EPL: Fulham Deny Tottenham Hotspur Victory with Late Equalizer

Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham, as their inconsistency continues to plague their Premier League campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur's inconsistency reared its head again as they were forced to settle for a draw against Fulham at home in the Premier League. With several key players missing due to injury and suspension, Spurs had to dig deep to withstand the visitors' intense pressure before taking the lead.

Brennan Johnson broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, volleying home his sixth league goal of the season from close range. The Wales forward was expertly set up by Timo Werner's precise cross, which found Johnson in a prime scoring position.

However, Fulham's dominance eventually paid off, and they deservedly equalized in the 67th minute through captain Tom Cairney. The midfielder, who had only just come on as a substitute, unleashed a powerful first-time left-footed shot from 18 yards, which found the back of the net after being picked out by Alex Iwobi's clever pass.

Cairney's joy was short-lived, however, as he was sent off in the 83rd minute for a reckless late challenge on the back of Dejan Kulusevski's leg. The red card capped off a dramatic turn of events, leaving Fulham to finish the match with 10 men.

Tottenham Hotspur, fresh from their impressive 4-0 victory over Manchester City last week, have now failed to secure consecutive wins in their last eight matches. Despite being the Premier League's top scorers, Spurs struggled to find their rhythm against Fulham.

The hosts' best opportunity came just 50 seconds into the match, when Son Heung-min capitalized on a loose Fulham pass, only to be denied by Bernd Leno's save. Thereafter, Spurs found it challenging to create scoring chances. James Maddison did come close with a clever free-kick that hit the post, but Fulham posed a significant threat, particularly through Alex Iwobi's drive, which clipped Ben Davies and struck the crossbar just before halftime.

Fulham's attacking efforts were repeatedly thwarted by Fraser Forster, who made a series of impressive saves to deny the visitors. Meanwhile, Spurs were forced to contend without their first-choice striker, Dominic Solanke, who was absent from the squad due to a minor injury. According to manager Ange Postecoglou, Solanke “felt a bit sore” following the midweek Europa League draw against Roma.

Key forward Dejan Kulusevski, who had created more chances than any other player in the league prior to the match, was surprisingly left on the bench as manager Ange Postecoglou opted to rotate his squad. Kulusevski was eventually introduced into the game after Fulham's equalizing goal, as Spurs pushed for a winning goal.

However, despite Kulusevski's introduction, Spurs were unable to find the decisive goal, ultimately settling for a draw at home for the second time in a week. This result followed their 2-2 stalemate with Roma on Thursday. Additionally, it marked Spurs' first league draw since the opening day of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur's inconsistency has been a major concern this season, and now injuries and suspensions are exacerbating the issue. The team was severely depleted for this match, missing their first-choice goalkeeper, centre-back pairing, and striker. This absence of key players was evident in a disjointed performance that lacked cohesion.

The absence of Rodrigo Bentancur, who is serving a seven-match domestic ban for racist comments made about teammate Son Heung-min, has also been felt. Additionally, the injury to Italian goalkeeper Gigi Vicario, who fractured his ankle in the 4-0 win over Manchester City, has been a significant blow. Vicario's passing ability is crucial to manager Ange Postecoglou's system, and his replacement, Fraser Forster, lacks this skill.

However, Forster has demonstrated his exceptional shot-stopping ability, making several crucial saves against Fulham. He denied Raul Jimenez with a superb reflex save and then made point-blank stops from both Issa Diop and Alex Iwobi after the break. Unfortunately, Forster was powerless to prevent Fulham's equalizing goal, which resulted in Spurs dropping two crucial points in the top-four race. With this draw, seventh-placed Spurs now hold only a one-point advantage over Fulham, who sit in 10th position.

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham were affected by player absences, with Fulham missing Andreas Pereira, who had started every Premier League match this season until today. Pereira's omission was reportedly due to an interview he gave to a Brazilian outlet, in which he discussed a potential move to Marseille during the summer transfer window. Although Pereira later claimed he was misquoted, his comments seemingly led to his exclusion from the starting lineup.

The absence of Pereira could have been a significant blow to Fulham, but Tom Cairney's introduction from the bench helped to mitigate the loss. Cairney, who took the captain's armband immediately after coming on in the 62nd minute, led by example with a superb finish to equalize for Fulham. However, his impressive display was marred by a reckless tackle on Dejan Kulusevski in the 83rd minute, which initially earned him a yellow card. Following a VAR review, Cairney was ultimately shown a red card by referee Darren Bond, leaving Fulham to finish the match with 10 men.