Ryan Sessegnon delivered a sensational strike against his former club as Fulham strengthened their European qualification hopes with a 2-0 victory over a lackluster Tottenham side at Craven Cottage, moving up to eighth in the Premier League.
Sessegnon, who scored his first goal since October 2022 against Wolves last month, marked his return to the pitch with another fine finish, this time just a minute after coming on. The winger showed great strength to outmuscle Ben Davies before curling a beautiful shot into the far corner of the net. It was a particularly frustrating moment for Tottenham, as it came just moments after Lucas Bergvall was denied a penalty despite a rough challenge from Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
Rodrigo Muniz, another substitute, had given Fulham the lead 10 minutes earlier with a clinical finish into the bottom corner following a sharp pass and touch from Andreas Pereira. Those two goals provided Marco Silva with plenty of reason to celebrate on the occasion of his 200th Premier League match as a manager.
Fulham dominated possession throughout the first half but struggled to create clear-cut chances. However, they withstood a slight Tottenham improvement in the second half to secure all three points. The win moves them just three points behind fifth-placed Manchester City, with the race for European spots tighter than ever – and Fulham very much in contention.
Tottenham’s own ambitions for the league have long since evaporated, which was evident in the seven changes manager Ange Postecoglou made to the team that progressed in the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday. Despite this rotation, Spurs put in a dismal performance, recording just three touches in Fulham’s penalty box during the first half. After the break, substitutes Heung-min Son and Bergvall added some energy, but Tottenham still lacked sharpness. Dominic Solanke squandered a couple of headed chances and then volleyed their best opportunity over the bar from a clever touch by James Maddison.
With their latest defeat, Spurs remain in 13th place, and as the international break approaches, the focus for the North London club shifts to their upcoming Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.
