearly gave away a third.
Tim Ream 6/10 – Bailed out Ramsey a few times but understandably looked stretched.
Antonee Robinson 6/10 – Did okay against Kulusevski in what was a 50/50 battle.
Sasa Lukic 5/10 – Was overran in midfield and couldn’t get close to his opponents.
Joao Palhinha 5/10 – Made some good tackles but will have been disappointed by the freedom Maddison had.
Willian 6/10 – Was Fulham’s biggest threat but did very little in truth.
Andreas Pereira 4/10 – Consistently lost the ball every time his team needed a breather.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid 4/10 – Every Fulham counter-attack seemed to end with him.
Carlos Vinicius 4/10 – A toothless centre forward display.
Substitutes
Alex Iwobi 5/10 – Showed flashes of quality but is still far too erratic.
Raul Jimenez 6/10 – Put himself about more than Vinicius and had a chance to make it 2-1.
Harry Wilson 6/10 – Couldn’t get into the game but should have started.
Harrison Reed N/A
Tom Cairney N/A

Tottenham 2-0 Fulham player ratings: The final word
Tottenham were once again emphatic and impressive on Monday night as they brushed Fulham aside with ease. Aside from an early Joao Palhinha head, the visitors didn’t come close to scoring against Postecoglou’s men and the hosts should have won by a larger margin. Spurs are now two points clear at the top of the Premier League table and will have the opportunity to extend that gap to five on Friday night.
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