Harry Kane’s curse is lifted! Winners and losers as Spurs beat Fulham

In an exciting afternoon of football, Spurs beat Fulham 3-1.

It was a day for firsts, as one Spurs player scored his first goal in August whilst another scored his first goal period. Who were the winners and losers? Read on and find out!

Winner: Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura began this game in an almost impressively bad finishing rhythm. His movement was as great as ever, but his ability to make the most out of that movement by taking his chances. He was in a prime position to head the ball into the back of the net just minutes into the game but put it wide somehow; and then soon after that he won the ball back high up the field and raced towards goal before then taking a touch heavier than Jupiter and allowing Fabri to come and make a stop.

So why is he a winner? Well for starters his movement was constant, he never gave Fulham a second’s respite whenever he had the ball. A supreme pressing performance. Moreover, with just minutes left in the first half, Lucas finally gave Tottenham the lead that their excellent play deserved by racing (and we really do mean racing – he was lightning!) onto a loose ball on the edge of the Fulham box and thwacking it with his left, a bending beauty of a shot that smashed into the back of the net past a despairing Fabri.

Winner: Harry Kane

#KaneInAugust is no more! After 988 minutes across 14 games having taken 46 shots, Harry Kane finally has a Premier League goal in the month of August. Yet for the longest time, it looked like that unlucky run would continue.

There were so many occasions in the game against Fulham where Kane had the ball in what one could call a pre-chance. That is, there’s no chance yet but one good touch and you can see a chance coming from a mile off.

Usually the magnificent Kane turns pre-chances into chances into goals with the regularity of an atomic clock. But this is August, and thus those chances either never come as a result of uncharacteristic heavy touches or displays of selflessness. Sometimes it’s just plain bad luck such as that chance with 20 minutes left where he hit the bar.

But with just over 10 minutes left in the game, Kane received a forward pass from Erik Lamela and cut inside Arsenal-loanee Calum Chambers before clipping a delicate shot along the ground and into the far corner of the net. 3-1 Spurs, game over and curse lifted!

Loser: Fabri

Fabri had a strange game in that he made a handful of decent saves, wasn’t really at fault for any of Spurs’ goals, but still emerges from the game as a loser because he never once looked in control of himself or his area.

On more than one occasion a cross or shot came in and Fabri looked like Rocky Balboa chasing after that chicken. His palms were slippery and his demeanour was that of a hyperactive toddler not yet in control of his limbs.

Fabri was lucky to not concede a goal through his blunders (as he did last week) but with the superb Sergio Rico sat on the bench, patiently waiting for his chance to show everyone just how good he is, Fabri’s place as Spurs’ number one is not a stable one.

Winner: Kieran Trippier

Overall, Kieran Trippier had a decent first game back after his sublime showing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He defended his flank well and was constantly available as an outlet on the right in attack. He whipped numerous crosses into the box, showing that he hasn’t lost the edge he showed so prominently in Russia.

But he elevated his performance and his club’s with a stunning free-kick with 15 minutes to go in the game. The free-kick was from a mostly central spot and this was Christian Eriksen country. Except Trippier, a right-back, sent the delightful Dane packing and then sent Fulham back to Craven Cottage with nothing as he launched a magnificent missile over the wall and into the back of the net.

The Bury Beckham strikes again!

Loser: Daniel Levy

Mauricio Pochettino has been performing miracles at Spurs for going on four years now. Spurs don’t pay the going rate for elite players yet this Spurs squad is full of talent who could call itself elite. Keeping those players motivated and happy despite their financial situation and the palpable lack of investment is incredible.

Spurs have shown in these last two games that they are very much capable of launching a title challenge. Pochettino is still doing his job to an absurd level of quality. But of course it’s only August, and their small squad will inevitably get stretched too far from all the games they’re playing. What they really needed was investment, some new blood to add depth and drive to Pochettino’s passion project, and Daniel Levy failed to provide. No transfers in the whole window, the first time a club has ever done that.

Winner: Slavia Jokanovic

He’s played two games and lost two games but Slavia Jokanovic can feel good after Fulham’s first two games in the Premier League. They’ve played well on both occasions, today against Spurs they faced a side far better than they are yet they still adapted their possession-heavy style to play well whilst staying true to their roots. Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ryan Sessegnon have not looked overawed or out of their depth and Jean-Michael Seri has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water.

Ultimately they were undone by a lack of individual quality, both in terms of their defence as well as the attack. Up-front they could have used a fit and adapted André Schurrle and Luciano Vietto to add some greater punch. And at the back they were a shambles at times, yet their two star defensive signings (Alfie Mawson and Sergio Rico) weren’t on the pitch. Once they take the field and Jokanovic’s side can play their passing football with a degree of defensive security, they should rocket up the table.

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