- Crouch (27), Bentley (60)
- Date:2010-01-26
- Kick-off:20:00
- Venue:White Hart Lane
- Attendance:35467
- Referee:Dean, M
Live Commentary
90mins
Full time: TOTTENHAM 2-0 FULHAM: Spurs cruise to a deserved win over Fulham thanks to goals by Crouch and Bentley.
88mins
Dawson is booked for wrestling Elm to the ground.
86mins
Kamara is booked for kicking out at Keane.
84mins
Kamara unleashes a left-foot shot that finds the side netting.
82mins
Baird's 25 yard free-kick is charged down by Palacios and Dikgacoi smashes the rebound wide of the Spurs goal.
81mins
First substitution for Spurs as Keane comes on for Defoe.
79mins
Elm comes on for ex-Spurs man Zamora.
76mins
Baird drills a low shot wide of the target.
75mins
Into the last 15 minutes at White Hart Lane and Fulham look a beaten side. Can they grab a late goal to give their supporters hope?
72mins
Duff's pass to Dikgacoi comes too late and the Fulham midfielder is flagged offside.
70mins
Gera is replaced by Kamara as Fulham search for a goal.
68mins
Defoe slices a shot wide of the Fulham goal from the edge of the box.
65mins
Bentley's 30 yard free-kick goes straight into Schwarzer's arms.
63mins
Riise makes way for Davies in the first substitution of the match.
61mins
Modric's whipped cross has Schwarzer scrambling across his goal. Corner to Spurs.
59mins
TOTTENHAM 2-0 FULHAM: BENTLEY's free-kick takes a wicked deflection off Hangeland to double the home team's lead.
58mins
Defoe peels off the Fulham defence but is flagged offside.
55mins
Dawson hits a long pass looking for Defoe but the ball sails out for a goal-kick to Fulham.
52mins
Palacios heads over the Fulham goal from the edge of the box.
50mins
Duff tries a shot on goal but Gomes makes an easy save. It was Fulham's first shot on target in the game.
48mins
Murphy tries to play Gera in but the ball runs out for a goal-kick to Spurs.
46mins
Tottenham get the second half up and running. No changes for either side at the break.
45mins
Half time: TOTTENHAM 1-0 FULHAM: Spurs take a deserved lead in at the break after dominating the opening exchanges. Fulham have hardly threatened the Tottenham goal and will need to up the tempo in the second half.
45mins
Three minutes of added time are to be played.
45mins
Modric almost makes it 2-0 to Spurs by cutting into the Fulham box and lashing a shot just over the bar.
43mins
Gera tries to lead a breakaway for Fulham but Palacios is there to win the ball back for Spurs.
40mins
Dikgacoi's long range shot hits Dawson and Spurs clear the danger.
38mins
Modric and Bale combine well but Dikgacoi steps in to hack the ball out for another Spurs corner.
36mins
Duff tries to find Gera in the Spurs box but the ball runs through to Gomes.
34mins
Huddlestone takes aim from 30 yards out but the ball flies harmlessly over the Fulham goal.
31mins
Hangeland again gets in a clearing header from Bentley's deep cross.
28mins
Baird heads out for a Spurs corner as the home side look for a second goal.
26mins
TOTTENHAM 1-0 FULHAM: A tap-in for CROUCH from Modric's low cross into the box.
24mins
Schwarzer does well to take Bale's hanging cross into the Fulham box.
22mins
Hangeland stoops to head out Bentley's low cross and Dikgacoi clears the danger.
19mins
Baird does well to climb above Crouch and head Modric's cross out for a corner.
17mins
Smalling does well to ease Crouch off the ball on the edge of the Fulham box.
15mins
Gomes is fit to carry on.
14mins
Gomes races off his line to smother the ball at Zamora's feet. The Spurs keeper has injured himself making the save and is receiving treatment.
12mins
Riise's low cross is knocked out for a corner to Fulham.
10mins
Crouch sends a glancing header well wide of the Fulham goal, as Spurs continue to press.
8mins
Bale fires in a low cross for Spurs that Schwarzer collects at the second attempt.
6mins
Great start by the home side who have already forced four corners and are dictating the pace of the game.
4mins
It's all Spurs as Huddlestone forces Schwarzer into another smart stop.
2mins
Great save by Schwarzer. Defoe set up Huddlestone who smashed a shot on goal that the Fulham keeper tipped round the post.
1mins
Zamora races clear of the Spurs defence from Duff's long ball, but the Fulham striker is offside.
0mins
Referee Mike Dean gets the game under way.
0mins
The teams are out at White Hart Lane.
