Fulham 0-3 Tottenham (FA Cup 5th Round)
Tottenham will make the short trip to West London where they will take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. The reward for the winner of this tie will be a place in the quarter finals of this prestigious tournament; only 1 round away from securing a tie at Wembley.
Just minutes later Tottenham had the ball in the back of the net via the boot of Winks, but the goal was disallowed as Kane was offside in the build-up.
It was now relentless pressure from Tottenham and the game was quickly getting away from Fulham. They had to do something if they were to get back into the game, and as a result Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic called upon the 16 year old left sided midfielder, Ryan Sessegnon, to try and transform the home team's fortunes.
However this did little to disrupt the flow of the game and Tottenham should have scored their third just before the hour mark. Eriksen, who was picking apart the Fulham defence with ease, managed to find Alli at the back post. With Bettinelli scrambing across his goal it looked like Alli would have an easy finish, but he could not keep his shot down and thus a very good chance was wasted.
It did not look like this chance would prove to be costly for Tottenham, but aided by the introduction of Sessessgnon, Fulham were starting to show signs of life as an attacking force. It seemed as if his introduction coincided with a change of atmosphere inside the Cottage, as the home crowd sprung into life as they desperately willed their team forward.
It seemed this was working to good effect as the balance of play had definitely shifted. Fulham were now beginning to look more comfortable on the ball as they went in search of getting back on terms.
As time whittled down it was looking more and more unlikely that Fulham would get back in the game. Kane had the chance to get his hat trick and kill off the game for good in the process but his poked effort went narrowly over the bar.
Just a few minutes later the home side had a chance of their own, but Mcdonald's headed effort went just over the bar. That was undoubtedly Fulham's best chance of the game and they were made to rue this miss as Kane finished off their hopes just minutes later,
Alli released Kane with time and space to run at the Fulham goal, and the latter showed his killer instincts as he clinically fired past Bettinelli at his near post. (3-0)
It looked as if Fulham would come away from the game with a consolation goal, but Parker's point blank header was brilliantly saved by Vorm. However, the flag had already been raised for offside meaning the goal would not have counted anyway.
With time running out and Tottenham cruising to victory, there was very little action in the latter stages of the game. Despite their best efforts, Fulham could not find a way past Tottenham's defence, who in turn were content with holding possession in midfield and seeing out an easy victory.
As the game entered the last minute Tottenham could have put the icing on the cake, but Son headed over when all alone at the back post.
And so that is how the game finished, and Tottenham will be very happy with how they performed as they avoided a potential banana skin in the shape of Fulham. Considering how results had gone just a day before, Fulham presented a real threat to the Premier League side and thus Tottenham will be very happy that they were able to brush them off with considerable ease.
Fulham on the other hand will not be too disappointed with the defeat. It always looked an uphill task on paper and they struggled to cope with Tottenham's quality both in defence and attack. Nevertheless it has still been a good run for Fulham in the cup, and they will now turn their attention back to the league as they continue their push for a playoff berth.
Player Ratings:
Yesterday we saw two massive giant killings as Premier League sides crashed out of the competition at the expense of lower league opposition. Leicester, who have so far had an abysmal season which has seen them flirting with relegation, were overcome by a plucky Millwall side who scored a late winner despite only having 10 men.
But even more remarkably Burnley were to fall at the hands of non league side Lincoln, who again overcame their opponents with a last minute winner. This result was extraordinary given Lincoln were 81 places lower than Burnley in the English football league ladder. With this incredible upset, Lincoln were to make history in the process as they became the first non league side to reach the quarter finals of the competition since the current format was adopted in 1925.
But even more remarkably Burnley were to fall at the hands of non league side Lincoln, who again overcame their opponents with a last minute winner. This result was extraordinary given Lincoln were 81 places lower than Burnley in the English football league ladder. With this incredible upset, Lincoln were to make history in the process as they became the first non league side to reach the quarter finals of the competition since the current format was adopted in 1925.
Although this tie is a lot closer on paper than the match-up between Burnley and Lincoln, you would still expect Tottenham to come away from West London with a comfortable victory. So in a week which has so far been riddled with Cup shocks, can Fulham emulate what both Millwall and Lincoln have done and prevail over top flight opposition?
The teams lined up as follows:
Fulham: Bettinelli, Malone, Odoi, McDonald, Kalas, Kebano, Cairney, Ayite, Ream, Johansen, Aluko
Subs: Button, Madl, Sessegnon, Parker, Piazon, Martin, Cyriac
Tottenham: Vorm, Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Wanyama, Winks, Eriksen, Son, Alli, Kane
Subs: Lopez, Carter-Vickers, Wimmer, Dembele, Onomah, Sissoko, Janssen
Tottenham looked to start the game fast and almost took the lead in the 4th minute. Alli managed to poke a ball through to Eriksen through on goal, but Bettinelli was able to push the Dane's poked effort wide. Almost immediately after that Alli found space just outside the box, but he could only drag his shot just wide.
