Fulham will visit Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday, with the Cottagers chasing a first win over Spurs since with Dimitar Berbatov and John Arne Riise during 2013.
Fulham seeking first win over Tottenham Hotspur since March 2013
Marco Silva takes his Fulham side to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, September 3 looking for the club’s first win over Spurs in eight games across all competitions. The north London natives have had their west London rivals’ number through six of their last seven meetings.
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Fulham avoided defeat in their last trip to Tottenham in January 2021 when Ivan Cavaleiro secured Scott Parker’s team a 1-1 draw. Harry Kane had broken the deadlock for the hosts, who swept a 1-0 result at Craven Cottage in March 2021 via a Tosin Adarabioyo own goal.
The north London stalemate snapped a five-game losing streak for Fulham in matches with Tottenham across all competitions. Spurs had won in each of the previous four meetings in the Premier League, alongside a 3-0 win in the FA Cup in west London in February 2017.
Fulham’s last win against Tottenham back in 2013 also ended a three-game losing streak in the fixture, and also offered their first Premier League win over Spurs since 2008. Six of the in-between eight top-flight affairs had resulted in Tottenham wins plus two goalless draws.
Dimitar Berbatov scored to secure Fulham a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the 52nd-minute in what remains their most recent win in the fixture. The Bulgarian returned to north London to haunt his former side, five years after leaving Spurs for Manchester United for £30.75m.
Sascha Riether had kept the score level in the early stages by clearing Gareth Bale’s header off the line. The right-back also turned provider by delivering a low cross to Berbatov, who slotted home past Hugo Lloris for his 11th goal of the 2012/13 Premier League term so far.
Berbatov did not celebrate securing Fulham their first win at White Hart Lane in 10 fixtures since 2003. Yet his effort further justified the Cottagers signing the striker off Manchester United the previous August, and also Martin Jol’s decision to start him in north London…
Mark Schwarzer (GK): Denied Jermain Defoe in last Fulham win vs Tottenham
Mark Schwarzer started the last time Fulham beat Tottenham, and denied Jermain Defoe to keep the Cottagers ahead. The Australian did tremendously well to keep the striker at bay after he fired a close-range header on target, for one of his 73 Cottagers clean sheets.
Fulham called on Schwarzer – who retired in 2016 – for 220 games across all competitions during his time in west London. He joined the capital club from Middlesbrough in 2008 up to a move to Chelsea in 2013, where he spent two years before then joining Leicester City.
Sascha Riether (RB): Assisted Dimitar Berbatov to score sole goal in March 2013
Riether found Berbatov in the box to score and round off a swift counter attacking move to claim Fulham’s last win over Tottenham, after Schwarzer had denied Bale from long-range. It marked one of the retired German’s 10 assists in 72 games for the club from 2012 to ‘14.
Brede Hangeland (CB): Captained Fulham to last win over Tottenham
Brede Hangeland captained Fulham to their last win over Tottenham during his six years in west London. The Cottagers signed the centre-half from Copenhagen in 2008 and he made 272 games at the club before joining Crystal Palace in 2014 up until his retirement in 2016.
The 91-cap Norway international is now the sports coordinator for his national side after taking up the position in January 2021. It marked his first role since hanging up his boots.
Philippe Senderos (CB): Sporting director of Servette FC had four-year Fulham stay
Philippe Senderos has been sporting director at Swiss Super League side Servette FC since August 2020. It is his only post-playing position so far since retiring in 2020, six years after leaving Fulham following four years and 68 appearances for the former Arsenal defender.
John Arne Riise (LB): Liverpool hero started last Fulham win over Tottenham
Liverpool hero John Arne Riise – who won the Champions League while at Anfield – started Fulham’s last win against Tottenham during his three-year stay at Craven Cottage. The left-back moved to west London from Roma in 2011, and stayed for 101 games plus 11 assists.
Giorgios Karagounis (CDM): Midfielder saw out career with Fulham in 2014
Giorgios Karagounis brought the curtain down on his career in 2014 following two years at Fulham. He moved to the Premier League side from Panathinaikos and played 47 times for three goals and three assists, before becoming Greece’s sporting director until August ‘15.
Steve Sidwell (CDM): Arsenal product started last Fulham win over Tottenham
Arsenal product Steve Sidwell started Fulham’s last win over Tottenham for one of his 114 games for the Cottagers. The 39-year-old only played more games for Reading (185) in his career, which ended with Brighton in 2018 – where he has since worked as a youth coach.
Ashkan Dejagah (RM): Former Fulham forward still playing now at Foolad
Ashkan Dejagah spent two years at Fulham from 2012 to 2014 for 49 games, with six goals and six assists. He had moved to England from Wolfsburg, and left for Qatar with Al-Arabi before returning to Wolfsburg. But his return to Germany failed to result in a sustained role.
Nottingham Forest later brought the forward back to England in 2018 for seven months up to him joining Tractor Sazi. A switch to Al-Shahania SC then followed in 2021, before a deal with Persian Gulf Pro League side Foolad arrived on the table this July for the 36-year-old.
Bryan Ruiz (CAM): LD Alajuelense captain to leave Paraguayan side in January
Bryan Ruiz joined Fulham from FC Twente in 2011, and remained until a move to Sporting Lisbon in July 2015 after 107 games with 13 goals and 24 assists. Only for Sporting has he featured more often (121 games), up to joining Brazilian side Santos from 2018 to 2020.
The 143-cap Costa Rica playmaker will soon be on the move again, with Ruiz set to leave LD Alajuelense next January. He joined the Primera Division Apertura outfit in 2020, and has been the Paraguayan side’s captain off-and-one throughout his 97 games at the club.
Damien Duff (LM): Former Fulham forward now manager of Shelbourne
Damien Duff spent five years at Fulham from 2009 to 2014 after returning to west London after three years at Newcastle United. He had previously played for Chelsea and won two Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge, before playing 173 matches with the Cottagers.
Only with his former academy side, Blackburn Rovers, did Duff feature more often over his career with 213 games. He also featured for Melbourne City and Shamrock Rovers before retiring in 2016, and has been Shelbourne’s manager since 2021 in his first senior position.
Dimitar Berbatov (ST): Scored only goal in last Fulham win over Tottenham
Berbatov made his name in England at Tottenham from 2006 to 2008 after moving to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen. The 78-cap Bulgaria international offered 46 goals and 29 assists from 102 outings across all competitions before joining Manchester United.
He also helped Spurs win the EFL Cup in 2008, before lifting the title twice at Old Trafford alongside two Premier League crowns. Berbatov further struck 56 goals and 27 assists over 149 games for the Red Devils, before hitting 20 and six in 54 through his time with Fulham.
Berbatov played Tottenham 11 times across all competitions with Manchester United (8) and Fulham (3), including starting the Cottagers’ last win over Spurs. He also scored three times against the north Londoners and laid on one assist for seven wins and two draws.
The centre-forward would ultimately leave Fulham for Monaco in 2014, before spells with PAOK Salonika and Kerala Blasters before retiring in 2018. Berbatov would later move into coaching with a brief spell working as a forward coach at Bulgarian outfit Etar during 2021.
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