Back from their break and back in the groove. There will surely come a point when this season of hope and possibility throws Tottenham into a wall of reality, but not just yet.
For now, they are having a lovely old time of it. Not enough to get silly, but sufficient to extend the party and to partially address the little questions that accumulate around a quick start.
In this case, and indeed the harder tasks that follow, they will nose on how Ange Postecoglou’s side handle the incremental rises in expectation. The subtle cranking of pressure that comes with success. That hasn’t always been a favourable examination for Tottenham, but for now they are ticking off the markers of progress and doing it with considerable swagger – what a fine team to watch when they are going well.
The perspective is that this was a win against Fulham, of course. Decent side, Fulham. They moved it around here, they broke hard, had a few chances, but ultimately were second best in most regards and, crucially, were punished with savage efficiency when they got sloppy.
In two instances, both at the end of the opening half and the start of the second, that meant careless passes by Cavin Bassey and crushing, definitive responses. Heung-Min Son delivery the first of those with his seventh goal of a season that has announced his revival almost as emphatically as it has his club’s recovery.
Son Heung-min scored the opening goal as Spurs beat Fulham 2-0 to go top of the table
James Maddison got his first home goal for Tottenham ten minutes into the second half
Careless passes by Fulham’s Cavin Bassey led to crushing, definitive responses from the hosts
For what it’s worth, the strike was a beauty. The next one was none too shabby, either, with Bassey’s mistake under pressure setting in motion a counter that saw Son tee up Maddison for his third of the campaign. As with the first, the move was loaded with style, speed and functionality, and the upshot is that Postecoglou has now yielded 23 points from his first nine league games in charge – a trivial Premier League record, but one that speaks warmly of Tottenham’s momentum since he picked up the pieces.
For this assignment, a modest challenge in the scheme of a long season, the Australian made only the one change to his line-up and that was through necessity, with Yves Bissouma suspended and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg elevated for a first start of the season.
It was a scenario which spawned a couple of thoughts: how would Hojbjerg react to a rare chance? And, more fundamentally, how might Tottenham cope with the absence of Bissouma, who has excelled as a shield and a sword in Postecoglou’s midfield.
The latter is a question that will take on greater importance when the Malian disappears for the Africa Cup of Nations, but in this instance Hojbjerg was a more-than-solid alternative; a sturdy platform from which Tottenham launched themselves into a quick start.
Within six minutes, that meant suckering Fulham into three risky fouls in dangerous places with a series of those fast-twitch rotations between James Maddison, Richarlison and Pedro Porro. The closest Spurs came amid that flurry of set-piece opportunities was a volley over the bar from Micky van de Ven.
But they were playing well. Fast, decisive, aggressive, as has been their way.
In response, some praise for Fulham – they spent most of the opening period without the ball but were quick and to the point when they had it, with Joao Palhinha particularly effective. Assisted by Antonee Robinson’s surges up the left and Timothy Castagne doing likewise on the right, he had outlets and in those combinations they had a few chances. The best of which, Palhinha’s header after 12 minutes, drew a brilliant save from Guglielmo Vicario.
Ange Postecoglou has yielded a record 23 points from his first nine league games in charge
Marco Silva made changes at the break, but he was unable to alter Tottenham’s rhythm
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made some brilliant saves to deny Fulham goals
It made for a fun game, but Spurs were better – at the culmination of one swift move, a counter into the space left by a Robinson charge, Richarlison was a fraction wide. In the next, enabled by a loose pass by Bassey and an interception by Micky van de Ven, Son put the home side ahead. His swivel to lose Tim Ream was eye-catching; his finish even better.
Marco Silva responded with two changes at the break, but Spurs resumed at an irresistible tempo. Richarlison skied an early chance – his confidence in front of goals seems non-existent – but Maddison quickly made it 2-0. As with the opener, Fulham were complicit in their undoing, with Bassey once again guilty of a poor ball, which was intercepted by Hojbjerg and fed to Son, prior to Maddison sliding past Bernd Leno from a one-on-one. Of his eight goal contributions this season, it was the Englishman’s first at home.
Fulham had chances for a consolation, most glaringly when Raul Jimenez went through on Vicario in the final moments. As with so much else, the exchange went Tottenham’s way.
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