It was a very positive start for Tottenham, who would no doubt have been aware of the upsets that occurred the day before. They had looked a class above the home side in the opening 10 minutes, and if they could maintain this fast start than it would be extremely unlikely that they would suffer the same fate as Burnley and Leicester.
Fulham had their first effort on goal as Malone found space on the edge of the box, but the ball got stuck underneath the left back's feet and he could not get the necessary power nor direction to pose a threat to Vorm's goal.
It was a combination of sloppy play from Fulham and quick thinking from Tottenham that led to the opening goal of the game on the 15 minute mark. Ream looked to have all the time in the world as he picked the ball up in central defence, but his sloppy pass eluded Malone and rolled out of play.
This presented Tottenham with a chance to catch Fulham out. Trippier sprinted to the byline to take the throw in, and his long throw released Eriksen with time and space on the right wing. His measured ball found Kane perfectly in the box, and the prolific striker made no mistake as he finished with aplomb. (1-0)
Fulham looked rattled at the restart and almost immediately following the restart they nearly found themselves 2-0 down. Alderwiereld played an exquisite long range ball to Alli who touched it down brilliantly, but with the goal at his mercy he scuffed his left footed shot into the ground.
It looked as if Fulham's high line and aggressive play style would be exploited time and time again, but it was making for a very entertaining game with chances at both ends.
It was another mistake that led to the next good chance; this time it was Vorm who nearly gifted Fulham a goal.
Tottenham tried to play the ball out from the back, but Fulham were doing well to put them under pressure and hassle their every pass. Vorm seemed to panic in possession of the ball and as a result his rushed pass fell straight to Cairney. The Scot had to take his shot early if he was to capitalise on Vorm being out of position, but he could not generate enough power on his effort which allowed Vorm to atone for his mistake.
That was a let off for Tottenham, who could have easily found themselves back on terms with the Championship club. Fulham's attacking play style was proving costly at the back, but this chance was a reminder that they were far from being out of this game.
However, Fulham were living dangerously and nearly shot themselves in the foot once again. This time it was Cairney who was sloppy in possession and Kane was able to profit from his error. The English striker slipped the ball through to Eriksen, but he took the ball too wide and all he could do was blaze over from a tight angle.
This presented Tottenham with a chance to catch Fulham out. Trippier sprinted to the byline to take the throw in, and his long throw released Eriksen with time and space on the right wing. His measured ball found Kane perfectly in the box, and the prolific striker made no mistake as he finished with aplomb. (1-0)
Fulham looked rattled at the restart and almost immediately following the restart they nearly found themselves 2-0 down. Alderwiereld played an exquisite long range ball to Alli who touched it down brilliantly, but with the goal at his mercy he scuffed his left footed shot into the ground.
It looked as if Fulham's high line and aggressive play style would be exploited time and time again, but it was making for a very entertaining game with chances at both ends.
It was another mistake that led to the next good chance; this time it was Vorm who nearly gifted Fulham a goal.
Tottenham tried to play the ball out from the back, but Fulham were doing well to put them under pressure and hassle their every pass. Vorm seemed to panic in possession of the ball and as a result his rushed pass fell straight to Cairney. The Scot had to take his shot early if he was to capitalise on Vorm being out of position, but he could not generate enough power on his effort which allowed Vorm to atone for his mistake.
That was a let off for Tottenham, who could have easily found themselves back on terms with the Championship club. Fulham's attacking play style was proving costly at the back, but this chance was a reminder that they were far from being out of this game.
However, Fulham were living dangerously and nearly shot themselves in the foot once again. This time it was Cairney who was sloppy in possession and Kane was able to profit from his error. The English striker slipped the ball through to Eriksen, but he took the ball too wide and all he could do was blaze over from a tight angle.
Just minutes later Tottenham had the ball in the back of the net via the boot of Winks, but the goal was disallowed as Kane was offside in the build-up.
At this rate it only seemed a matter of time until Tottenham got their second goal. They were dominating proceedings all over the park and the quartet of Son, Alli, Eriksen and Kane were all looking menacing as the Fulham back line struggld to contain them.
