Tottenham and Fulham played out a dramatic draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The game began with a big chance as Spurs nearly capitalised on a defensive lapse from Fulham’s Calvin Bassey in the opening minute.
A careless pass across his own box was intercepted, but Bernd Leno reacted sharply to deny Son Heung-min with a save using his feet.
Fulham responded with intent, pressing high and creating chances down the flanks through Reiss Nelson and Antonee Robinson.
Raul Jimenez came close twice, forcing Fraser Forster into a pair of excellent saves, including one from a curling Kenny Tete cross.
Fulham’s best moment of the first half came in the 42nd minute when Alex Iwobi thundered a strike against the crossbar after fine interplay with Nelson.
It ends all square ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/z6zTrSqRQ1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 1, 2024
Moments later, James Maddison’s clever low free-kick for Spurs slipped under the wall but clipped the post, epitomising a frustrating half for both sides.
The second half continued at a blistering pace, with Fulham looking the more dangerous early on.
Harry Wilson, brought on for Nelson, added fresh energy and almost found an opener with his probing runs.
However, it was Spurs who struck first in the 54th minute. Timo Werner, who had been quiet until then, delivered a deft lofted ball to Brennan Johnson, who controlled and smashed it past Leno to give the home side the lead.
Fulham responded swiftly, and their persistence paid off in the 67th minute. Robinson’s overlapping run led to a cutback for Iwobi, who set up substitute Tom Cairney to curl a beautiful shot past Forster from the edge of the box.
Cairney equalises for the visitors.#TOTFUL | 1-1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@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 spurred Tottenham to pile on the pressure in the closing stages.
Ange Postecoglou’s side threw everything forward, with Pedro Porro and Son repeatedly delivering crosses into the box, but Fulham’s defence held firm.
Leno, in particular, was outstanding, claiming several dangerous deliveries and organizing his back line.
Fulham even had a chance to snatch a winner on the counter, but Wilson’s solo run ended with no support in the box.