Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham as relegation threat lingers

Tottenham’s winless 2026 run continues into March, with Fulham securing a 2-1 win over Spurs in the London derby at Craven Cottage.

Let us take a look at five things we learned from Fulham 2-1 Tottenham.

Tottenham left frustrated by refereeing inconsistency

I mean, where else can we start, aside from the obvious inconsistencies in refereeing decisions in the Premier League?

Fulham’s opener was more or less a repeat of last weekend’s incident involving Randal Kolo Muani and Gabriel, which was ruled out because of a push in the back.

The match official for the Spurs versus Arsenal game stood by his decision, saying he saw two hands at the back of Gabriel, hence his decision.

Here, Raul Jimenez did similarly with both hands on the back of Radu Dragusin, clearly pushing him and preventing him from heading the ball away.

The on-field decision was a goal, and VAR stood by the referee’s call, which is frustrating given the lack of consistency.

Ekitike’s goal against Spurs in a similar incident stood; Muani’s was disallowed, and now Wilson’s has stood. Tottenham have every reason to feel aggrieved when these decisions continue to go against them.

Spurs case for Richarlison to start over Randal Kolo Muani grows

Last weekend against Arsenal, Muani looked bright in his first game under Igor Tudor, but here he struggled.

The forward often overcomplicated situations in possession and gave the ball away cheaply. He led the line for around 60 minutes without registering a shot, despite running the channels.

Richarlison, however, came off the bench and made an immediate impact, scoring with his first attempt after finding space in the box from Archie Gray’s looped cross.

He is Spurs’ top scorer in the league this season and, if Tottenham are to stay in the Premier League, they need their most clinical forward on the pitch.

Tottenham show improvement with Mathys Tel providing natural width

It is clear that Igor Tudor’s substitutes made a difference, even though his side did not secure a result.

Mathys Tel was a bright spark, bringing creativity to the left when deployed as a natural winger rather than asking Archie Gray to hold the width.

The Frenchman was heavily involved in Spurs’ goal, with his wing play helping to create the opening after Gray’s overlap.

That is the sort of natural width Tottenham have lacked in recent weeks due to injuries. The young forward has been limited to a handful of starts this season, even with an injury crisis.

Surely after today’s performance, he will be in with a chance to start against Crystal Palace.

Spurs remain 16th in Premier League table after Fulham defeat

With this round of fixtures largely complete, Tottenham supporters will be watching the Premier League table closely.

Following the weekend’s results, the standings remain largely unchanged as other relegation-threatened sides also failed to win.

West Ham United were beaten 5-2, Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 to Brighton, while Crystal Palace were defeated by Manchester United.

That leaves Spurs 16th, four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United. It feels like a missed opportunity, though, given the chance to create breathing space with a win.

Tottenham must prioritise natural roles in Igor Tudor system

It is only his second match as Tottenham boss, and Tudor is clearly still searching for his best shape while learning about his squad.

Last weekend, he used a 3-4-2-1 system, while here it resembled more of a 4-1-3-2. However, constant positional rotation often sees players occupying areas where they are uncomfortable.

That lack of clarity hinders fluidity. It is better to use players in their natural roles rather than shoehorn senior figures into positions that do not suit them.

In the second half, when Souza moved to left-back, Gray into midfield, and Tel operated wide left, the balance improved, and Spurs looked more threatening going forward.

• READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Fulham as 8/10 star makes a difference off the bench

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