0mins
A win for Tottenham will see them pull away from the sides chasing fourth place. Fulham will be looking for three points in their push for a top six finish.
0mins
Fulham: Schwarzer, Hughes, Hangeland, Smalling, Baird, Riise, Dikgacoi, Murphy, Gera, Duff, Zamora
0mins
Bobby Zamora is another surprise inclusion for Fulham, after the striker recovered from a broken collarbone.
0mins
Fulham youngster Chris Smalling starts for the visitors, despite being on the verge of completing a shock move to Manchester United. The centre back has agreed terms and looks set to sign for the Old Trafford outfit in the summer.
0mins
Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, King, Bale, Bentley, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric, Crouch, Defoe
0mins
Tom Huddlestone is fit and starts for Spurs but Roman Pavlyuchenko misses out with a groin injury.
Match Preview
Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham meet on Tuesday evening in yet another London derby clash in the Premier League.
Harry Redknapp's side will be looking to put the disappointing FA Cup fourth round draw against League One side Leeds United to the back of their minds as they aim to kick-start their top-four challenge.
Spurs remain in fourth spot, but they have drifted ten points behind Chelsea who sit third.
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa closing in on the White Hart Lane outfit, a win over Roy Hodgson's men is a must if they are to occupy their lofty position for another week.
Redknapp has some concerns on the injury front. Tom Huddlestone is rated a doubt with a knee injury as is Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who is nursing a groin strain.
Out-of-favour winger David Bentley (calf) is also likely to be ruled out.
Aaron Lennon and Jonathan Woodgate (both groin) and Carlo Cudicini (wrist) remain out.
Fulham finally downed plucky Accrington Stanley on Saturday thanks to goals from Erik Nevland, Damien Duff and Zoltan Gera in a 3-1 win.
The Cottagers sit in ninth place in the league table and they will be aiming to put pressure on Birmingham City, who have opened up a six-point cushion directly above them.
Key quartet Paul Konchesky (ankle), Clint Dempsey (knee), Bobby Zamora (broken collar bone) and John Pantsil (knee) are all out of action for the visitors.
Fulham must improve on their poor away form this term if they are to put together another serious European challenge.
Just one win and seven points from 11 games on the road has managed to cancel out their fine home record.
To add to their on field problems, Fulham have not won in the league since their fine 3-0 victory against champions Manchester United on December 19.
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Match Report
David Bentley gave Harry Redknapp something to think about as he scored on his return to the starting line-up and helped Tottenham get their Champions League hopes firmly back on track with a 2-0 victory against Fulham.
Bentley looked to be heading out of the exit door at White Hart Lane after failing to secure a regular first-team place.
The England winger had a much-publicised falling out with Redknapp in a training ground match back in December and has hardly featured since.
But with Aaron Lennon and Niko Kranjcar both ruled out of the game, Redknapp made a bold move to recall Bentley and it paid off as the former Blackburn midfielder scored the crucial second to help Tottenham record their first victory of 2010.
Fulham never looked like getting something out of the game and they have now gone 29 games without a victory in a London derby away from home.
The home side could have broken the deadlock inside the opening 60 seconds when Tom Huddlestone's shot from the edge of the box produced a superb save from Mark Schwarzer diving low to his right.
Former Tottenham striker Bobby Zamora almost made a dream return to the Fulham starting line-up on 11 minutes when he latched onto a pass from Zoltan Gera and saw his shot well-saved by Heurelho Gomes.
But it was Tottenham who opened the scoring on 27 minutes. Schwarzer failed to deal with a high cross in from Bentley, Luka Modric refused to let the ball go out of play and crossed back in for Peter Crouch who flicked the ball over the Fulham keeper.
Modric looked back to his best on the left-hand side of Tottenham's midfield and could have doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time.
The Croatian midfielder produced a superb piece of skill inside the box and saw his shot fall inches over the bar.
Tottenham continued to mount pressure on the Fulham goal and came close again on 50 minutes when Bentley's cross picked out Wilson Palacios whose close-range header flew just over the bar.
The home side sealed all three points with the crucial second on the hour mark and it was an extra special moment for Bentley who clearly had a point to prove on his return to the side.
Gareth Bale was fouled on the edge of the box, Bentley saw his free-kick take a wicked deflection off Bjorn Helge Riise and the ball flew past Schwarzer into the corner of the net.
Tottenham Hotspur Team
Fulham Team
Tottenham Hotspur | Fulham |
Corners
| 11 | 3 |
Fouls
| 13 | 17 |
Goal attempts
| 12 | 6 |
Shots off target
| 7 | 3 |
Offsides
| 2 | 5 |



89mins
King gets across to block Davies' goal-bound effort.