Brilliance of record-breaker Kane ensures Fulham suffer seventh home league loss in a row to Spurs
Fulham (0) 0
Tottenham (1) 1 Kane 45
It had to be him didn’t it.
The stats don’t lie and they all pointed to the Spurs striker finding the net – even with his team struggling early on against a robust and highly charged Fulham.
The Whites were determined to pick up where they left off in that intoxicating win over Chelsea in their last home match and set off as if there was no tomorrow.
But Kane is on a mission, and in spinning around Tim Ream on the edge of the box before drilling low past Bernd Leno’s left hand, he drew level with Jimmy Greaves’ club record of 266 goals.
Oh, and it was also his 48th goal in London derbies – a total no-one has come close to matching in the Premier League era – and his eighth goal in seven games against the Whites.
Away fans were in good voice, chanting their support for Antonio Conte at the start – and their antipathy towards chairman Daniel Levy. But whatever the immediate future holds, they know it must involve their talismanic front man.
Kane almost had the record to himself before the hour was up, but Leno tipped over his five-yard header superbly – the chance coming from Ben Davies’ cushioned header from the left.
Spurs were a team transformed after the interval. Where they had been outpaced, outmuscled and outfought, they now had hold of the ball and a greater degree of control.
Fulham, so vibrant in the opening 30 minutes, simply lost their way as Spurs applied a tourniquet to proceedings.
It means Spurs have won seven times in a row at the Cottage on the league and a horror run of 13 defeats in the past 15 encounters for the Whites, who last defeated the north Londoners nearly a decade ago.
There are bogey teams for Fulham. Then there is Tottenham.
It had all started so promisingly for Marco Silva’s men. Hugo Lloris had to save a low drive from Bobby Reid and get behind an Andreas Pereira free-kick from distance.
The keeper then did well to block a close-range volley from Harrison Reed – Pereira having picked him out with a cross from the right to the near post. Aleksandar Mitrovic headed a Kenny Tete cross just wide.
But the Whites could not maintain the blistering start.
It was 30 minutes before Spurs had a shot – Kane drilling over after a typical charge to work himself into space. It was a warning. The chronicle of a defeat foretold.
Whites: (4-2-3-1) Leno – Tete (Solomon 80), Diop, Ream, Robinson – Palhinha, Reed (Cairney 65) – Willian (VInicius 88), Pereira. Decordova-Reid (Wilson 88) – Mitrovic. Subs not used: Rodak, Kurzawa, Tosin, Chalobah, James
Spurs: (3-4-2-1) Lloris – Romero, Dier, Davies – Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic – Kulusevski (Bissouma 90) Son (Richarlison 76) – Kane. Subs not used: Forster, Doherty, Skipp, Sanchez, Tanganga, Lenglet
Attendance: 24,190