The final 15 minutes of the half were much less frantic than the opening half an hour and chances began to fall to each side with lest regularity. Despite this the home team nearly shot themselves in the foot again just before the break as Bettinelli gifted the ball to Kane, but Johannsen did well to dispossess Kane when he was running through on goal.
With the half time whistle looming the ball ricocheted to Johansen on the edge of the box,but his volleyed effort failed to trouble Vorm. Aluko also had a curling effort from a tight angle saved, just after Ayite had narrowly failed to capitalise on a fizzed ball across goal.
Soon after these trio of chances Robert Madley blew his whistle to bring a very entertaining half to a close. Tottenham went into the game heavy favourites and it was therefore unsurprising that they had pretty much controlled the game from start to finish. They had looked a class above Fulham in every area of the pitch and barring a nervy moment from Vorm, had limited their opposition to very few chances up front.
Although they had found themselves outclassed for much of the first half, Fulham did manage to finish off the opening 45 minutes strongly. They created more in the final 2 minutes than they did for the rest of the first half; and they could use this as a confidence booster going into the second half.
Nevertheless Tottenham were by far the better side and were unlucky to not be leading by 2 or 3 goals. However anything could happen in 45 minutes of football, and Tottenham had to emulate their efforts from the first half if they were to overcome their London rivals.
The second half started and Tottenham were looking to kill off the tie as quickly as possible. Eriksen had a warning shot saved, but just 2 minutes later they would double their lead and seemingly see off the challenge from the Championship side.
Eriksen whipped in a delicious ball from the right hand side and on hand to convert was Kane who clinically finished past Bettinelli. There was a hint of offside, but nevertheless it was just rewards for Tottenham who were more than worth their 2 goal lead. (2-0)
However this did little to disrupt the flow of the game and Tottenham should have scored their third just before the hour mark. Eriksen, who was picking apart the Fulham defence with ease, managed to find Alli at the back post. With Bettinelli scrambing across his goal it looked like Alli would have an easy finish, but he could not keep his shot down and thus a very good chance was wasted.
It did not look like this chance would prove to be costly for Tottenham, but aided by the introduction of Sessessgnon, Fulham were starting to show signs of life as an attacking force. It seemed as if his introduction coincided with a change of atmosphere inside the Cottage, as the home crowd sprung into life as they desperately willed their team forward.
It seemed this was working to good effect as the balance of play had definitely shifted. Fulham were now beginning to look more comfortable on the ball as they went in search of getting back on terms.
As time whittled down it was looking more and more unlikely that Fulham would get back in the game. Kane had the chance to get his hat trick and kill off the game for good in the process but his poked effort went narrowly over the bar.
Just a few minutes later the home side had a chance of their own, but Mcdonald's headed effort went just over the bar. That was undoubtedly Fulham's best chance of the game and they were made to rue this miss as Kane finished off their hopes just minutes later,
Alli released Kane with time and space to run at the Fulham goal, and the latter showed his killer instincts as he clinically fired past Bettinelli at his near post. (3-0)
It looked as if Fulham would come away from the game with a consolation goal, but Parker's point blank header was brilliantly saved by Vorm. However, the flag had already been raised for offside meaning the goal would not have counted anyway.
With time running out and Tottenham cruising to victory, there was very little action in the latter stages of the game. Despite their best efforts, Fulham could not find a way past Tottenham's defence, who in turn were content with holding possession in midfield and seeing out an easy victory.
As the game entered the last minute Tottenham could have put the icing on the cake, but Son headed over when all alone at the back post.
And so that is how the game finished, and Tottenham will be very happy with how they performed as they avoided a potential banana skin in the shape of Fulham. Considering how results had gone just a day before, Fulham presented a real threat to the Premier League side and thus Tottenham will be very happy that they were able to brush them off with considerable ease.
Fulham on the other hand will not be too disappointed with the defeat. It always looked an uphill task on paper and they struggled to cope with Tottenham's quality both in defence and attack. Nevertheless it has still been a good run for Fulham in the cup, and they will now turn their attention back to the league as they continue their push for a playoff berth.
Player Ratings:
Fulham: Bettinelli(6) Malone(5) Odoi(5) McDonald(6) Kalas(6) Kebano(5) Cairney(5) Ayite(5) Ream(5) Johansen(6) Aluko(5)
Subs: Sessegnon(6) Parker(5) Cyriac(6)
Tottenham: Vorm(6) Trippier(7) Alderweireld(8) Vertonghen(7) Davies(7) Wanyama(7) Winks(7) Eriksen(8) Son(6) Alli(7) Kane(9)
Subs: Dembele(6) Sissoko(5) Onomah(5)
Man of the match: Harry Kane
Honourable mention: Christian Eriksen
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