Tottenham vs Fulham recap: Spurs got goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as Antonio Conte’s side improved its unbeaten start to six games with a 2-1 victory in north London on Saturday.
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Hojbjerg opened the scoring in the 40th minute as Tottenham grew into the game and threatened with increasing frequency. The second goal came a bit later (the 75th) than Conte would have liked, but it proved vital as Aleksandar Mitrovic terrorized Cristian Romero in the final 15 minutes, scoring once and so nearly leveling the score at 2-2.
With the victory, Spurs (14 points) temporarily sit 2nd in the Premier League table, a point behind north London rivals Arsenal who are yet to play this weekend.
What we learned from Tottenham vs Fulham
Richarlison makes an impact every game he plays
Richarlison has played all of 167 PL minutes this season, including 90 in his first start on Saturday, and it’s already clear that he’ll overtake one of Dejan Kulusevski or Son Heung-min for a regular starting spot sometime soon. The Swede and the Korean certainly apply themselves defensively to a satisfactory degree for Conte, but Richarlison takes the gritty, hard-nosed part of the game to an entirely different level. No longer forced to carry a relegation-threatened side as the main striker, the Brazilian has injected energy and intensity into a side which sometimes lacked those key intangibles in the past. Out of possession, he’s a ball-seeking box-to-box midfielder. In possession, he’s popping up in dangerous areas to link and facilitate play in a way that flows to Kane, rather than always through him.
Mitrovic scores again, but Fulham need a creator
Perhaps 34-year-old Willian will prove to be exactly what Fulham need, but it would appear based on the evidence of the first six games and Saturday’s specifically, it’s going to have to be Mitrovic creating and scoring the chances if the Cottagers are to protect their place in the Premier League. Sure, there will be some assists to go around for corner kicks and free kicks delivered to his forehead, but most of Fulham’s attack consists of Mitrovic going one on one (or two or three), trying to create a few inches of space to unleash a heavy strike that’s only going in if it’s placed absolutely perfectly in the bottom corner. It’s working better than it should early in the season, but when the small margins start going against Fulham, what then?
How to watch Tottenham vs Fulham live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET, SaturdayTV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
Key storylines
Spurs are looking really solid early in the season but Antonio Conte’s side haven’t hit top gear yet. They haven’t got close to it and they’re still unbeaten. Harry Kane is looking dangerous each and every game but Heung-min Son is struggling to support him and has yet to score in the Premier League this season. Still, Tottenham look like they will be tough to beat and have the experience to cement a spot in the top four.
Fulham have surprised pretty much everyone as Marco Silva’s side have only one defeat in their opening five games (that late loss at Arsenal which they were far from happy with) and they’ve been much more aggressive and resolute on their return to the Premier League. They look the best of the new boys and they already have eight points on the board this season.
In-form players to keep an eye on
Harry Kane has scored three goals in his last three outings and he set up Spurs’ goal at West Ham last time out (it went down as an own goal) as he continues to deliver in key moments. Eric Dier is having a decent start to the season and has stepped up with Cristian Romero being out injured in recent weeks.
Fulham’s star has been Mitrovic but Kebano on the wing, plus new signings Andreas Pereira and Joao Palhinha have both been excellent in midfield. Also, a shoutout to USMNT veteran Tim Ream who has been rock solid at center back.
Tottenham team news, injuries, lineup options
Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero are both battling to be fit for this game as the former is recovering from a concussion, while Romero is almost back from a hip injury. Bryan Gil could return, while Lucas Moura is definitely out after he suffered a calf injury. Will Richarlison start this game to give Son a rest?
Our starting XI for this afternoon's game against @FulhamFC! 👇 pic.twitter.com/J1eLUoujxG
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 3, 2022
Fulham team news, injuries, lineup options
Harry Wilson remains out, while summer signing Manor Solomon suffered a serious knee injury on his Fulham debut against Liverpool and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Fulham were busy late in the transfer window as Willian and Layvin Kurzawa will be key additions to their squad.
Your Fulham XI! 🤍#TOTFUL pic.twitter.com/wuerq8NCao
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) September 3, 2022