Tottenham Hotspur improved after the break, but the damage had been done following Fulham's early flurry in north London, two goals to the good after six minutes.
Thomas Frank spoke before the game about the importance of starting with confidence, but the performance was anything but assured, with Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith remarking that it was "chaos in Tottenham's defensive line" early on.
It wasn't just the defenders who flattered to deceive, though, with Guglielmo Vicario's ill-judged rush from his box to deal with a clearance leaving Harry Wilson to curl home and double the Cottagers' lead just moments into the match.
Guglielmo Vicario is letting Spurs down
Vicario has been an astute piece of business for Tottenham over the past several years, but he has left plenty to be desired this season, with his error-strewn performance against Fulham sadly not an outlier, his costly mistake the third of the Premier League campaign, and 11th since he arrived in 2023.
There is a case to be made that the Lilywhite defenders needed to drop back and protect the yawning goalmouth, but Vicario, 28, has much to answer for, only making one save besides, as per Sofascore.
Whether Vicario reprises his starting berth between the sticks going forward is another matter, but it's certainly one Frank will chew on as he looks to arrest this slump and bring Spurs back into the ascendancy, stringing together some strong winter form to challenge for a reprisal of their ongoing Champions League campaign.
However, changes clearly need to be made, and Frank does not have long to enact any shuffling, with Newcastle United awaiting at St. James' Park on Tuesday evening.
There may actually be an outfield Tottenham star who must be dropped for that crucial top-flight clash, having lacked dynamism in the middle of the park this season.
The boos chorused around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time, and Joao Palhinha was among the dejected players in white after a disappointing midfield display that saw him hooked on the hour mark.
The loanee, brought in from Bayern Munich in the summer, was ineffective against his former London outfit, with football.london criticising 'one of his shakier performances' and branding him with a 5/10 match rating.
Vicario might suffer from crises of judgement, but Palhinha is beginning to solidify as a centre-midfielder lacking in key areas; namely, he is limited in possession and he is not mobile enough.
As per FBref, the Portugal international ranks among the bottom 9% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.
These flaws were accentuated against Marco Silva's side, who only had 37% of the ball but made it count. Palhinha's inability to break lines and influence in the attacking half played into this.
You would hope, at least, that the tough-tackling midfielder would win his tackles, but Palhinha's one attempted tackle saw him come up short, lunging into the grass.
The fact that the 30-year-old failed to create a chance and made just the one recovery further emphasises the poor display, too one-dimensional and sedentary in the middle of the park.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Tottenham need more energy and electricity and enthusiasm. Sure, key playmakers are sidelined, but this isn't good enough.
Change is needed, and it might be time for Frank to repackage his engine room with a new combination.