Diomansy Kamara's last-minute overhead kick helped Fulham snatch an unlikely draw as Tottenham contrived to throw away victory.
Last-gasp Kamara stuns Spurs
Diomansy Kamara's last-minute overhead kick helped Fulham snatch an unlikely draw as Tottenham contrived to throw away victory at Craven Cottage.
Martin Jol's side were in total control for long periods, seemingly creating chances almost at will, and should have secured all three points as they led 2-0 and 3-1.
But Fulham refused to lie down and made Spurs pay for their missed opportunities with a stirring comeback.
Younes Kaboul opened the scoring for the visitors when he capitalised on a goalkeeping blunder by Antti Niemi to stab home from point-blank range after the returning Fulham No.1 fluffed his punch at Gareth Bale's 10th minute corner.
And it was 2-0 in the 26th minute when Robbie Keane helped the ball on to Dimitar Berbatov who outpaced the flat-footed Dejan Stefanovic and lashed the ball home.
But Clint Dempsey's header from Simon Davies' corner three minutes before the interval gave the Cottagers a crucial lift prior to the break.
That looked to have counted for nothing when Keane released Bale and the Welsh youngster drew Niemi before calmly slotting home just after the hour mark.
But Fulham threw caution to the wind and Spurs imploded as Alexei Smertin's deflected effort off Ricardo Rocha made it 3-2 with 13 minutes remaining and Kamara completed the comeback at the death after Chris Baird's long throw into the box.
Jitters
Spurs were into their stride and ahead after 10 minutes, exposing Niemi's lack of match sharpness in the goalkeeper's first appearance of the season.
Niemi made a mess of Bale's inswinger, his attempted clearance falling to Kaboul, who tapped in from a yard out for his first Spurs goal.
There were jitters at the other end too, with Paul Robinson almost gifting Fulham an immediate equaliser.
Robinson, whose position as England's first choice has been questioned following his blunder against Germany, fumbled a straightforward cross from Hameur Bouazza. Kaboul's clearance hit Steven Davis and went over the bar, saving Robinson from further embarrassment.
Spurs took advantage of their reprieve, with Berbatov adding their second in the 28th minute.
Pascal Chimbonda's throw failed to find a Spurs team-mate but Davis' header went straight to Keane. The Spurs skipper unlocked the Fulham defence with a first-time volley and Berbatov took one touch with his head and lashed through Niemi.
Jermaine Jenas should have extended the lead but took a touch too many and allowed Carlos Bocanegra to get a challenge in when the midfielder was bearing down on goal.
Glimmer of hope
Dempsey gave Fulham a glimmer of hope three minutes before the break when he thundered a header in from Davies' corner.
After the interval Berbatov fired a powerful volley from long distance straight at Niemi but the goalkeeper had to parry the ball over his bar.
His save from Jenas in the 54th minute was more impressive after the midfielder curled towards the top corner.
Steed Malbranque then rattled the frame a minute later when Keane's mis-hit fell to him inside the penalty area.
But Spurs' third goal came just after the hour mark. Tom Huddlestone fed Keane on the halfway line and his pass sent Bale racing through to send Niemi the wrong way with his finish.
Berbatov almost took advantage of more confusion when Niemi came rushing out but Baird made an acrobatic clearance on the line.
Smertin's long-range effort with 13 minutes remaining took a wicked deflection off Rocha and flew over Robinson and in, offering more hope for Fulham.
Kamara levelled matters with a minute remaining with an overhead kick that dipped over Robinson to give Fulham an unlikely point.
| Fulham |
Team Statistics |
Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 |
Goals |
3 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
2 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
7 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 6 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 6 |
Corners |
14 |
| 13 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
8 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 71.3 |
Passing Success |
69 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
26 |
| 94.7 |
Tackles Success |
69.2 |
| 44.8 |
Possession |
55.2 |
| 54.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
45.9 |
|
