Tottenham Hotspur had a shaky performance yet again as the side saw its London Derby match against Fulham end in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
With the lineup coming out and Dominic Solanke not in the squad — sent home after feeling ill — and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench, Spurs were looking for a way to get some chances without the two who have provided the most work in the squad.
Neither side seemed to control the ball throughout the first half, as shaky passes, poor possession play, and an inability to break down a defensive side in the end produced only a few moments.
Fulham they were able to get the Spurs’ defense open as they broke down the press, and for a majority of the chances they believed to have had, but Ben Davies came in clutch in multiple instances as the 10-year-veteran for the side put his defensive skills on display — as he rocked a black eye.
With questions about how Fraser Forster would slot in with Vicario out, Forster stood tall between the sticks as he made himself big on multiple Raul Jimenez chances and kept the striker out of the scorers sheet for the entirety of the match.
Spurs had early chances from Heung-min Son in the first minute as his shot hit the chest of Bernd Leno, and another opportunity he had, he couldn’t get out from under his feet in time.
The other big chance for Spurs came on a James Maddison free kick. Having a goal already from set pieces this year, Maddison tried to go for the spectacular with a low shot that was nicked away by the wall as the shot narrowly missed the post.
Spurs opened the scoring in the second half as Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson connected yet again. Struggling to keep possession and play strong balls, Maddison had the ball 25-yards out and put in a ball for Werner on the left wing. Taking a few touches and dragging the defense into his path, Werner lifted a perfect ball to the edge of the 6-yard box for an open Johnson to open his foot for a first-time volley and a 1-0 lead.
Rarely scoring first at home this season, Spurs had to go on the defensive shift, but a mistake in defense again allowed Fulham to get the goal they had been looking for all game long.
Club captain Tom Cairney equalized the match with a first-time shot from just inside the box, and the open space allowed Cairney to hit a curler to the far post that left Fraser just diving and watching the ball spin into the back of the net.
Tying the game, Cairney was eventually shown a red card after VAR ruled he had studs entirely on Kulusevski’s calf during a foul in play.
Sensing the advantage and the crowd coming alive to back the boys for a winner, Spurs failed to break down the back 5 Fulham resorted to.
With that, a draw was the final result, and the home crowd voiced its displeasure in the side as Spurs dropped another possible three points in the second half.
Consistency has yet to be shown for the side as the next visit to Bournemouth is on Thursday.