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Cairney rescues a point but gets sent off as Fulham draw at Spurs.
Substitute cancels out Brennan Johnson’s opener in 1-1 draw between two European hopefuls
Fulham earned a deserved point in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur as substitute Tom Cairney scored a second-half equaliser before being sent off late on.
Brennan Johnson smashed home his sixth Premier League goal of the season in the 54th minute to hand the hosts the lead after being picked out by Timo Werner at the far post.
But Fulham dragged themselves level through substitute Cairney, who curled a stunning left-footed effort beyond the grasp of Fraser Forster 13 minutes later, five minutes after coming off the bench.
However, the visitors finished the game a man down after goalscorer Cairney was sent off for a foul on Dejan Kulusevski, which was upgraded from a yellow to a red by referee Darren Bond following a VAR review.
The draw means Spurs are seventh in the table, with 20 points from 13 matches, while Fulham are a point back in 10th.
| Position | Club | Played | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |  Nott’m Forest |
13 | +3 | 22 |
| 7 | Spurs |
13 | +14 | 20 |
| 8 |  Brentford |
13 | +3 | 20 |
| 9 |  Man Utd |
13 | +4 | 19 |
| 10 | Fulham |
13 | 0 | 19 |
| 11 |  Newcastle |
13 | 0 | 19 |
| 12 |  Aston Villa |
13 | -3 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
Fulham almost found themselves behind inside a minute when Calvin Bassey’s loose pass was gathered by Werner, but Bernd Leno was on hand to thwart Son Heung-min from close range.
Forster was then needed at the other end to smother at the feet of Raul Jimenez after he was picked out brilliantly by Alex Iwobi, before both sides struck the woodwork at the end of the first half.
Iwobi gathered the ball after a counter-attack but his strike rattled the crossbar, while James Maddison’s clever free-kick under the wall clipped a post in first-half stoppage time.
Despite not being at their best, Spurs took the lead through Johnson, who finished confidently beyond Leno inside the box, only to see their lead wiped out through substitute Cairney’s well-taken effort.
But the Fulham captain was given his marching orders seven minutes from time for a poor challenge on Kulusevski.
Points dropped or point gained for Spurs?
Despite dropping points at home this latest result may be a point gained for Spurs rather than one dropped.
Without Dominic Solanke after the England international fell ill before kick-off, Son led the line and had two fantastic opportunities to open the scoring but was denied twice by Leno, before the visiting goalkeeper tipped Radu Dragusin’s header over the crossbar.
Maddison’s free-kick was the closest Spurs came to opening the scoring before Johnson’s strike after the break, with the Welshman’s goal coming came against the run of play.
Cairney’s equaliser had been coming, with Spurs thankful for stand-in goalkeeper Forster who made several saves before the equaliser as he impressed while starting in place of the injured Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs could have fallen behind in second-half stoppage time had it not been for Dragusin’s timely interception from Harry Wilson’s cross.
Spurs will be hoping to get their top-four chase back on track on Thursday but face a tough test against AFC Bournemouth, who put four past Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Fulham deserve their point
Fulham bounced back from their disappointing defeat to Wolves last time out with an impressive away display that perhaps warranted more than a point.
While Spurs dominated the possession in the opening exchanges, it was Fulham who created the better chances, with Jimenez heading Sasa Lukic’s corner narrowly wide before the Mexican’s heavy touch in the box allowed Forster the opportunity to save.
The visitors continued to threaten throughout the first half, with Kenny Tete’s inviting delivery finding Jimenez, who saw his effort brilliantly saved by Forster once again, shortly followed by Iwobi’s crisp strike that cannoned off the crossbar to close out the first 45 minutes.
Fulham continued to frustrate their opponents after the break but were unable to find the telling touch as Issa Diop, Iwobi and Jimenez spurned some glorious opportunities before Johnson hammered the hosts in front.
However, Marco Silva’s substitutions just after the hour-mark proved fruitful, with Cairney netting the equaliser, and Fulham could have won it when Wilson’s cross was brilliantly cleared by Dragusin.
Club reports
What the managers said
Ange Postecoglou: “It was a tough game, tight game, not a lot of openings for either side. We started well, then they had their spell. We just could not push on. In seven days we have copped some significant blows, we can’t play like we did against City in every game. With this club, everything we do well is used as a millstone to bring us down at every opportunity. We can’t react to any of that. I just feel, the players we have at the moment are working hard to get us where we want to be, and we are still in decent shape, decent position in the league.”
Marco Silva: “I think that everybody should recognise that the team who deserved to win this afternoon was ourselves. We deserved to win. We played our way with our identity on the pitch. Myself, the players and the fans should be proud of it. What a reaction from us. The reaction was good, 15 minutes with 10 men and the reality is that Tottenham didn’t create one chance.”
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Fulham are unbeaten across their last eight Premier League London derbies (W4 D4), the club’s longest ever such run.
Brennan Johnson has scored 10 goals across all competitions this season, with only Erling Haaland (17), Mo Salah (12) and Christopher Nkunku (11) netting more among Premier League players. All 10 of Johnson’s have been non-penalty goals, with only Haaland netting more such strikes (15) amongst English-top-flight players.
Tom Cairney scored an away Premier League goal for the first time since March 2010 when he struck for Hull City v Everton – at 14 years and 269 days, it’s the longest ever gap between two away goals for a player in the competition, beating Cristiano Ronaldo’s record (12y 235d).
In this match, Fraser Forster (36y 259d) became the oldest player to make a Premier League appearance for Spurs since Brad Friedel (42y 176d) in November 2013.