Putting in another rugged performance on Monday night, Tottenham found a route back to the top of the Premier League table as they claimed a 2-0 victory against Fulham in north London.
Making their first appearance since returning from October’s international break, Spurs largely didn’t have to get out of third gear as the red-hot Heung Min Son notched his seventh Premier League strike of the season with a sublime effort just nine minutes before the half-time break.
Only continuing to shine under the guidance of new boss Ange Postecoglou, it was eventually summer recruit and new Tottenham poster boy James Maddison who wrapped up all three points with a slick finish on the 54th minute.
Climbing back to the top of the Premier League table and now mustering 23 points from their first nine top-flight appearances, some could be starting to feel that Spurs are a genuine title contender this season.
While Fulham might have sprung a real EFL Cup upset when they welcomed Tottenham to Craven Cottage back in August, the Cottagers struggled to find a similar performance this time around.
Struggling to create much aside from a late flurry in the dying stages, Fulham still remain 13th in the table and almost sat in top-flight limbo.
In a showdown that was largely one-way traffic in north London, we have taken a glance at the main talking points from Monday’s contest.
Can Tottenham mount a genuine title charge this season?
Suffering a real Premier League nightmare last season as they missed out on European football entirely, many were wondering if Tottenham would show any signs of a hangover when opening up the 2023/24 campaign.
However, only continuing on what has been a remarkable rise under Postecoglou and gaining a string of plaudits, some around the white half of north London are starting to believe that a stunning title charge could genuinely be on the cards this year.
Really flying out of the traps and still one of just two Premier League clubs that are unbeaten from their first nine top-flight appearances, the former Celtic boss finds the mood in his camp at a red-hot high.
Finding a way back to the top of the Premier League table and breaking a host of club records over the past couple of months, Tottenham are riding a real wave of momentum and are embracing their role as this year’s title dark horse.
Already mustering 23 points and gaining a fearsome reputation for their approach under ‘Big Ange’, Spurs have proven that they really do have the capability to cause England’s elite a string of troubles this time around.
Maddison Son are spearheading Postecoglou’s new era
With many fans around north London left heartbroken over the summer as Harry Kane completed a £100million move to German giants Bayern Munich, there was also plenty of speculation over how Tottenham’s attack would cope without the England skipper.
Nevertheless, recruiting Maddison from Leicester for a fee of just £40million and with many feeling that the 26-year-old has already cemented his spot as the signing of the summer, Spurs have only gone from strength to strength in Kane’s absence.
Embracing Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy and watching Maddison bag his first goal in north London here, Maddison’s blockbuster partnership with Son has been the backbone of Tottenham’s success this season.
Opening the scoring here and enjoying what has been a prolific individual start to the new campaign, the South Korean star already has seven Premier League strikes from his first nine appearances.
With that tally only surpassed by Manchester City record-breaker Erling Haaland, there are few defences across Europe who would currently relish a battle against Tottenham’s new dynamic duo.
Issues on the road come back to haunt Fulham
While Fulham might have sprung a real EFL Cup upset back on August 29th as they sent Spurs packing in the third-round, Marco Silva’s side would have always known that they faced a major examination here.
Although the former Everton boss might have seen his squad lose just one of their final five appearances across all competitions prior to October’s international break, the Cottagers struggled to find any kind of stability in north London.
Crashing back down to earth, Monday’s 2-0 loss now means that Fulham have recorded just a trio of their previous 12 Premier League contests away from Craven Cottage.
While the Cottagers might still be hopeful of mounting another top-half charge this time around, things don’t get any easier for Silva’s side ahead of what is a heavyweight fixture list over the next month.
Ahead of making the trip to Europa League outfit Brighton this weekend, Monday’s guests then face consecutive showdowns against Manchester United and a high-flying Aston Villa.
Match Report
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Hojburg, Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison, Son
Subs: Skipp, Royal, Lo Celso, Johnson, Veliz
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Bassey, Ream, Robinson, Palhinha, Lukic, De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian, Vinicius
Subs: Reed, Jimenez, Wilson, Cairney, Iwobi
Goals: Son (36’), Maddison (54’)
Yellow Cards: Vicario, Hojburg
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Anthony Taylor
