Match Preview
Fulham vrs Tottenham Hotspur
Premiership Match Day 21 2223 at Craven Cottage
Monday 23rd Jan 2023 KO: 20:15
Referee:
Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Live on Sky Sports
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With little separating them in the Premier League table after 20 games, London rivals Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur round off this weekend's action at Craven Cottage on Monday night.
Marco Silva's side suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in their most recent encounter, while the visitors were left to rue individual mistakes in a 4-2 loss to Manchester City in midweek.
Ex-Magpies striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was only 12 yards away from making his return to St James' Park a memorable one, as Fulham kept Newcastle at bay before being awarded a contentious penalty in the second half.
Mitrovic unsurprisingly stepped up to the spot, but the Serbian touched the ball twice as he slipped over to score - leading to the effort being ruled out - and Marco Silva witnessed Alexander Isak come off the bench to head Newcastle into the lead with 89 minutes gone.
A spot in the top five of the table is still a distinct possibility for Fulham on Monday, as the seventh-placed Cottagers are only two points behind Spurs and one adrift of Brighton & Hove Albion, who could only draw with Leicester City on Saturday.
Defeat to Newcastle ended a five-game winning run for the Cottagers since the resumption of domestic football, but Silva's side are proving that they can go toe-to-toe with the Champions League hopefuls and welcome Spurs to Craven Cottage less than two weeks after defeating Chelsea on their own patch.
Not since 2012 have Fulham managed to win three consecutive home matches in the Premier League, but only Newcastle and Manchester United have overcome the Cottagers on home soil this season, and some may even consider Silva's men to be the favourites for Monday's showdown.
After benefiting from Man City's defensive lapses in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, it was Tottenham's turn to make a wealth of errors in the second 45, as they failed to build on the gifts that were presented to Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal just before the break.
Within just 18 minutes of the second half, the champions turned the tie on its head to lead through Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Erling Braut Haaland, and the former added a second right at the death to settle an enthralling six-goal contest.
Lamenting the fact that his side are making "many, many mistakes" after losing their third Premier League game from four since the turn of the year, Conte's men remain in the top five after Brighton failed to beat Leicester, and the gap to fourth-placed Newcastle United now stands at six points following the Magpies' goalless draw against Crystal Palace.
Only one of Spurs' last five Premier League games has ended in victory, although that did come away from home in a London derby against Crystal Palace - thumping the Eagles 4-0 at Selhurst Park - and the Lilywhites have now scored at least two goals in their last four Premier League matches on the road.
Conte's men edged past Fulham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season, and the Lilywhites have also won each of their last six Premier League contests at Craven Cottage, but historical successes will count for nothing if Spurs' error-strewn defence cannot tighten up fast.
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Fulham have lost 12 of the past 14 Premier League meetings, with their only win in that period coming at White Hart Lane in March 2013.
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Spurs have won their previous six league fixtures away to Fulham. The only club they have beaten in seven consecutive top-flight away matches is Aston Villa (from 1950-56 and an ongoing run from 2012).
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Fulham have won three of their six Premier League London derbies this season - they have never won four in a single top-flight campaign.
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The Whites are looking to win three consecutive Premier League home matches for the first time since a run of four between April and September 2012. They last did so within a single season in April 2011.
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Fulham's defeat against Newcastle ended a run of four straight league wins.
Each of their last three league losses have come courtesy of goals scored in the 89th minute or later.
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Marco Silva's team have scored 11 headed goals in the Premier League this season, four short of their highest figure in a single campaign, set in 2010-11.
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Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored in all four of his Premier League London derby matches this season. The last player to score in five such games in a row was Harry Kane in 2014-15, while Mitrovic would be the first non-Arsenal or Tottenham player to achieve the feat.
Tottenham have lost seven of their previous 13 top-flight fixtures (W5, D1), including three of the last four.
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Antonio Conte's side have conceded 31 goals in their opening 20 league games, their highest total at this stage of a season since 2007-08.
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Spurs' 4-0 win at Crystal Palace on 4 January is their only victory in their last 11 away London derbies in the Premier League (D4, L6).
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They have won 10 of their last 14 Premier League games on a Monday, with their only defeat in that run coming at home to Manchester City in October 2018.
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Harry Kane has seven goals in six appearances against Fulham, including four goals in five league matches.
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Kane is one shy of 265 goals for Spurs, which would equal Jimmy Greaves' club record. The striker is two short of becoming the third player to net 200 Premier League goals, after Alan Shearer (260) and Wayne Rooney (208).
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