Tottenham 1-1 Fulham: Match report and talking points from sub-par Spurs display | OneFootball

Tottenham struggled their way through Sunday's Premier League contest with Fulham and were perhaps fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw.

The depleted hosts took the lead against the run of play through top scorer Brennan Johnson before substitute Tom Cairney netted a deserved equaliser for Marco Silva's side midway through the second half.

For the second game running, Fulham ended the contest with ten men after Cairney was sent off with less than ten minutes remaining, but Spurs failed to work Bernd Leno in the closing stages and had to settle for a point.

How the match unfolded

After following up the most impressive victory of the Postecoglou era with a disappointing Europa League draw with Roma on Thursday, nobody knew what iteration of his Lilywhites would manifest in N17 on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts were without multiple key names for Fulham's visit, and the Cottagers enjoyed much of the first half as a result. After Son Heung-min spurned an early opportunity, the majority of the chances arrived at the other end of the pitch.

Fraser Forster was forced into action to deny Raul Jimenez and Alex Iwobi before James Maddison almost caught the visitors out with a crafty free-kick which crept under the wall, but his effort flicked the post.

Tottenham were sub-par and unable to assert control, and they were subject to a brief barrage at the start of the second half before Johnson handed them the lead against the run of play. The Welshman was barely an influence on proceedings before he crashed home Timo Werner's delicate cross.

Spurs' opener failed to deter the visitors, though, and it didn't take long for Silva's substitutes to make the difference. Fulham continued to bypass Tottenham's intensity and work their way in behind the hosts' full-backs. Cairney's brilliant equaliser came after Iwobi accessed the left half-space before he cut the ball back for his captain to finish from the edge of the Spurs box.

However, it was Cairney's red card with ten minutes to go which forced the confident Cottagers to settle for a point. After drawing level, Fulham looked the more likely to go on and win the game, but Silva opted to shut up shop after Cairney was dismissed following VAR intervention for a challenge on Dejan Kulusevski.

The away side had little trouble shunning Spurs in the closing stages as Leno enjoyed a quiet outing between the posts. Fulham will be content with their draw after last weekend's result at home to Wolves, but Tottenham will be rueing their inability to gain any sort of momentum.

Brennan Johnson... again

Johnson scored for the fourth consecutive game / Michael Regan/GettyImages

This was somewhat of a trademark Brennan Johnson performance. The Welsh international sauntered through the contest without many people actually acknowledging his presence, yet he once again came up trumps for the Lilywhites.

There's something 'Moneyball' about the winger, who seemingly doesn't contribute all that much unless he's tapping home at the back post. "Because he gets on base."

Johnson is certainly not everyone's cup of tea and he's the sort of performer who'll quickly be scapegoated when the going gets tough. However, his strike against Fulham was already his tenth of the season and his fourth in as many games for club and country.

He's getting hot again.

Tottenham struggle without their core

Dominic Solanke missed Sunday's game through illness / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages

Despite last weekend's result at the Etihad, confidence wasn't exactly rife within the Tottenham fanbase heading into this fixture. After thrashing the champions 4-0 on their own patch, this was the sort of game this Spurs team would fail to turn up in.

And, in truth, they were miles off it against Fulham.

However, Postecoglou was forced to name a starting XI that didn't include his starting goalkeeper, two centre-backs, preferred holding midfielder and leading striker. Dominic Solanke missed Sunday's clash through illness, while standout performer Kulusevski was offered respite by dropping to the bench.

A couple of Spurs' stand-ins, namely Forster and Ben Davies, did impress, but the product as a collective was light years from last Saturday's utopia. Son was particularly poor attempting to fill Solanke's void, with the hosts struggling to contain Fulham's slick possession dynamics throughout the contest.

Spurs' press, typically led by Solanke, faltered in periods which ensured the visitors almost always had a foothold. With the ball, they were cautious, cagey, and bereft of inspiration, even when Kulusevski entered proceedings.

Andreas Pereira exiled

Andreas Pereira was dropped from the matchday squad / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Silva named a Fulham starting XI which we've grown familiar with this season, but there was one notable omission: Andreas Pereira.

The Brazilian international was out of the Cottagers' squad entirely having started every Premier League match this season. Ahead of the contest, Pereira was open in discussing a potential move away from west London, listing Marseille and Nottingham Forest as clubs who notched an interest inn his services last summer.

“It would be very cool [to go to Marseille], the way [Roberto] De Zerbi plays soccer. I was watching it with good eyes, but let's see now in January or at the end of the season if there will be a transfer or if I will stay at Fulham," Pereira said when speaking to PL Brasil (via the Standard).

The midfielder has since accused PL Brasil of falsifying statements in an apology written on Instagram, but Silva nonetheless opted to lay down the law here and drop the influential playmaker.