3-0 v Fulham FC - 1 December 2012 - Away

Tottenham Hotspur Badge

Spurs 3

Fulham FC

Fulham FC

0

Details
Match Number

6967

Opposition
Fulham

Fulham FC

Competition
Premier League

Premier League

Season

2012/13

Date

1st December 2012

Kick Off

15:00

Venue

Craven Cottage

Attendance

25,426

Referee

Chris Foy

League Position

4th

Opposition League Position

13th

Opposition Form

DDLDDL

Weather at Kick Off

5° - Clear

Facts & Milestones
  • 6931st overall match (3286 wins, 1529 draws, 2103 losses)

  • 5373rd competitive match (2392 wins, 1266 draws, 1715 losses)

  • team

    136th match vs Fulham FC (70 wins, 36 draws, 30 losses)

  • competition

    787th Premier League match (302 wins, 206 draws, 279 losses)

  • 6360th match in England (2968 wins, 1432 draws, 1947 losses)

  • 65th match at Craven Cottage (26 wins, 22 draws, 17 losses)

Report

Jermain Defoe struck twice against Fulham to help Tottenham to a third straight Premier League victory.

Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer was at fault as Sandro opened the scoring from 30 yards following a goalless first half, before Defoe struck from close range to make it 2-0 soon after.

Defoe has killer instinct - Villas-Boas The hosts struggled to respond and Defoe added a third after a pass by former Cottagers player Clint Dempsey.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale was booked for diving for the second straight game.

Defoe, 30, showed he is a striker in form, his second goal a well-executed low effort to confirm he is one of the best finishers in the Premier League.

The England international - capped 52 times by his country - has 14 goals in all competitions this season. In total, he has 128 goals for Tottenham, five behind Alan Gilzean, who is the club's seventh all-time leading scorer

But victory came at a cost for Tottenham, who recorded a rare clean sheet in the league.

Defender Michael Dawson went off injured and had to be replaced in the first half, while in-form Bale also failed to finish the match after appearing to suffer a hamstring problem.

It turned out to be an eventful afternoon for Bale, who was booked for the seventh time this season.

Referee Chris Foy had no hesitation in cautioning the Wales international in the 24th minute for diving after a challenge with Steve Sidwell.

Yet Bale had cause to feel aggrieved by Foy's decision as he appeared to be fouled by Fulham's former Aston Villa midfielder.

This was very much a case of friends reunited on the banks of the River Thames - Tottenham's Dempsey and Mousa Dembele lining up against their old club while Fulham, managed by former Spurs manager Martin Jol, had ex-Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov in attack.

Berbatov rarely threatened as Tottenham picked off the hosts after a goalless first half.

Fulham lost spirit against Spurs - Jol Sandro broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with a low, long-range attempt that Schwarzer will feel he should have kept out.

There were concerned looks from the Tottenham bench when Bale hobbled off but Defoe struck twice in five minutes to cement the points.

His first goal came after intelligent play by Bale's replacement Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 72nd minute while his second, after Dempsey's excellent threaded pass, was a quality low finish from 12 yards out.

Fulham had their chances - none more so than when Mladen Petric was denied by Hugo Lloris from close range following John Arne Riise's early low cross.

But Jol can have few complaints about the outcome against his former club.

Location
League Table
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Manchester united
14 11 0 3 33 18 15 33
2
Manchester city
14 9 5 0 27 10 17 32
3
Chelsea
14 7 5 2 24 13 11 26
4
West bromwich albion
14 8 2 4 24 18 6 26
5
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
14 7 2 5 25 23 2 23
6
Everton
14 5 7 2 24 18 6 22
7
Arsenal
14 5 6 3 24 14 10 21
8
Swansea city
14 5 5 4 21 17 4 20
9
Stoke city
14 4 7 3 13 12 1 19
10
West ham united
14 5 4 5 16 16 0 19
11
Fulham
14 4 5 5 25 23 2 17
12
Liverpool
14 3 7 4 18 18 0 16
13
Norwich city
14 3 7 4 11 20 -9 16
14
Newcastle united
14 3 5 6 14 21 -7 14
15
Wigan athletic
14 4 2 8 15 25 -10 14
16
Sunderland
13 2 7 4 12 16 -4 13
17
Aston villa
14 3 4 7 11 22 -11 13
18
Southampton
14 3 3 8 21 31 -10 12
19
Reading
13 1 6 6 16 23 -7 9
20
Queens park rangers
14 0 5 9 10 26 -16 5
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Manchester united
15 12 0 3 37 21 16 36
2
Manchester city
15 9 6 0 28 11 17 33
3
Chelsea
15 7 5 3 25 16 9 26
4
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
15 8 2 5 28 23 5 26
5
West bromwich albion
15 8 2 5 24 19 5 26
6
Everton
15 5 8 2 25 19 6 23
7
Swansea city
15 6 5 4 23 17 6 23
8
West ham united
15 6 4 5 19 17 2 22
9
Stoke city
15 5 7 3 14 12 2 22
10
Arsenal
15 5 6 4 24 16 8 21
11
Liverpool
15 4 7 4 19 18 1 19
12
Norwich city
15 4 7 4 13 21 -8 19
13
Fulham
15 4 5 6 25 26 -1 17
14
Newcastle united
14 3 5 6 14 21 -7 14
15
Wigan athletic
14 4 2 8 15 25 -10 14
16
Aston villa
15 3 5 7 12 23 -11 14
17
Sunderland
14 2 7 5 13 18 -5 13
18
Southampton
15 3 3 9 21 32 -11 12
19
Reading
14 1 6 7 19 27 -8 9
20
Queens park rangers
15 0 6 9 11 27 -16 6
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