Wed 13 January 2021, 12:04
Tottenham HotspurFollowing a rearrangement to our previously postponed Premier League fixture, we will take on Fulham this evening in N17 (8.15pm kick-off).
Ahead of the clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we take a look at the history of the fixture, some of its recent key moments, the statistics behind both teams' seasons so far, as well as the pre-match view from our opposition.
History
Tonight's meeting between the sides will be the first in N17 for over six years - April, 2014 - when we overcame the Cottagers via a 3-1 victory. Paulinho, Harry Kane and Younes Kaboul were all on the scoresheet for us while Steve Sidwell replied for the visitors. In action for Fulham that day was their current manager and our former player Scott Parker. While on our books, he captained us against Fulham at White Hart Lane in March, 2013 - his only other appearance in this fixture. That day, we fell to defeat with another one of our former players, Dimitar Berbatov, giving the visitors a narrow 1-0 victory. That remains our last defeat to Fulham in the Premier League and our only loss in our last 11 meetings with the men in white.
At home, we have enjoyed an incredibly strong record against the west London outfit. In our last 42 games against the Cottagers, in a run stretching back to September, 1906, we have lost just three of those encounters (W26, D13). Two of those defeats, however, have come during the Premier League era. We have hosted Fulham 14 times in England’s top flight since its reformation in 1992 and have come out on top nine times - including five victories in our last six meetings.
The most recent such encounter between the teams came in August, 2018, at Wembley Stadium, and we were made to fight for a 3-1 triumph on the 2018/19 season's opening day. Lucas Moura scored his first Premier League goal for us with a curling effort to open the scoring just before the break, but Fulham pegged us back just seven minutes into the second period - a certain Ryan Sessegnon teeing up Aleksandar Mitrovic. Yet, with just over 15 minutes remaining, a stunning free-kick from Kieran Trippier - much like the one he had struck for England in their World Cup semi-final against Croatia a month earlier - put us back ahead before Harry Kane clinically picked out the corner of the net three minutes later to seal the win.
Later that season, in the away encounter in January, 2019, we also took maximum points. Fulham took an early lead in the game via Fernando Llorente's own goal after just 17 minutes, however, a resilient showing from us in the second half saw us eventually claim all three points. Dele Alli nodded in just six minutes after the restart to get us level and then, in the final seconds of the game, Harry Winks came up trumps with a perfectly timed run to head home Georges-Kevin Nkoudou’s peach of a cross to give us a dramatic late win.
Meanwhile, we are currently on a run of nine games without defeat in London derbies (W5 D4). Harry Kane remains the second-highest goalscorer in such fixtures in Premier League history on 35 - he is just eight behind Thierry Henry. Meanwhile, Fulham have the worst record for any side in London derbies in Premier League history having won just 19 per cent of their 131 capital games. They have also lost their last 13 on the trot - an all-time record in the competition.
Last five meetings
20 January, 2019 – Fulham 1-2 Spurs – Premier League
18 August, 2019 – Spurs 3-1 Fulham – Premier League
19 February, 2017 – Fulham 0-3 Spurs – FA Cup fourth round
19 April, 2014 – Spurs 3-1 Fulham – Premier League
4 December, 2013 – Fulham 1-2 Spurs – Premier League
‘I can’t wait to go back there’
Prior to a tough couple of weeks off the pitch for Fulham following the surfacing of a number of positive COVID-19 cases amongst their players and staff, the Cottagers had been showing somewhat of a resurgence on the pitch after having initially struggled on their return to the Premier League.
Promoted via the place-offs in July, 2020, Scott Parker's endured a barren start to the campaign as they lost seven of their first 10 league games of the year. Beginning the season with four consecutive defeats as well as conceding 10 goals in the first three of those games, Fulham were left rooted to the bottom of the table. The situation was made even more difficult on matchday five when they were unable to hold out for victory against fellow strugglers Sheffield United - the Blades scoring a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw.
However, since then, significant wins have come over Midlands duo West Brom and Leicester City and, in their last six outings in the competition, the west London outfit have lost just once. And despite not having taken the maximum three points in any of their last five games, they are now unbeaten in their last four games (D4). Due to the previously stated off-the-field issues for Fulham, they have not been in Premier League action since Boxing Day. However, they will have been buoyed by a west London derby victory in the FA Cup third round on Saturday as they defeated QPR 2-0 after extra-time.
Making a return to action for the Cottagers in that FA Cup clash, following an injury lay off, was one of our Academy graduates Josh Onomah. Growing up with us in north London, Onomah progressed through our youth ranks and went on to make 32 appearances in our colours before departing for Fulham in the summer of 2019. Since making the move to west London, the midfielder has had a significant impact and was a key figure in his new side's promotion to the Premier League via last season's Championship play-offs. So far this term, he has endured a disjointed campaign with a knee problem having sidelined him for over three months.
The 23-year-old, however, played the full 120 minutes of Fulham's victory at Loftus Road on Saturday and is now in contention to play a part for Scott Parker's side against us tonight night, back where it all began for him in N17.
“When the fixtures first came out, that was the first team I was looking for,” Onomah admitted as he spoke about the prospect of returning to face us at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “It would be good to play against them, a team that I had been with basically my whole life. It would be quite weird because Tottenham is all I’d known for a long time, but now that Fulham is my home I can’t wait to go back there and hopefully come away with a win.
“Both teams have got positive momentum. Spurs have won a few recently but we’ve been doing well, too. Speaking to the lads, everyone is up for it, especially after not playing for a couple of weeks with everything that’s happened, so the lads can’t wait to get back playing Premier League football.”
It has been the perfect start to the new calendar year for us as we have won each of our three matches so far. Beginning 2021 with a 3-0 win Premier League win over Leeds United, we followed up that triumph by booking our place in April's Carabao Cup Final as we overcame Brentford 2-0. Then, on Sunday, we progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a professional 5-0 victory over non-league outfit Marine.
That makes it three wins from three, 10 goals scored and none conceded so far in 2021 as we have kept three clean sheets on the bounce. In fact, in our last 15 games, we have managed nine shutouts yet, while Jose Mourinho acknowledges the benefits of clean sheets, he is also keen for the team to further increase its output at the other end of the pitch.
"We have to try to get one more (clean sheet) in the next match because clean sheets help us to get results, but the most important thing is to win matches," Jose explained. "I understand that the clean sheet shows organisation, commitment and is a good feeling for not just the goalkeepers but the whole team and that helps you to win matches, but you need to score goals."
