IN-form striker Rodrigo Muniz scored a brace to help his side take apart a lowly Tottenham and extend Fulham’s impressive home record this season, reports Vlad Andrejevic from Craven Cottage.
Tottenham, who failed to score for the first time in 39 league games, were well beaten by the hosts and failed to capitalise on the opportunity to climb to fourth.
The visitors arrived in good spirits following their emphatic 4-0 victory against Aston Villa last week, however they were soon dampened as The Cottagers smothered them from the off. Marco Silva’s team were very well organised defensively, staying resolute and patient at the back whilst choosing their moments to press Spurs and spring forward.
The opening exchanges provided a perfect insight into what was to come, as Tottenham kept possession for almost two minutes directly from kick off before cheaply losing the ball in a dangerous area and allowing Fulham a clear route to goal, with Muniz having his shot well blocked by Cristian Romero before Radu Dragusin was on hand to divert the follow up.
Fulham continued to be a threat on the break, with the lively Anthonee Robinson robbing Pape Matar Sarr in midfield and driving towards the goal before attempting a pullback which just evaded Muniz.
Ange Postecoglou’s men were guilty of squandering a couple of their own chances, with Heung-Min Son blazing a shot over the bar from a clever James Maddison pass before the midfielder saw his own attempt go wide of the near post following good work from Destiny Udogie.
The tide turned on the stroke of half time as Robinson was released once again down the left flank, this time sending in an early pinpoint cross into the path of an unmarked Muniz who expertly controlled the ball before smashing in his shot to give Fulham a deserved lead.
The hosts carried their momentum into the second half and were soon rewarded with another goal as more lacklustre defending allowed Timothy Castagne to get in behind the visitors and send in a dangerous cross which was inadvertently turned in off Sasa Lukic’s knee for his first goal for the club.
Castagne was through again moments later, his shot well saved by Guglielmo Vicario for a corner from which Fulham scored their third. The ball found its way to the back post where Calvin Bassey managed to smash a shot off the post and into the path of Muniz to prod in his seventh goal in as many matches.
It was just reward for the striker, whose fortunes have turned around after a difficult start to his Premier League career. Following an indifferent opening campaign, he had an unsuccessful loan spell with Middlesborough last season in which he only managed two goals.
Despite finding himself down the pecking order, he retained his manager’s trust and, with the summer departure of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and the underwhelming form of Raul Jiminez, Muniz was given another opportunity and has taken it with both hands.
Having received a knock in the build-up to his second goal, he came off to a standing ovation as he was replaced by Jiminez, who spared Tottenham further blushes by standing in an offside position as João Palhinha thought he had scored a fourth.
Tottenham made a flurry of changes themselves but to no avail, with substitute Timo Werner summing up his side’s torrid evening with a glaring miss from two yards out following good work by Brennan Johnson.
Richarlison was also guilty of missing the target late on as he skewed his shot wide before Vicario was called into action in the dying moments of the contest to deny Harry Wilson. Fulham closed out the game to secure a commendable ninth home win of the season, leaving them in 12th but only five points off West Ham in 7th in what could quietly end up being a very respectable campaign for The Cottagers.
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