Fulham 3-0 Tottenham – Spurs fall to damaging defeat in chase for Champions League football

Tottenham’s bid to qualify automatically for the Champions League next season took a hit as they were comprehensively beaten by Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Rodrigo Muniz struck twice for Fulham, to secure a victory that pushes them into the top half of the table. His opening goal was an adroit take and finish after a superb cross from Antonee Robinson, and he added the third of the match by bravely scrambling in a loose ball after Calvin Bassey hit the post.

Those goals came either side of a goal that Sasa Lukic glanced in with his thigh after 49 minutes, as Spurs fell apart either side of half-time.

James Maddison missed a gilt-edged chances for the visitors in the first half, with their day summed up when Brennan Johnson and substitute Timo Werner missed close range chances in quick succession just after the third goal.

Tottenham remain in fifth place, two points behind Aston Villa and six ahead of Manchester United in the race for Champions League places.

What a difference a week makes. Last weekend Tottenham were purring in the second half at Villa Park, as their four-goal salvo closed the gap on their hosts and offered them the chance to move into fourth place tonight.

Tonight things look a little different. England’s coefficient in European competitions could give the Premier League an additional place in the Champions League next season; if so, that could turn into a fight between three clubs for two places.

Tottenham could still hook in Villa of course; their lead over Manchester United is a comfortable six points tonight. They will however be wary of a run of fixtures in April and early May that reads Newcastle away, Manchester City home, Arsenal home and Liverpool away. How Spurs deal with such a taxing run could be the key to this race for Champions League spaces next season.

It’s some streak that Muniz is on. His brace today makes it seven in seven matches. After a miserable time in the Championship with Middlesbrough last season he seems to have found his touch now, as evidenced by the perfect control and finish for his first goal today.

Fulham: Leno 6; Castagne 7, Tosin 6, Bassey 7, Robinson 7; Palhinha 6, Lukic 7; Willian 6, Pereira 7, Iwobi 8; Muniz 8

SUBS: Tete 6, Reed 5, Jiminez 6, Wilson 6, De Cordova-Reid 6

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 7; Porro 6, Romero 6, Dragusin 5, Udogie 6; Bissouma 5, Sarr 6, Maddison 6; Kulusevski 6, Son 5, Johnson 5

SUBS: Hojbjerg 6, Richarlison 6, Werner 5, Lo Celso 6, Bentancur 5,

42′ GOAL! FULHAM 1 (MUNIZ 42) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 Fulham lead, and it’s a beauty! Spurs give the ball away, and Pereira feeds Robinson on the left wing. Robinson’s cross is perfect, right in behind Dragusin for Muniz. It needs a good first touch and Muniz finds it, killing the ball perfectly before reversing a half-volley into the far corner past Vicario.

49′ GOAL! FULHAM 2 (LUKIC 49) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 It’s two for Fulham! Iwobi works the attack again on the right, cutting infield before feeding the overlapping Castagne in the area. Castagne fires in a cross first time, and it clips the thigh of the onrushing Lukic and flies into the far corner!

GOAL! FULHAM 3 (MUNIZ 61) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 Game over, surely. The corner finds Palhinha, whose header down into the six yard box finds Bassey. Turning quickly, Bassey shoots and hits the near post; the ball pops out to the edge of the six-yard box where Muniz beats Dragusin to it to make it three!

64′ DISALLOWED GOAL! Crikey, that was almost four. Fulham take a free kick, the ball is nodded back to Palhinha and his low drive goes in off the substitute Jiminez, who was offside.

68′ TWO SHOCKING MISSES! Oh my. Within the space of a minute, both Johnson and then Werner fail to turn in a fizzed, low cross from barely two yards out. It is not happening for Spurs tonight.

• Fulham’s victory ended a run of seven successive Premier League defeats to Tottenham.